Childhood

Thank You For Sewing!

Dear Sewing Enthusiasts,

Thank you for your dedication and hardwork to unite or fasten by stitches a more beautiful world. You are such fine advocates that we wanted to reward you with this small prize box.  We hope you enjoy it and continue your quest to make and do and be.

We are all in this together! Baste on!

Bernina P. Singer

This mystery box arrived on our doorstep a week ago.  I don't even know how to describe the joy that errupted upon its opening.  Sadly, my photos just don't quite do the trick, but please use your imagination, pretend that you LOVE sewing and are turned on by yards of colorful fabric, buttons - buttons! -  and thread...and you will have some glimmer of the energy surrounding this bounty.

Also included was a copy of One-Yard Wonders, which Eliza used and loved in her sewing class.  I'm kinda thinking that even I could make a few of the items in there...

Eliza pounced upon a package of metal studs and knew just how to use them.  She painted a few and embellished a newly-cut pair of jeans shorts.

So the sewing madness around here continues, thanks to the juicy infusion of a beautiful mystery box!!!  

sewing a new bag

button love

THANK YOU, Bernina P. Singer! You are a sewer of magic and joy!

three days of love

The end point of our journey west was the beautiful wedding of my dear cousin, Jessica to her honey, Ben. Weddings do such a nice job of bringing people you love to one spot, and we spent every minute of this one enjoying the community they've made for themselves in the world.  

My uncle and my grandfather - can you see the resemblance?

Great Grampa, Grampa, and new grandson

(those are lovely pictures, but where's the bride?)

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Preparations

(really, where is the bride?)

(there she is!!)

(I feel that these last two photos might require some explanation...The groom's brother flew in early Friday morning from the UK and his gift was the installation of two gigantic beeswax candles which he spent all day Friday and part of Saturday constructing, much to our amusement.  It smelled so good...)

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my cousin C with beauiful Ani

Eliza and Cousin Lucy

The groom's family, trading songs around the salmon

the beautiful couple enduring a hilarious brotherly toast

Sigh.  It was everything a wedding should be.  Joyful, sincere, silly, radiant, hopeful.  My 96-year-old grampa made the trip out with his 94-year-old sister, and they both danced to my uncle's swing band and the looks on their faces will thrill me for a long long time...