Rebecca Sower

quilt of many colors (in progress)

I have been part of the quilting bee making quilts for the Haitian children.  Opening boxes of beautiful fabrics, sorting, cutting.  So many treasures that you have sent our way.  We've made stacks of quilts, several of which have already made their way down to the happy new owners.

I come from a long line of quilters, but I'm not a real quilter.  Just a quilter-wannabe.  I've gotten the itch in a big way lately though.  So much so that I made a road trip up to this amazing store to buy my own little stash of colorful fabrics.

The project in mind?  A quilt of many colors for my sweet girl who graduates in May and is heading off to college.  Something pretty and full of color to take with her.  I'm following this tutorial for piecing the top. 

 

And then...Then I watch this documentary and see how one women stitched in little love 'notes' and sentiments into the quilt she was making for her son.  Of course!  Of course that's what I want to do.

Will I finish by May?  Not likely (this is going to take me forever).  But maybe by August when she heads off to school.  I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, I'm having a blast with all this color.  Way more than I'm used to working with, but it's refreshing and fun in a dizzy sort of way.

Hope life is good to you this weekend.  Love!

 

needle and thread

Does it make me a nerd if those two words are among my favorites in the English language?  I venture out into all sorts of creative materials now and then, and love them all, but I always end up back here.  Stitching by hand...

I've been working on this design (getting ready for Spring perhaps?) and have listed it in my shop.  This one I stitched into a pillow, perfect for the front porch.  The design is pre-printed on fabric this time, all ready to go.  For this next one I'm going to use vivid Summer colors...a book bag maybe?  The center of a picnic quilt?...

If you order one, you will also receive the same design printed on paper too, that you can transfer to other materials.  I'm working on some of the flowers individually that will be made into little linen sachet bags, pinkeeps and such.  As they say, the possibilities are endless.

Much love to you on this warm and stormy Wednesday (that's my radar anyway, great stitching weather).

december already

In the studio a lot lately, working on some new journals and a few other things...

...to be listed in my shop on December 1.

Wow, is it December already??

scarf weather

Scarf weather is here.  And so many beautiful ones to choose from!  Handmade of course.  My daughter even made a few sweet scarves and put them in her etsy shop...raising funds for our trip to Haiti in a couple of weeks, that and her college fund.

And just look at these lovely finds from flickr....

1. Autumn Scarf, 2. scarf art- recycled fabrics, vintage buttons, 3. Autumn Scarf with Acorns and Pumpkins, 4. Leaves and acorns scarf, 5. scarf_poppy_orange2, 6. Cozy autumn felting scarf Autumn leaves, 7. Art Gallery Fabric Scarf, 8. Ammonite Scarf, 9. Chinese button handmade green scarf, 10. Autumn Flourish Scarf, 11. Handwoven scarf Autumn Sunflower, 12. Autumn Medallion Scarf, 13. Autumn Scarf, 14. Falling Leaves Scarf, 15. "scarf as a coat", 16. enchanted forest scarf (1), 17. Knitted ripple scarf, 18. Autumn tree crochet felted neckwarmer, 19. Autumn leaves cashmere scarf, 20. autumn prairie scarf, 21. Untitled, 22. Soft Crochet Turquoise Scarf Neckwarmer, 23. Nuno Felted Silk Scarf - Autumn Forest, 24. scarf (89), 25. Autumn Spice - Felted Scarf - Sold

the autumn focus board

{unrelated update: I finally added the Google Friend Connect badge in my sidebar for those of you who've been asking...sorry it took me so long!}

A wish of mine, to gather all of autumn's colorful abundance in my arms and squeeze it into the nooks of my home.  The clear clean air, the warm sun, the crunchiness and crispness of it all.  Who says I can't scoop up a big bundle of the golden leaves that fall from the old maples out front and throw them down on the wood floors inside?  One of these years I might just do it, since my sweet family long ago dropped their quizzical looks at my 'decorating' ideas.

Summer's ending (sigh).  And the bittersweetness that comes every year at this time nudges me to cling to all that I have left of summer while I look forward a bit to fall.  I have the usual cleaning, organizing lists in my mind.  But I also want to breathe deeply and make autumn a little richer than that.

I want to focus on things like sharing summer's preserves with others, gathering with people I love, reconnecting with friends, nourishing my soul so I can nourish others, write in my journals (so long neglected)...all good stuff.

Do I need to be reminded to focus on these things?  Yeah, pretty much I do.  I'm a long believer that creatively putting words here and there around me helps me remember what's important in life. 

I created what I will call my 'autumn focus board'.  I am already inspired to do these things...just need to reign in my focus now and then you know?  And maybe you will be inspired just a bit to create something to help yourself focus on the things that matter.  That's my hope anyway.  Please share if you do.

