"After winter comes the summer. After night comes the dawn. And after every storm, there comes clear, open skies."

While the snow sits, lazely melting in my yard, I am pulled toward daydreams of warm, sunny days. It has been a doozey of winter, beginning with a treachorous wind storm. As the snow melts, I am amazed at how many trees were felled during our early winter winds. Quite of a bit a destruction is beginning to reveal itself. Makes me wonder what our summer has in store for us. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere a little less extreme. Then I look out my window at my beautiful new house and feel quite content where I am. While our moving plans become more concrete with each hired contractor, I wander into my soon-to-be sewing studio and stand in the middle of the room. Life is good, and about to get even better.

Front of bag with button.

Currently, I sew away in my little corner of the living room. It takes me weeks to complete most projects, as I have to put them away each time we use our dining room table. I finally finished my Fourteen May June bag last night. I used some Anna Maria Horner fat quarters and one of my favorite, over-the-top vintage rhinestone buttons.  

This was a fun little bag, and I love the colors. I still have to stitch up my Zakka Pencil Case for the sew-along, but maybe tonight... I have it all cut out, and that is half the battle.

Back of bag with pocket.

Dada's beard, Mama!

Now, if I could just keep my darling Carly from coloring herself from head to toe every chance she gets. Thank goodness for "washable" Crayolas. It is really hard to get mad, for she has such an appreciation for color and decoration. Really, whose fault is that?

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

If I were to sit back and consider all the things I am thankful for, I originally thought it would it would be a very long list. I was quite surprised when, thinking about the things that truly matter, my list was fairly short and consise. I mean, sure, I could go on and on about the chocolate and coffee at Rogues's Garden, and I am thankful that we have such a wonderful escape in our frozen little town, but I wanted my list to go a little deeper.

That deeper list was my life. My deeper list was my family, my friends, my health and my home. Isn't that what life boils down to, really? What would I fight for? What would I defend to the end? What would I never give up on? Those four things.

Rudy lost his first tooth. He's been waiting a while to get tooth fairy loot.

Rudy's tooth fairy pillow :)

"I can't do magic or grant wishes, but if you unfold me, I can do the dishes."

Samantha's napkin turkey.

I am thankful for a million other things, too. I thank my mom everyday for teaching me to sew, and for her humor. I am thankful for my wonderful step-father, who raised me as his own, although I may have given him quite a bit of hell from time to time. I am thankful for my wonderful job, which I often wonder how I got so lucky to obtain. I love my job.

This has been a hard winter so far. Truly, it has barely started, but with hurricane force winds, single digit temps, wrecked vehicles (that was for my brother) and frost-bitten cheeks, we are easily put into a dark state of mind.We question why we would chose to live in such a forsaken place. Then we go back to the list. It really doesn't matter where we live. As long as we have our family, friends, home and health.

The few feet of wonderful, fluffy snow we are getting as a type this helps, too.

It's the most (insert your fav adjective) time of the year...

I got married on November 25, 2000. We had originally planned a spring wedding, but I couldn't picture myself getting married in spring. I love this time of year. We have a few feet of snow on the ground, and as I glance out my window, I can see the chickadees digging their way into the feeder. It so peaceful outside. I live for these Sunday mornings.

My plan for today is to dig my snowshoes out of the shed and check out the trails behind my house. We have a ski conversion kit for our stroller, so I tow little Carly behind me while the older kids come with. Quite often, they end up hitching a ride on either side of the stroller. We never venture too far from home.

I also want to make a Christmas sewing list. I have some great ideas, but I know Christmas always sneaks up faster than I'm ready for. 

I have been playing around with Anna Maria Horner's new pattern, the student art tote, in the evenings. I finished it, but didn't like how the middle divider turned out. So I went to the Calico Whale, found some fabric that was absolutely perfect, and redid the lining with the divider. I think it will be a great entry for the Celebrate Color contest. Too bad you can't feel how soft the outer panels are! Perfect bag for this time of year...

Student Art Tote with new lining. Second time was most certainly the charm!

Outside of the tote. I used denim zippers and upholstery fabric for the outer panels.

 I realize that this would have been one of those times that I should have used muslin for my first attempt. Perhaps I should invest in some serious yardage. I have been experimenting with projects more and more lately. I want to venture into clothing, and I found the most beautiful, inspirational book last week.

