a celebration stole for amy.

i'm calling my newest stole design a celebration stole.  

design and images copyright suzanne l. vinson.  

on the reverse, a blessing freehanded on my trusty bernina machine using a freehand foot.  

i'm incorporating my font into stitching.  and i love it. 

the congregation added the blessing and chose a verse to end with.  

i love the asymmetry the space required, 

having this in mind in case two lines became necessary. 

liturgical paraments:: easter time.

last year i was commissioned to create white paraments by a member

for Immanuel Episcopal Church in Old Church, VA in memory of her father.   

they have taken time and have been a delight to create.  

these were hung in time for the eater vigil service this year and 

will continue to hang through eastertide.   

the easter hangings have been a shared vision for quite some time. working with the color story of the hand stitched kneelers filling the sactuary, designed by anne, and stained glass within immanuel, anne and i sought to offer celebration of color, light, and life through the hangings. 

when i think of easter time, i think of new life, resurrection, color, abundance. when i imagine these hangings as a part of the eucharist and funeral services, my heart is full. we live stories as unique as the combination of colors and intersections on each of the hangings. the hangings tell a story, and you can see your own story in their linear shapes and variety of colors. 

the intersections of color and lines speak to our own journey as individuals and as a church. we are woven in one another's stories, and we take delight in the gifts of abundance.

as an artist and minister, my hope is that you look upon them and find yourself absorbed in wonder, delight, and curiosity. you may notice a more abstract cross. you may see a rainbow.  ou might think of a sunset. wherever you find your thoughts, may you return to a sense of renewal and new life. may you know delight and welcome.

 beautiful flowers picked and arranged from various members adorned each window.  

these are among my favorite flowers, taking me to many days spent lying in the grass of my grandmother's yard surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of daffodils.  what a beautiful gift.

a quilt in process made by friends.

what a beautiful "book stacks" quilt made by casey and nikole.  it's fantastic!  we hand stitched a bit in preparation for it's wonderful completion.  the quilt will receive binding this weekend and will be ready for the big auction it's been made for.  some of the fabrics were hand stamped by a class of 4 & 5 year olds at the preschool my sweet boy attended.  those were three very happy years in his life.  so happy to show love through a few stitches for this work that will benefit the scholarship fund.  love.  

creating :: in the studio.

quilts!

here are two sweet quilts that I've made for friends having wee ones this month & next. one of these sweet babies has been born and in good health with her parents. such good news!

nesting has its advantages. I'm loving all this good fiber work that I've been able to enjoy of late. such good work. such blessing folded and wrapped with love.

grow. love.

a hand stitched blessing on a quilt made with love nearly complete!

in the studio: stitching of late.

stacks of my own. fabrics for my story quilt duvet cover.  

hand quilting a nearly complete quilt!  

a completed custom story quilt duvet cover.  

starting at $500. these are available for you, too!  

ready to ship! 

stitch on.  

xo.

life stories: images from my day.

african violets over 7 years old welcoming the morning light.

noticing my altar in the kitchen window.  

((noticing a little something my love placed there. love.))

sitting still.  rooted in this spot.  

mindful of the space of this mat and the practice of awareness.

saying "why, hello there."  loving my self.  

sharing that love with you.

holding sacred threads in the light.  

cutting into them, creating something new.

life stories: {this} moment. nest building + wish casting.

in some of these moments i'm making a little nest. a literal nest. one that will be shared soon.  one that holds memories and hopes of life ahead for a dear friend.  i'm building something sweet that fills my soul. 

the nest you see pictured here was made by these hands for a sweet hazel wren, daughter to two dear, dear souls.  i love my kindred spirits around my world that bring light and life.  i love stitching for each of them, sending light and love with each stitch.

i love that these sacred stitches will hang in hazel's room, adding color that reflects the bright life she will lead.  such dreams we put into their sweet little lives.  as i stitch i'm sending out wishes for each: i wish for each love. wholeness in mind, body, and spirit. peace (in the spirit of shalom & wholeness). kinship. to be known. to be seen. to be heard.  i wish for each friendship. true friendship. forever friendship. soul friendship.  

in the studio: the work of my hands ((for a dearie))

sacred stitching for hazel wren.  enjoy, sweet one! 

the work of my hands: a mother's quilt.

my mother received this mini quilt for mother's day.  of course, i carried it in my bag for a week before mailing it.  in it, from top left clockwise, you see my sweet boy by the james river; me holding a K graduation picture of me at 5; my grandmother, mother, and her brother; and my grandfather, my, and my sweet boy's hands.  

i loved creating this work, sending her love.  and i think she likes it! 

life stories: the story of me quilt.

my son's preschool class needed an art project for the silent auction.  i was glad to have been asked to help.  along with rebecca, rachel, carolina, and casey, i stitched.  

i need to look up the other images, but here's the process: using the purl bee's circle applique' quilt, we created a quilt of our own.  the preschoolers drew story images about themselves onto styrofoam circles and printed those images on fabric.  these were heat set after drying.  the children chose fabrics and embroidery floss for stitching.  the rest was done by the hands named above.

 

a close up, where you see my sweet boy's red art. 

the other side of the quilt.  love the way the circles and textures have turned out.
love, love.

it's a must-make again and again! 

bid on the quilt and other goodness at the st. thomas day school silent auction online.  

they'll ship! 

life stories: hand stitching with love.

every so often i am given a request that just delights me. i love creating custom art for folks as it challenges me to think creatively. when my love brought his request to me to create a custom t-shirt for him, i was thrilled.

my love's school mascot is a pheonix. he teaches middle school boys and i'm so proud of the good work he does on a daily basis.

last year, he asked me to design a t-shirt for him with a phoenix. i wanted a little guidance on the style of pheonix & he returned with the above image as inspiration. i took time to envision the design, but i knew i wanted to create his shirt in reverse applique' using the two school colors.

as you'd expect, my sweet boy wanted one like his daddy-o's. i found the perfect shirt for him at my favorite local thrift store and used some of the same t-shirt from my love's reverse applique'.

creating reverse applique' t-shirts go pretty quickly for me. i'm preparing the t-shirts that will become favors for my boy's big 5 birthday in march. last year's shirts were a hit, and it's a tradtion i'd like to move into being. after all, you need at least 2 years to call it a tradition.

there are many traditions forming in our lives. i am happy to catalogue some in this space, sharing stories and imagery with you along the journey.

Journey With Grief Fall Support Group for Mothers

if you or someone you know could benefit from this group, please pass along this information. peace be with you. peace.