another stitched book, this one for my mumsie

My Mumsie’s favorite colors are in the turquoise/aqua neighborhood, so of course they made the cover.

She loves nature and tiny things, and foxes, too.

Tiny mice are some of her faves. Think Brambly Hedge. And my Mumsie loves to sit in the courtyard of her assisted living community in the morning to listen to the birds, so of course, there is a bird page.

She has an impressive community via snail mail, so I stitched a page to honor her devotion to stamp and envelope. And she has been a maker since she was a little girl. I learned to sew at her shoulder, tucked up next to her black Singer sewing machine. We come from a strong generational line of stitchers. :-)

And on the back of her book I recorded the date, because her 92nd birthday is in a week and she plans to live to be a hundred. This book may end up being the first in a series!

Do you remember the 100 days of stitching book I made via Anne Wood? You can see my version here.When I took it to show to my Mumsie, she seemed entranced by it, so I promised to make her a stitch book of her very own. Above, you’ll see the spreads, below, the details…

This is my Mumsie, to a tee!

I used a bit of selvedge to make the vegetation on the forest floor.

Avocado dyed linen, indigo dyed vintage raw silk, bits of birch bark from windblown trees. Tilda mouse.

Birds, William Morris leaves and a feather from the yard.

Notecard from artist Emily Lex. Scraps from different projects and a faux stamp made with pinking shears.

A few notions from my Mumsie’s supplies.

These little books are such fun to make! And it was a delight to set this one in my Mumsie’s hands and say, “For you, Mumsie!”

xo

building community through repairing, creating and reading

Our book group has really grown on me. A group of ten women, many of them retired public school teachers, have been meeting once a month for ages. I joined them maybe 7 or 8 years ago. We have mourned losses, celebrated successes, brought one another “covered dishes” in times of stress and we met via Zoom through Vermont’s very strict pandemic lockdown. We share recipes and gardening advice. I’ve read books I would not have read on my own. I gave many a thumbs up, but there were some real thumbs down too! :-) And can we put together a feast! Each month we share a potluck supper based on the book we have read that month. The warm circle of friendship we create each month feels like sanctuary to me.

In August we read Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhhà Lai, a wonderful, quick read. In a young adult novel, Lai describes the journey of a young Vietnamese girl who flees to America at the fall of Saigon. Written in free verse, I wanted the story to go on and on.

In September, we decided to follow up Lai’s book with The Women, by Kristin Hannah. A wee bit predictable in places, it still held my attention. The story of Frankie, the heroine, pulls readers into the lives of nurses who served in Vietnam and their lives after they returned stateside. “There were no women in Vietnam” was the official propaganda. But of course, there were. No matter which generation you grew up in, this book will open your eyes to a turbulent time in US history.

Did you know this is Banned Books Week? All Boys Are Not Blue, by George M Johnson has been on my “want to read list” for ages. It’s the second most banned book in America right now. And it is a godsend to any young person wondering about who they are. I give it five stars.

I also read The Rachel Incident, by Caroline O’Donoghue. One of my younger friends declared it one of her top three favorite books of 2023. I really enjoyed it, and my mind is still tossing around some of the choices made by characters in the story. There’s a lot to ponder in this novel.

Our town sponsors several book groups, a few are hosted by the library and there’s one at the senior center. Do you read with a book group? Do you prefer the privacy of your own book list? Or, like me, a bit of both? What are you reading, dearest friends? Drop a note in the comments!

Are you familiar with The Peace Pole Project? You can read about it here. Our library installed a peace pole before we moved to Vermont. It aged, the post rotted and it was retired to a spot behind the library during Covid. Some patrons recently asked about its whereabouts and a few of us worked to re-place it on the library lawn. One person drove a bit south to buy a new cedar post, Batman and I took the old one apart, cleaned the panels carefully as best we could, gave the back of the panels a fresh spray of white paint and attached the repaired panels to the new post.

Another friend of the library dug a hole and planted the peace pole back into the lawn. Sometimes it takes a village to get something done, each person adding their own light to the next. The renewed peace pole stands as a gentle reminder in the heart of the village. May Peace Prevail On Earth.