Kay Whitt is a teacher turned designer, and her book, Sew Serendipity, is wonderful. I am still carrying it around with me. She also has a blog that I have been visiting lately.

If I could live in her clothing, I would. I love her eye for color, and how she mixes fabric prints. 

MItered Corners and All...

I think the brakes in my life just went out. The days are flying by and I don't like it. I can't seem to find the time to, well, just breath. Let alone sew. Which is what I really want to do. I would love to finish my Halloween table runner in order to use it some time before, oh, I don't know, HALLOWEEN? Is that too much to ask?

I did knock out my first mitered corner this weekend. Yup. One whole corner. I had to watch a You Tube tutorial 3 times before I figured it out. But-I did it.

I have since found the time to finish all four corners and  am getting ready to quilt. I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm hoping to sew a little this weekend.

I also discovered this really cool fabric from Micheal Miller. Look at those cute scissors! And buttons for the eyes! Might I say that this man is a genious? Quilt Pirates....Naturally I ordered a few yards, as I have several projects that need some 'tude.

This fabric makes me feel like the kick ass quilter I am. At least the one I think I am. Or want to be. Whatever.

I do so love this time of year, however. Check out my super awesome earrings and necklace! They were handmade by my amazingly talented friend Lisa. I may end up wearing my witch year round as it makes me feel a little like the pirate fabric-kick ass.

My kiddos are prepping for Halloween-which is almost better than the actual holiday. Samantha has been running around with a sword and an eyepatch all week, Rudy is a furry blue monster-complete with giant pink tongue, and Carly is rockin' Samantha's chubby spider costume. The very same costume Sam trick-or-treated in with my mom 6 years ago.

Everytime I see my Carly run by with the little spider legs dangling, I think of that Halloween, and wonder how it is possible to feel so much love and sadness all at the same time. I know life isn't fair, and that no matter what, it goes on. But for just one second, I would like to stop and show my mom her youngest grandaughter all dressed up as a little spider.

Samantha and Grandma Bonnie, 2004

Celebrate Color: I Finally Finished Something!

I finally have a submission for the Celebrate Color contest. Just finished it up an hour ago, and I think it's pretty cute. The pattern was fun, easy to understand, and comes in two different sizes. I made the larger one, as I can't leave the house without half of what I own coming with me.

Alexander Henry's new fall fabric "rivoli girl."

I lined the inside with Anna Maria Horner's "Framed" in oilcloth.

The pattern is Amy Butler's Frency Tote.

 It took me a while to cut into my fabric. I fell in love with the girls on Alexander Henry's new fall line, and couldn't decide which two girls I wanted to fussy cut. Trust me, it took way too long. 

I also had to deal with a few distractions. But honestly, who doesn't want to dive into a jar of buttons and just play. Really? It's just me?

This is the first time in a while that we've been able to just relax. I'm loving it. After a very busy week at work (so very excited about my new library!), we are all happy to hunker down on this chilly, perfectly fall day.

Gramma got the kiddos matching jammies... Love the look on her face.

 

And...I ordered some custom tags from Gutentags. So fun! Totally worth checking out! I matched the font on my tags with the font I used in my blog header. Pretty tricky, right? 

Oh man, do I need help...

I've had it. I am so frustrated right now! Nothing I sew is turning out, my weekends are too short, and it is STILL RAINING. I know, I know... The sun came out yesterday for most of the morning and afternoon, but I'd rather rant and rave like Oscar the Grouch. So there. But it was really pretty...

The sun burning off the fog at the end of our driveway

Here's the deal. I need help. I'm trying to make AMH's Pedal Pusher pillow. It took me forever and a day to cut all the pieces. This is due to the fact that I can't really start cutting until my day is quiet (dinner is done, kids are washed and in bed, and all the crap for the next day is set out nice and orderly). At this point, my brain is usually fried. Anyway, I have checked and double checked all my cut pieces, and they seem fine.


