opening ourselves to "yes"

gorgeous fabric from spoonflower, designed by Anne Butera.

I “met” Anne about ten tears ago. We became blogging buddies and fast friends. Over the years, we have kept track of one another…our dreams, our rough patches, our projects and we’ve exchanged snail mail, too. I admire the journey Anne has been on, becoming a self-taught artist, a teacher, and savvy business woman. She is a watercolorist and translates some of her work into fabric designs and merchandise. Her passion for gardening inspired the fabric (above) which has found its way into some of the pieces I sew.

When I was feeling some traction for upping my web presence, I turned to one of Anne’s Skillshare classes, Beginners Guide to Launching Your Artist Website . It helped my get my ideas organized and started me on my way. Anne turned my hesitancy and self doubt into action.

The thing I love most about Anne is the way she networks with, and mentors other creative people. This fall, she reached out to me to see if I might be willing to be part of her Sips of Inspiration series. This series highlights artists and the many ways they find inspiration. I balked at first, with all sorts of resistance, with the silly “I’m not a real artist”, and “I don’t have anything important to say” demons in my head. Anne was quietly and gently persistent, and finally I took a deep breath and said “OK”.

We spoke last week, and our conversation was a delight! Anne kept the conversation easygoing and relaxed. Today Anne posted the interview on her blog and IG account. I invite you to check it out here.

I am so very grateful to Anne for her friendship, her encouragement, her faith in me and for asking me to step out of my comfort zone. She helped me open up to possibilities in myself that I did not yet see and say “yes”. That, my friends, is a gift!

Narnia and sachets and good listens

Sometimes we feel like we live in Narnia. This morning we woke up to the sound of the snowplow clearing the road. In my drowsiness I imagined talking woodland creatures, boxes of Turkish delight and lamp posts in the snow.

It’s mid-afternoon now, and it’s still snowing. I love it. Plain and simple.

With overgrown balsam trees climbing up our hill, we have plenty of supplies to make wreaths, garlands and offer smaller trees for cut-your-own fundraisers to local not-for-profits. And why not make fragrant balsam sachets to share the signature scent of our “bit of earth”?

This sachet was stitched for a friend last week. I used cotton fabric I had dyed with yellow onion skins, using a resist technique with clothespins. Sachets can be tossed onto the dashboard of your vehicle, they can be stashed in a closet, tucked at your bedside, or buried in a basket of woolen mittens and hats.

I’ll have a batch of balsam sachets in my shop when it opens. :-)

Some things I’m looking forward to that you may enjoy as well…

• Tammy’s Barn Chat at A Wing and a Prayer Farm on Saturday. Tammy will be talking with slow fashion advocates, stitch activists and authors Sonya Philip and Katrina Rodabaugh.

• A Midwinter Gathering with Krista Tippett and Lucas Johnson on the evening of the Solstice.

And check back tomorrow for something I’m very excited about.

introductions, or maybe, hello again

Welcome friends! Way back in January of 2009, I wrote my very post at sewandsowlife on the Blogger platform.

At the time, my college sweetie “Batman” and I were living our lives between two places---in CT and at our beloved “bit of earth” in VT. The blog kept track of our comings and goings, our hopes and dreams of living in Vermont full time. I documented field trips we took, projects we were working on, garden updates, inspirational quotes, little glimpses into the life we were trying to build. I very briefly ran an Etsy shop. Once we moved to Vermont full time in 2014, I shared some of the renovations on our home. 

I’ve loved writing for my tiny band of followers, and it’s fun to look back once in a while to see how far Batman and I have come on life’s adventure.

I met so many wonderful kindred spirits in those glory days of blogging, and now, in the midst of pandemic living, I am especially grateful for their continued virtual friendships.

A friend of mine calls herself a “Gift Maker”, and that is certainly what I have been too. I think my beloved Bernina 1080 and I have stitched our way around the circumference of the globe at least once or twice. I’ve made quilts to take to college, to celebrate weddings and the arrival of new babies. I’ve sewn bags and pouches to hold projects, snail mail and toys. I’ve sewn needle cases, pencil rolls and pin cushions. I’ve sewn wall hangings and napkins and pillows and dolls. I’ve stitched aprons and rope bowls and balsam sachets and capes for playtime. And, gosh, I have mended so many things!

And now, I’m ready to shift gears. I’m moving my ramblings over here to Squarespace. I’ll continue to share the beauty of Vermont with you, and some of the things that inspire me. And in early 2021 I plan to open a wee shop stocked with gentle things for you to buy for yourself or gift to your dearest ones.

I invite you to follow along here in my new space and I send you deep gratitude for spending time with me here.

With hope and light and love,

KarenLR