My friend and I called this color “creamsicle”.

At today’s closing gathering.

The artist, Jeremy Jarvis.

Last week I helped paint a mural and had such fun bumping elbows with friends and strangers (who became painting pals) alike! Artist Jeremy Jarvis facilitated a community painting project. Over 80 community members worked in shifts last Tuesday, to paint this gorgeous mural encouraging a love of reading and learning. Installed at Head Start’s Brook Street School in Barre VT, project partners include the Aldrich Public Library in Barre, and the Good Samaritan Haven. It was funded by the Vermont Arts Council.

I do love a chance to see something hopeful happen in our communities. Reading, repairing and painting were my holy trinity this month.

October will be filled with stitching, with oh so many projects in the queue! Sew and sow life will be fueled by Vermont foliage and softer light and the pleasure of gathering inward. See you then!

xo

happy autumn from vermont!

At long last, my favorite season is here! Batman has been brush-hogging the meadow and we’ve been chipping the branches from lots of tree-trimming. Chilly nights, foggy mornings, crisp and clear days, the scent of freshly mown hay, fall bounty at the farmers’s market and in our gardens. Our kitchen island is brimming with Roma tomatoes and Batman can hardly keep up with making them into his signature sauce. The peppers that kept the Romas company in the hoop house are coming on strong, too. The onions are drying on the porch, the garlic are in a basket in the room of requirement and the madder and indigo have been processed.

Look at these crazy madder roots! They provide the most gorgeous orangey/pinks. *see below

After soaking for two days in the dye pot, here are the fabrics hanging to dry in the woodshed.

The color tones down a bit once the fabric dries, but, gosh, this is a spectacular batch!

indigo leaves, fresh from the garden. *see below

I love to hang a bunch of indigo blossoms on the front door. They feel like a talisman to me.

This batch of indigo dyed fabric was lovely—the second batch, not so much. Dyeing with fresh indigo leaves is labor intensive with no guarantee of outcomes. After a good bit of thought, I’ve made a note in my dye journal to take a break from indigo next year. *sigh*

Mirrored cats. Wilma and Cora on the windowsills.

Balanced on the edge of the couch.

A basket face-off in the studio.

Two “meatloaves”, side by side.

Little curl, big curl.

The Equinox reminds us of balance and realignment and reflection. Our two rescue girls, Corazón and Wilma seem to model this with their daily lives. Part of the day, they do their own things, other times, they are lovingly paired in the same space. When I spent some time in my studio today, mapping out the time between now and the winter solstice, the two of them planted themselves on the sheet of brown paper I was working on. Not helpful, but also very sweet. How well these furry friends know how to live life. In the moment, with affection and grace.

Sweet and Crunchy Salmon, from bowls!, by Molly Watson

Autumn Reset Button Salad, by Shutterbean. I substituted pears from our tree for the apple, and used delicata squash from the gardens. I swapped spinach for the arugula.

This time of year eases me into trying new recipes. Grain Bowls, by Anna Shillinglaw Hampton is another gem that helps me shift gears. There’s something about having all sorts of good stuff in one bowl that makes me feel balanced, too. Maybe it’s how the bowl fits into my cupped hand, maybe it’s seeing the patchwork of ingredients, playing so well together…

We were delighted to have a day here at our “bit of earth” with dear buddies from our days at Earlham College. How we have all changed/stayed the same! We spoke of retirement communities, grandchildren, volunteer activities, hobbies…and yet it felt like we were back on campus, in the mid-70’s, just hanging out. These are the relationships that carry us through these challenging times…relationships with old friends, neighbors, family over Zoom, with colleagues in committee meetings…

As Neil Young sang, “It’s gonna take a lot of love to change the way things are…”

I’ll be back soon with some fun community projects and some book talk. And next week, look for pictures of the book I stitched for my Mumsie.

Wishing you balance and peace and hope, dearest readers…as we step into the beauty of this season.