When I started sewing them together, the trouble began. How the hell do you sew curves? I've pinned like crazy, but I can't seem to get things lined up. My first attempt was sad, sad, sad. I pulled seams and tried again. Same result. I'm ending up a quarter to a half inch off when I'm done! Why?! Look at this hot mess:

So...This was my September project for Celebrate Color. I really wanted to finish it, but I'm thinking that may not happen. Does anyone out there know how to help me? Please? Back in the day I would pack up the whole mess, go to my mom's house, pour a drink and get all the guidance in the world. I think this is why I'm even more frustrated. Not only am I not figuring out my pillow, but my mom's absence becomes glaringly obvious, and that does not help anything. Sigh.

Last night I needed to relax and find my sewing mojo. It was a matter of life and death. OK. I'm being a little dramatic. But still. I just got my ebay order of boxer elastic (who new it existed?), so I looked up this super awesome tutorial and a couple hours later I had the coolest iPod case/armband ever. I LOVE it. And I really love that I didn't screw it up.

I've been so obsessed with trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong, that my children have taken extreme measures to get my attention. They really don't need to, as we live in 900 square feet of space and they are pretty much always within a few feet of me. Yet, this still happens. A lot.

“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” ~Robert Fulghum

Inspiration is a fickle mistress. I have a huge project list and I am accomplishing very little. We had such a great, relaxing summer that I long to be at home, sewing and playing with my kids. Work was a fun, inspirational place of sharing project ideas, coffee and wonderful conversation. It's a little different this year. I am trying to find my path, but a lot of unnecessary nonsense (at least in my eyes) is draining my energy.

But I don't want to write about that. I just had to get it out, so I can move on. I am still sewing a little every evening. Puttering away on my Halloween table runner and working on my pillow. I haven't gotten out of the petal cutting phase on my pillow, as every time I sit down to work on it, something weird happens. Not enough fabric for a certain petal piece, or just plain old confusion that leads me to turn on my TV and zone out. Fantastic.

Final block placement. I think.

I am looking forward to the next month, however. I love October! I'm hoping it brings with it some changes at work and home. More balance, I'm hoping. I found some really cool Halloween fabric at the Calico Whale. I think the spooky tree fabric would make an awesome pumpkin! Check out that fat quarter, too. Does it not scream "pumpkin stem"?

I "grew" my pattern piece on the copier. Heh heh.

I plan to teach a couple of classes at the Calico Whale and make some shop samples. I picked up some beautiful oilcloth and this cute tote pattern to do just that. Shelly has a ton of it in her shop-all different colors and pattens. And P.S.- they are food safe! Hello lunch sacks and sandwich wraps!

Just 2 of the many patterns. They were all so cool!

My copy of Sewing with Oilcloth came in the mail the other day, and it is a beautiful book full of fun, do-able patterns. It also came with a cute bookmark, so what more could a girl want? Kelly's blog, Oilcloth Addict, is one of my favorite places to visit.

I also want to start reading some books from a local book club and actually go to some meetings. Something I used to do, but life ran up and shoved it out of the way. Balancing what I love to do with my family and my job is certainly key to my happiness. I don't think I am in balance right now. I know it is close, as long as I don't get caught up in the unnessary nonsense.

Won't you take me to Funky Town?

All this rain is starting to put me in a funk. I don't like being in a funk. Apparently this funk is a family affair, as my toddler is also in some sort of baby funk, my kindergartner is not quite himself, my third grader is certainly out of sorts and my husband is acting like my kindergartner.

I just want to stay home all day and dink around the house. I have all these awesome sewing ideas for Celebrate Color, but I'm finding that I don't have enough time. I want to make a bold Halloween table runner for my kitchen table (as soon as I find it), and I actually did get started on it. So that's something... Oh, and I want to make a big fat stuffed pumpkin. I just love fat pumpkins.

Messing around with my Halloween fabric

I also want to make a new pillow for my sad, sad sofa. People will notice the awesome pillow and not the sorry state of my sofa, right? I bought all the fabric at the Calico Whale, and was just about to jump in when I decided that I needed a different red. So... I am now waiting for an order from Fabric Worm. This pillow is going to be my first entry for September in the above contest. At least, it will be, if I actually get started on it.

Ummm, yeah. Reading through intimidating directions.

When I get in these funks, it is usually because I feel like I'm doing a million things, and none of them well. Last night I had great plans-I was going to sew on this and cut that...instead I sat on the sofa and watched Teen Mom while eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Total Funk. And FYI-Teen Mom is not the most uplifting show. I should have just thrown in one of my Sex in the City DVDs.