Until next time, may your days be filled with grace and peace.  And all the abundance of autumn.

coffee and rain

Woke this morning to more weather.  Rain this time, freezing rain actually.  So uninviting to sit and look out at those icy drops coming down.  Made better with a cup of hot coffee.

A cup of hot coffee and a quiet studio, just me and the cat.  Time to work on some of my own art journals that have been so long neglected and dusty.  And a little time to spend on this year's stitch sampler.

I even made you a coffee and rain playlist, if you're like me and fit your music to your mood.  It's a good morning.  Good and slow and I guess you'd say methodical.

stitched by hand { a mosaic }

1. Handstitched Swap, 2. Welsh quilt, close-up, Art Nouveau, antique, handstitched, wholecloth, 3. Needlework (C365, days 332-5), 4. Small World WIP detail, 5. purse, 6. Axe head patchwork - cushion, 7. Oh 1, 8. Embellisher spirals, 9. Bird embroidery, 10. linen tiny happy hedgehog with red berries and small bird, 11. wip - hand stitched swap, 12. weekend getaway grub - group 4, 13. fru Madsen, 14. crazy patchwork, 15. Monarch Butterfly Hand Embroidery, 16. Picture 055, 17. embroidery, 18. green brooch, 19. Cloud Carrier, 20. Silver Seabright Bantam Cock - detail, 21. an owl, a guitar and a harmonica, 22. 21 - elephant embroidery, 23. Silly happy yellow Dr. Suess, 24. Poltical brooch, 25. 147. sampler close, 26. Gordon Bennet detail, 27. March BJP 2010 - 2 copy, 28. The birds are back in the shop..., 29. i-pod holder or phone holder., 30. WIP: shisha sampler, 31. sweet heart, 32. auction for the Nielsons on my blog, 33. Untitled, 34. Alphabet Tree, 35. Pochette MarineBlue, 36. Remnants #5 and #4

Wow, can you believe all that beauty?

And after you've taken a closer look at the lovely stitchwork art,

you could stop over here and make some of these (I'm going to...can't wait!)

or you could have fun scrolling through this site

(or you could even drop by my etsy shop where I've listed a few pieces of jewelry).

Have fun on purpose today!

a haitian bee

It felt like an old-fashioned quilting bee.  Except we were in Haiti, and we weren't quilting.  Two weeks ago today, while their children played nearby, I was sitting with the ladies in Haiti making these little felt pins.  Their goal is to raise enough money to build a small 'gift shop' near their church so they'll have a place to sell their handcrafts and soaps and food creations to traveling groups who come through every week or so.

 

And I don't want to let an earthquake get in the way of that.  I know the church structure wasn't damaged.  And all reports so far are that the ladies are still alive.  This could be just the empowerment they need to begin rebuilding their lives after so much tragedy.  The pins are listed in the Haiti By Hand etsy shop.  They are beautifully colorful and organic and authentically Haitian--just like their creators.  If these sell out I'm pretty sure I have more (this is where you find out that I'm still trying to unpack my luggage from over a week ago).

And SO many other things going on around here.  I'm blown away by the stories that continue to be told on CNN.  Horrific ones and heartmending ones--they are all a part of this story.  Keep reaching and praying.

Tomorrow you get to meet Berta.  You are going to love her and that's all I will say for now.

the time to stitch

A while back I shared with you a "sampler" cloth.  Where I stitched, sat it aside, picked it up and stitched some more.  And the layers piled up.  I'm pretty sure that piece is at the Somerset offices right now.  And I miss it.  I didn't realize how often I picked it up and touched it and stitched a little more. 

So I'm starting anew.  On a french towel I bought in Paris last year.  I love that heavy stiff fabric.  Kaari gave me the low-down on all the types of linen and hemp and even nettle fabric when we chatted over dinner in Omaha last month.  So now I'm more in love with linen than ever.  You can have your silks, leave the linen for me.

Well, there's cotton.  I can never forsake cotton.  Maybe it's because I live in the southland.  Maybe because this is one of my favorite stitching books.  For me, cotton is more of a heart thing, sort of in my blood.  But linen, just the feel of it makes me happy.

So when did this turn into a fabric lesson?  What I meant to show you is the beginning of my new sampler cloth.  Liking it already.  It will be what I pick up when I am standing at my studio table with that glazed-over-what-am-I-doing-here thing I have going on sometimes.

No matter what your level of stitching, you should make one of these.  There is therapy involved in the touch and feel of it.  And if you have little ones, teach them to stitch.  My grandmother taught me when I was wee tiny.  Oh how I love her for taking that time.

this day's details