*instructions for dyeing with fresh indigo leaves, here

*instructions for dyeing with madder root, here

xo

weaving summer into autumn

Outdoor loom

A while back, I shared with you, a list of things I might want to try this summer. Making an outdoor loom was on the list. Gretta helped me set up the frame between two trees when she was up here one afternoon. A few weeks later, I set up the warp string. I used old daylily stems, birch bark shed naturally from a tree, black-eyed Susans, cedar fronds and Baptisia leaves for the weft. I’ve long been fascinated with the work of British artist Andy Goldsworthy, whose art is often left out for nature to alter it. I’m curious to see how the wind and snow up here will change my little loom.

Flax in Vermont

There’s a wonderful group of folks in East Barnard, who are “committed to stewarding the land and building community through the process of growing flax for fiber”. You can read about them at Green Mountain Linen. This weekend they held the East Barnard Linen Fair and I wandered along dirt roads to join the fun. I reconnected with an old friend, who owns the field where the flax is being grown, and now I’m even more intrigued about the process. The website is filled with gorgeous photos and lots of info about the work they are undertaking. Much of their work is an effort to “weave the world together” with partnerships with folks in other countries where flax is grown, harvested, processed and woven. :-)

Baskets at the Portland Museum of Art (Maine)

Plain on the outside, brilliant on the inside!

This image was created with porcupine quills on birch bark.

“Relief print and embossment printed on Charbonelle Silver ink with chine-collē on indigo Gampi paper with handwoven Wabanaki basket by the artist on gray Rives RFK paper.”

I’d been wanting to see this exhibit all summer. This weekend, Batman and I met up with my brother Doug and sister-in-law Ra in Portland ME. We spent Sunday afternoon looking, in amazement, at the baskets of Jeremy Frey.

Read about this remarkable artist here.

Whether we’re weaving fiber or stories or lives…let us be reminded that strength can be found in the ways we go under and over, back and forth, tugging to close in the empty spaces. We are bound, all of us, by the communities we weave together.

Do you feel woven into the world, dearest reader? Where? How? Or not?

xo

Vermont quilters at billings farm

Back in early August, I had promised you photos from the annual quilt exhibit at Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock VT. Until recently, the exhibit showcased quilters from Windsor County. This year, the show was opened up to quilters anywhere in Vermont. The variety of work was dazzling! These are some of my faves…

I’m including the notes with the quilts, because I think they illustrate just beautifully how our hearts are stitching right along with our hands when we sit down to create a quilt.

This one, above, was stitched by one of my buddies from the modern quilt guild I belonged to for ages up in Burlington.

Of course, the quilt, above, appealed to me in a big way…

Billings Farm and Museum did a wonderful job of spreading the theme of quilts all over their property. I showed you some of the barn quilts here. A scavenger hunt was put together to help kids become engaged with the quilts. Both Maggie and Flora (on two separate trips) were tickled to get their blue ribbons upon completion of the hunt.

Out on the lawn, there were corn hole games, painted with a variety of quilt squares.

Honoring a long history of mixing politics with hand crafts I’ve just registered for a free, livestream event on September 15th, 2024. I read about it in the latest newsletter from Gather Here. Find out more here. Michelle’s “DO SOMETHING” has been ringing in my ears! Maybe I’ll “see you” there?

I finished the little book I was making for my Mumsie. Here’s a teaser, above. Mashing up her favorite colors of aqua and turquoise with a long hoarded fortune cookie, this is the cover.

These next few months promise to be a bit of a wild ride. Fasten your seat belts and come along with me for some fun distractions. I hope you’ll join me and add your own two cents in the comments along the way!

xo

hello again

On Wednesday morning, this magical rainbow arched across our view. It seemed to be a manifestation of the seeds of hope that have been planted for those of us who are craving it.

And on Sunday afternoon, I wandered down to the meetinghouse, for the summer’s last “Braintree Bluegrass Brunch”, where I caught up with neighbors, listened to great music and did some hand quilting in the shade. Kids, oldsters, locals, out-of-towners, bikers, networkers, friends, families…the hum of civility and fun was palpable.

I was down at King Arthur Baking earlier this week, and when I went into a restroom stall I was delighted to see a post-it note stuck to the back of the door that said “you are beautiful” with a smiley face drawn on it. Random act of sweetness.

