life stories: a new color

a new color story to share. market treats coming to the etsy store with a BIG Ol' shop update! it will take me a few days to get it all up and running, but well worth the time and effort.

life stories: sacred stitching

a work in process. 20 fat quarters were gathered and received. each was washed, ironed, measured, cut, ironed, stitched, ironed, and stitched some more. the pattern that's come forth will have a name, but i'm not sure of it just yet. how does this work speak to you?

the quilt top is a work in progress, one that is filled with love from these toes and many others. each adds up to create a whole lot of love and peace, filled into what will become one warm quilt for a friend and her birdies.

capturing life stories

a fun new photo program to share, thanks to soule mama for introducing me to it. amanda's recent posts of wandering are so lovely. go, have a look & read. ah, the name of the photo program: hipstamatic iphone app. i love taking photos of our daily life. sometimes i take them for the act of taking them, often for the photo journaling. i love looking at the scope of our photos, the simplicity of each moment captured. i love the gentle reminders of our home, our life, our shared space.

in honor of such a lovely intention, i'll spend some time wandering in my thoughts and in my yard, in my home and in the woods (on an overnight retreat i'm leading this weekend). i'll take some pictures with my camera, but more with my mind. i'll allow those images to feed my soul, to create a space for rest in my mind and body. days like this, i love the moments stillness in the house, but more the moments of stillness in me.

today i record the stack of fabric squares with this handy new app. i record the love from many hands and the love that's to come, as color stories are created in small ways, one and two and three pieces sewn together...and the continuation of sewing until these squares becoming one side of a quilt.

the way i look at our life is much like that: one and two and three becoming stitched together into our life quilt...with stories, art, images, friends, food, and family all playing into our life story. lovely.

quilts of my ancestors

the three quilts to the right are quilts made by women in my family, both maternal & paternal relatives. i'm so in awe of how the years treat quilts when they are cared for. these are in my mother's home. she lent them for the women's retreat i led back in january in Mississippi. i'm so thankful to have been surrounded by so many beautiful colors with fabrics that were resourced well. we think the quilt you see with the green was made from flour or tea sacks from my great-grandmother's store. how wonderful are the works of your hands!

circles and cross quilt

my mother found this small quilt (about 1.5'x2.5') at an estate or yard sale. i borrowed it for a women's retreat i led in Mississippi earlier this year. i love the color combinations and the contrasts of solid & pattern, especially the vintage fabric with the red. the circles speak to me, but also the "cross" patterns i see in the fabric. i left this with my mother, as i wasn't prepared to ask for it, but i hope to make some sort of traveling parament for an altar or table.

quilts in the works: nanny's inspiration

my grandmother made this quilt.

she made it for me. it was made from a variety of wool blend fabrics in many sizes. she made this quilt for me when i was fatigued a lot in high school as a lap quilt for when i napped or was cold. i was cold a lot, running a low-grade fever for almost two years. i remember being the typical teenager and not showing full appreciation for its shades of color or for its uniqueness. now it's one of the quilts i treasure most. because she made it for me, because she stitched it with love, because she continues to warm me through her quilts, i want to share this quilting love with others.

for christmas i gave my younger brother-in-law the promise of a quilt like this one, to show him that we love him and can have the warmth of "home" where-ever he goes in his college life. i'm shopping thrift stores for pants that will be cut apart and made into a quilt for him. i hope to make at least one a year, using my grandmother's quilt as inspiration and possibly as design. i would like the shapes of the fabrics i find to guide the quilt as well. i think that it's a fitting tribute.

sacred space: jayme's quilt

a quilt created for my friend jayme. design by suzanne l. vinson, 2008.

tree of life quilt for kacey & scott

i love making quilts, but not for profit. i love making quilts that send love and life to those whom they are given. for kacey and scott this quilt is a quilt that took almost a year to create & give. the time is relative, as it didn't feel like a year, but a collection of moments i could think about these friends and send love through each stitch. i'm eagerly awaiting the work of kacey's hands: an awesome painting that will hold some of my own treasures. i'm so thankful for so many of you creative friends.

as quilts and love are on my mind this week, i thought i would share pictures both familiar & some new of this quilt. you can see more of this quilt on my flickr set: quilts + fabric.

an image of the back of the quilt.

the 65 roses project

my friend Nikole is awesome. she's an amazing women, mother, artist... aunt. read about her project on her blog: a happy nest. she's making 65 roses in honor of her beautiful niece caroline. i won't add my words except to send you to hers: go. go now. take your favorite mug filled & read. take a look at the amazing work of her hands in making a happy nest for her & her family. indeed: she is awesome. i look forward to selecting one of these and wearing it for caroline...