I did manage to knock out a cute little Tooth Fairy pillow (get it? knock out?) for Samantha. She was worried about her tooth falling out of bed. A valid concern, as her room is so messy that it would never, ever be found again. I found this cute little tutorial, and an hour later I had the pillow hanging off her bedpost. Helpful for the Fairy as well, for she no longer has to teeter on the edge of the ladder leading up to the loft while precariously trying to slide a tooth out from under a pillow with the same hand that holds the Sacagawea golden dollar coin (cause it looks like pirate booty). 

Celebrate Color: What Fall Means to Me...

Oh boy...What fall means up in Alaska is a lot different than fall in the lower 48. I have always known this, but after reading some of the other amazing blog posts, it became a vivid reality. I need to step it up! What does fall mean to me in my great state of AK?

September is when our fireweed bursts into flames, then slowly smolders into white puffs of cotton.

 Cottonwood leaves turn yellow overnight. A brisk autumn breeze brings them swirling to ground, coating it a crunchy brown. The sunlight gives everything a golden hue that looks much warmer than it feels.

Termination dust starts to creep down the mountains, getting dangerously close to the ground until an unseasonably warm day chases it back up.

October brings with it the first snowfall of the season. We usually plan our Halloween costumes around whether or not it will fit over a snowsuit. Some years we are trick-or-treating through a foot of snow, while other years bring us a wind that is blowing so hard we can barely open the doors to all the decorated homes and the town swirls with escaped candy wrappers. And some years are just plain bone chilling cold. I'm not selling anyone on my home, am I? It truly is a magical time of year, with a little bit of temperamental weather.

Trick-or treating with my mom in Alaska

November is winter in Alaska. It is cups of cocoa and tea, curled up on the couch with a quilt, listening to wind blow. It is family and Thanksgiving and my wedding anniversary. My parents were married in November, and I followed in that tradition. We were married 11 years ago, and our rehearsal dinner was a Thanksgiving feast.

A crisp November wedding

As children, my brother and I would help put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. My own children now help me. We poor some eggnog, put on the Christmas music, and gently unwrap each ornament as if it were a gift. I tell them the story that comes with every ornament, some home made, some from my mother's collection, and some from my husband's past. I teach the children about their grandparents, so they will not forget. I carry on my mother's traditions because she is a part of the season.

How does all this translate into my own fall color pallete? Deep fireweed red, fallen leaf browns and tans,  Halloween lime greens and oranges, crisp snow and wedding gown white as a brilliant contrast are my fall colors.

“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower...”

I need a stitchervention. I just totally made that word up and I don't care. I'm that tired. Rudy's first day of kindergarten did not go as well as I'd hoped. When the teacher comes up to you and asks if it is ok to be "a little stern," I take it as a red flag. OK, maybe not red, but definately a deep shade of pink. I'm hoping tomorrow is a better day for my little guy. It tugs at my heart and I don't like being sad and worried all day. I also have a sneaking suspicion that his Grandma is ready at any moment to sweep in and homeschool him at the School for Spoiled and Overfed Grandchildren. Now taking applications.


On a more uplifting note, I ordered a charm pack and some yardage in order to make this cute table runner. I can't wait for the fabric to arrive! Why? Because I'm also super excited about Stitched in Color's Celebrate Color contest! Yippee! Sewing and fabric and fall! Check out my super cute new button to the right of this post. Stiched in color says: "join us as we celebrate the colors of fall with inspiration, tutorials, contests and prizes during the months of September, October and November.  Because color inspires us all, Celebrate Color is for fiber artists of all kinds:  embroidery, crochet, knitting, quilting, home decor, clothing and any kind of wearable. Start thinking of what fall means to you, and celebrate with projects in full color!"


And because it seriously took me 3 days to finish this blog post (don't judge), I can show off my first fall project. Just finished him a little while ago. I have actually made this owl before, but I gave him away. I thought it would be the perfect fall project. It is very autumn-like outside my window right now, and I am loving it. This owl pincushion is for my swap partner, and I'm excited to get him in the mail.


On another positive note, Rudy is doing better as he transitions into kindergarten. Hooray for wonderful teachers and family support. Sometimes people ask me why we stayed in our little town. Above is just a couple of reasons...