A Coronation / No Wedding

She looks and acts like Queen Elizabeth I. She has demanded a throne for a long time. I would not relent. However a friend gave me a footstool that I have wanted for a long time. I brought it home last week and my life has been over since then. She took it over immediately. Doesn't she look Royal?
Queen Penelope I. Long live the Queen.

Working Out New Ideas

This is going to be a messenger bag....a new adventure for me. I thought about what I would want to use if I were going to take a overseas trip. I would want purse that would be secure but carry a lot of good stuff. Also, carry my book! I never leave home on a trip with out my current book. Now, if only my shoulder will be strong enough.
This is a piece of leather that I had in the drawer and I did like the shape and the color. I am waiting for some brass rings. It will take a while to finish but it will be fun.

I Feel Lucky !

I feel lucky. There is this very lovely lady living in England. I been following her blog for quite a few years. She draws on fabric wit her sewing machine and what she creates is charming. She gives classes at different shops around where she lives and from what I can tell, many people attend.
A few week ago, Janet Clare had a giveaway and because I like her work so much, I waded in with a "comment". Lo and behold, I won. I received this little charmer yesterday and I have a few ideas where to use it, but all the ideas mean I will have to give him away. That is the sticky part. Do I want to part with Hugo?

Happy Easter..Happy Spring

This is a large postcard that arrived yesterday. My darling niece made it and sent out a whole lot of them to her friends and family. The precocious rabbit has a little pink Satin bow around his neck. What I especially like about receiving mail from my darling niece is that not only do I enjoy it but the mail person does also!

Happy Spring...Happy Easter

Carved Jade and Macrame'

This is my "Laid Back" purse. I saw the fabric at FIDM and they had macrame' belts. Immediately, I saw how I wanted to make this bag. It took a while, because I had so many other projects to finish. But that didn't stop me from playing with the fabric and belts when I got home. It was then when I opened a drawer next to my cutting table I saw the Jade carving. My breath left me (sometimes I get over dramatic!). But it really was a perfect moment when everything comes together. The Jade has the exact colors of the fabric.
I lined the bag with a pumpkin pie Silk. I also put in three pockets. I fell in love with pockets as a very young child. There is a pocket for cell phones, keys and pens. All those things that end up on the bottom of the bag.
Well, back to the real world and onto the next robe. This will be for Lucy, my granddaughter.

What I am Doing Now

I am making another purse. It seemed like I had lost my way in all the family sewing I have been doing.
I made a robe for my grandson, I made a robe for my Darling Niece for her birthday. I did not photograph it because what can you say about a robe. Except for the fabric was from Japan. It was amazingly beautiful cotton quilted fabric. It was only 40" wide, it created a lot of re-thinking on laying it out. I put seam binding on all the seams (which I made). Lots of work. And then I sewed all the seams down to the backing of the quilting. Lots of work. But I put in love on every stitch and that way it felt good.
My Darling Niece looks beautiful in it and may she wear it and enjoy it for many years.
All that to say I spent around 2 -3 weeks working on the robe. Before that it was pajamas for my Darling Niece's darling daughter, before that it was a robe for my darling grandson and also various alterations for friends and family. Doesn't that tell a story of living?
Back to the new purse. I got this wonderful fabric at FIDM when I was with my Darling Niece a couple of weeks ago. I picked it up and it sang to me and now I am pursuing that song. The Chinese carving is too perfect not to be included. I am having a good time. It is supposed to be like this, isn't it?

This is For Annie

My Great Niece Annie and I have a great fondness for cats. She especially likes my Black and White twins. Her mother and Annie came down a week after I got these two kittens.
This is the black one, Chester. He is a darling but it takes so long to make the bed or put clothes into a basket. He is always there, right in the middle. When I make the bed I try to be very quiet or he runs in to get under the covers so I can flap them over him. Life takes more time with him but is definitely more fun.

Where the Air is Rare!

This photo was taken by my Darling Niece at a restaurant last week. We weren't going to have our yearly celebration of her birthday this year because both of us were on other planets. But since we saw the light and the need, it happened. Two days before she arrived all arrangements were made.
We were on the go from the time she arrived till the time she left. We had a wonderful time. We went to this lovely home in Bel Air that had been turned into a museum. The Patron of the Arts was Frederick Weisman. Every wall had a painting on it. There were Picasso's, Giacometti's,Pollock's, Rothko's, and the one that took my breath away (if I could have fit it into my car, I would have walked out with) Clyfford Still. The tour took two hours and required a reservation. Well worth going to and seeing again. The art is really ART. The statues outside were fantastic. There were several Henry Moore's, and Calder. Unbelievable that Weisman was able to collect all these objects in one lifetime. Also, there were several portraits of Mr Weisman and his wife by Andy Warhol. I can't remember all there were so many and this home is on the west coast, there is another at the University of Minnesota.
We made trips to art stores, we went to FIDM. We went out to eat, and eat and eat. One of the really fun eating experiences was the first night. My son and family joined us at a new restaurant in Gardena. But the twist was their use of public transit. They wanted to see if they could come to my area on the Metro. We all got a little mixed up but finally we found each other.
The restaurant is Italian and children friendly and the food is very well prepared and delicious.
We are planning out next adventure already. The air is very rare when I am with my Darling Niece.
Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!!

During My Sabbatical

This is my Frida. My darling, wonderful Frida. She was named after Frida Kahlo. And now I can see that there are parallels to their lives.
We like to take walks together and view the neighborhood. She is very curious and adventurous. She will take me to areas that I have no desire to go and yet after the walk, I can see that it was worth it. We have long conversations and she does not hold back on her opinions but she is always kind about them.
Come tomorrow, it will be three weeks since the "Event" happened. We were almost home (two doors away) when she stumbled. After the stumble, she slowed down a lot. The next day she did not want to walk very far and the day after that the distance was shorter. The following day she would not get up. I am sure that the following will cause criticism but I really was doing all that could be done. Initially she was in the office (that is where the dogs sleep). But she decided that she had to go under the Bottle Brush bush. That is her favorite spot during warm months. She stopped eating. I could not persuade her come out and then the rains started. My son came over to help me move her and she tried to bite him. Frida would never bite anyone but she must have been in a lot of pain. So we put up a lot of tarps and tried to keep the rain off of her. On the worst day, I bailed buckets and buckets of water away from her. I put up rock dams to keep the water off her. Through all this travail I gave up hope. The light was fading from her eyes. I cried and pleaded and fed her by hand and squirted water into her mouth with a syringe. Finally I decided to sedate her (why I did'nt think of this before I do not know). My son came over and we got her back into the office. We arranged it like a hospital room. Three days later I walked into the office and she stood for me. I cried. She was very shaky but she stood. She made slow progress but it was progress. I celebrated till saturday last week. When I walked into the office I saw that she had two large holes in one leg. I couldn't think. I was so tired. It looked like it was very infected. I wasn't able to see it earlier because she wasn't moving easily. In the center of this huge crater was a white spot the size of a quarter. I called my son again and we finally were able to get her up to the vet. She is a big dog and weighs 86 pounds. It took a lot to just get her into the car.
The really, really good news is that it was a bed sore and he sewed her back together and she is making wonderful progress. We go for walks (slow walks) but she is up and happy again.
I feel like I have been in hell and am now forgiven!
My wonderful Frida!!

p.s. He still does not know what caused the whole thing in the first place.