Ex Libris en Kimonos

It has been awhile since I found a scarf in the season offerings from Hermes that knocked me into a scarf fantasy heaven. But this season's Ex Libris en Kimonos wowed me like the good old days.

Having lived in Japan for eight years, I had plenty of time to fall in love with the people and the history, with the arts and the culture of a past that people continue to keep alive today.

Ex Libris en Kimonos spoke to me loudly, especially when I read that much of the design was taken directly from historical Kimono fabric patterns from the Matsuzakaya Kimono Museum. I knew I had to have it, and I knew I wanted it in a colorway that stayed true to the historical element from which the design came. The colorway of noir/ocre/petrole does just that. It stays true to the historical colors of the time. This colorway also lends itself to a magic of pairings within the wardrobe, oranges, peaches, blues, browns, creams, black, silver, golds, turquoise, and greens, and purple. Such a vast awray makes it the perfect "go to" choice. Which is exactly what I was wanting in this purchase.

Introducing "Vida" born 10/26/50

Many many years ago when I first started quilting, I wanted a Singer Featherweight Machine. They are a piece of sewing history and historically are on record for having sewn the straightest seam in history. Plus the feature that they are only 11 lbs. of total portability for quilting. They simply are a quilter's dream.

I waited many years to have that dream realized. I was recently with a friend of my Mother's with whom I have stayed close to since Mom passed. I told her of my dream, and much to my astonishment, she said she had a machine for me.

Vida is a Centenial edition Singer 221, her case is beautiful as she is, and she has a penguin walking foot.

I named her after my great aunt Vida from Rogers Arkansas, who proudly owned a sewing center, and never missed a day of work. It seems fitting.

Buddha Party

I wanted something I had made to decorate the walls of my office. And I wanted it to be bright, and cherry and say something about me and how I think. I was extremely attracted to Terrie Mangat's fabric that came out a few years ago, called "Buddha Party". I managed to score some panels, and have started on my wall hanging. I like how well it is going, I will probably make a lag quilt out of the extra fabric.

A Very Nice Suprise!

My friend Kerry, really wanted me to enter the quilt in the local fair, so I did and I can't believe it won a 5th place ribbon. There were so many wonderful quilts, and over 92 entries.

With Love

Wow, I have not been around here for awhile! So much has changed in my life. For the better, but still hard to grasp the amount of change. I work in a totally different setting now. I still work for Sonoma County, but I now work for Outpatient Mental Health Services. I love the work that I do! But enough about that.

I am back to a passion I had left behind for a very long time. I am back to quilting. I have always loved to quilt, but I had left this wonderful hobby when my mother passed on.

You see the last thing I quilted, I made along side her during her battle with cancer. For some reason I just never picked up again after that. I think that I was really angry over all of the loss, and I just wanted life to look so different in some sort of effort to protect.

This past year my best friend was able to tell me that I had been carrying a lot of that anger, and due to the stress of the changes my life was going through, I was not hiding it as well as I always had. At first those were hard words to hear. But the universe has a way of moving us in the direction we need to grow and to work on things left undone.

The universe led me back to my sewing, and quilting. It was very cathartic. Little projects led to me wanting to create something very special for someone so special to me. My best friend loves horror movies. This is something we have always shared together, and something that in a strange way defines the kinds of funky fun we always have together.

I found some Kaufman fabric that is a retro horror movie poster print, and the design took off from there. The quilt has been a blast to make, and a true labor of love. The process taught me much about myself, and about life. Nothing is or ever should be perfect. I am not even sure that there is such a thing as perfection. Look around us, the universe creates, and forms and nothing is ever totally like the one before. That is the beauty of this place and the people we share it with.

Life is fleeting, and short, we need to experience love, enjoy the gifts that life gives us, and simply be grateful for every moment and every encounter we have. Life is a celebration no matter where we are or what we are experiencing. Yes even the hardships, they strengthen us, we move forward and past them only to be stronger for life that comes next.

For me life is like a quilt, so many pieces, such varied pattern and design, carefully stitched together in the end to say who we were, and what we meant to those we share the journey with. I am so happy to have a friend like Kerry, I feel so blessed.

As it turns out this quilt has so much meaning and none of it was planned. You see, I finished the quilt on a very special day to her, the birthday of the brother she loved and lost. I had no idea of this fact until today, when she told me. Funny how the universe ties so many things together if we only take the time to see them.

I will be quilting again very soon, but this time it is one planned for myself, and I doubt that it will have the meanings or the lessons this one has gifted me with. But it will still be a fun journey.