life stories: the knight with green socks

the young knight with green socks was on a quest. his quest led him to this spot and this moment. he needed to find something, but what? he knew he needed to keep on the move, following and leading all at once.

soon the young knight found a place to sing with friends. he then found a place to sit and eat molasses cookies & yummy treats with his costumed classmates. after singing, eating, drinking, and dancing the knight had fulfilled his quest. he enjoyed each moment and was satisfied.

the young mother found herself dressed up as well, looking something between a man-ghost, newspaper boy & golfer with amazing socks. she was pleased looking at her feet, thankful for the steps of this day.

time to sew

my hands have been busy this past week getting the quilts complete for the bereavement group last night.  whew.  i'm glad that all have their work in hand, stories shared, and plans to continue with a monthly gathering.  such good support has taken place among these individuals and families.  they give to each other because they know what they need to receive.  they support + love each other in ways they need love + support.  it's a beautiful weaving of stories, tears, and laughter.  

as i've been stitching these quilts by hand and machine, i've been thinking through the next series of works for my shadow/art boxes.  of course the image found at twig & thistle stayed in my mind, and i just had to work with that image this week.  you'll see my two interpretations above.  one for my sweet husband for father's day today and the other for mixed media.  sew inspiring. 

all in a few creative days

a library trip brought a real treat.  a book i've been waiting to preview ~ and what great ideas!  

i love books that inspire and also help usher creativity.    

among the sewing endeavors ~ these shoes!  adapted from the slippers in weekend sewing.

another library find... love the author and what a great illustrator! 

a must have in the children's lit collection.

 

botanical garden find.  these remind me of our family trio.

our plum tree in bloom.  jo is using his skills with his new magnifying glass.  

we love walking out the front door to be greeted by this blooming plum tree.  anticipation of it's fruit is too much.  they're so good.  jo picks them and eats them immediately.  watching spring arrive is like taking in an amazing breath of awareness.  i am called to attend to the moment by honoring the blooming gifts, delighting in jo's find of a new creature, and discovering joy in the sounds of sweet boys playing outdoors.  we've started getting our hands dirty in the yard and it is good and rich and nourishing.  plans for the garden emerge from our dreams of home grown fresh veggies including heirloom cucumbers, butternut squash, a variety of peppers, sungold cherry tomatoes, herbs galore, and more.  we'll have flowers of many colors and hopefully draw more caterpillars than last year.  my soul is fed in our backyard.  it's dreamy getting ready for these planting days ahead!

preview of things to come

some have asked what creative juices are flowing.  here's a peak at the spring line of brooches and the newest blockprint.  Once carved, I'll share the prints.  

the labels are from one of the tutorials on the top 100 tutorials of 2008 list i've mentioned previously.  they're great for my immediate need.  i love making my own, but will likely order some at some point...  pictured left to right:  white silk, lime cotton ribbon, and cream cotton ribbon.  this is the only ink color my printer is up to printing these days, so that narrowed my choices.  they're cute, though.

enjoy!  let me know what you think, too!  i'll be adding some really nice greens into the mix, but have concentrated on pinks, reds, and blues (can you tell?).  cheers!

firefighter man

jo loves imaginative play as bunnies, birds, firefighters, and all other sorts.  he's been excited about the "firefighter man" jacket that i saw on two straight lines gallery .  she was kind enough to point me in the right direction. thankfully the hancock's fabrics was having a super sale and we bought the pattern, materials, and some extra bias for my cape project.  i created the pants from a shorts pattern I plan to use for next summer's attire.  Jo chose the colors.  the orange was his first and second and third choice.  

here are the completed pants, which i think have a firefighter/construction vibe going.  i liked the addition of my pockets, bringing in the brown from the jacket and thick trim at the bottom of the legs.  he's enjoyed these already. 

we're making our gift bags for his various classmates and friends and neighboring trick-or-treaters.  we're adding crayons and we'll make some coloring sheets that will fit into these little bags.  a traveling craft bag for any occasion.  i need to order the best lollipops ever!  hopefully they'll make it in time.  we love these, but our local natural market no longer carries them in the bulk section.  i loved being able to purchase 5-10 at a time, especially when having something sweet is a real treat!

funny story.  because we purchased the owl cloth and the firefighter man fabric at the same time, jo sometimes replies that he's going to be an owl for halloween when asked.  too cute. i will need incorporate that into the jacket with a owl brooch!  better yet, make him an owl trick or treat bag!