Last week, a few of my book club buddies met on Susan’s screened-in porch to write postcards to registered voters in swing states, asking them to be sure they have a plan for how to vote in November. No electioneering, just a gentle reminder of one of the responsibilities of a living in democratic society.

On August 6th, I attended the 5th Vermont Community Leadership Summit, where over 500 folks gathered in community to learn together and forge stronger civic bonds. Did you know that in Vermont nearly 18% of the state’s workers are employed by 501c3s? As of May 2018, there were 6,004 not for profits in the state. Tiny Vermont is 16th in the nation for our volunteer rate! (Info found here )

I cannot express how energizing it felt to be in the midst of so many good people at the summit. I felt like I was gulping energy from an oasis of hope and relief. For so many reasons, life feels like it’s filled with possibility again.

When Lindsey and her family were here, we went to the Granite Museum in Barre. (If your son-in-law is a geologist, this is a “must see”.) I was struck over and over again as I wandered the huge old manufacturing shed, of the immigrants and craftspeople who flooded to central Vermont to shape the rocks that came out of the quarries here. I love to look for working hands wherever I go, and these two images made me catch my breath.

Rainbows, community gatherings, summits, postcards, working hands, post it notes…

I’m reminded of Tolkien’s great wizard Gandalf,…

“Some believe that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I’ve found. I found it is the small things, every day deeds by ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay.

Let’s all keep shining our lights, friends. Bright, sparkling, beacons of hope and joy.

xo

savoring the days

Batman and Maggie, fishing at the Floating Bridge in Brookfield, VT.

“oh, Great Spirit of Light and Love…”

supper from the garden

In the breezeway.

The monarch kite. Matilda (with one boot on and one boot off), Batman and Flora.

Picking our pears before the raccoons do.

A gift from a garden in Indiana, blooming here in Vermont.

Matilda, wearing a dress I made for Maggie in 2019, that Flora wore too. :-)

Now I am washing linens, collecting toys and books from here and there. Taking some deep breathes. Resetting.

I’ll be back before the end of the month. Until then, know that you are with me in spirit, dearest ones.

xo

stepping away for a spell

Maggie, Gretta and I went to Billings Farm and Museum to check out the annual quilt exhibit. I’ll share photos of some of the fabric quilts later this August, but I thought you might enjoy seeing these barn quilt beauties!

We continue to thank our lucky stars that we are perched on high ground, and avoided the third wave of flooding that devastated parts of Vermont last week. Some towns in the Northeast Kingdom got 8” of rain overnight, in places that have already seen record flooding this summer. It’s been a very humid and warm summer…my least favorite kind! It’s all quite sobering.

August has turned into a very busy time, and in order to take a few things off my plate, I am going to give sewandsowlife a rest for a few weeks. You can be sure I’ll be back with more photos and musings. In the meantime, be who you are and keep on shining your light, dearest ones. xo

practicing hope

THANK YOU, FRIENDS, FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVELY COMMENTS on my last post. What fun it was to read your thoughts and ideas. I see you. I value you. I celebrate you. xo

When things felt especially heavy these last few months, I would self-soothe by thinking, “A lot can happen between now and November”. Goodness gracious, so much has happened in the last few weeks! This morning I woke up, pulled a sweatshirt on over my nightgown, brewed a mug of tea and set out into the morning fog.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled with long sighs. I sipped the Darjeeling and felt its comfort slide down my throat. I noticed, appreciated, delighted in the little bits of beauty all around me.

I felt myself easing into the day, rather than bracing myself for it.

I’m so grateful for a world renewed by possibility.

Before an appointment I had down in Bethel this morning, I dropped Batman at one of his favorite fishing spots. I joined him on the riverside after my appointment. You know I love to see what beauty pebbles and water can accomplish together…Summertime, not my fave, but I find ways to navigate it. :-)

Last week, Gretta and a friend joined me at the Middlebury College Museum of Art to see the Bread and Puppet exhibit.It was a delight to wander through. We also stopped by Sparrow Art Supply, owned and operated by one of Gretta’s high school buddies. I may have gotten into a bit of “trouble” there…

Gretta came up yesterday and we spent time in my studio, working side bye side on projects, and chatting about this and that. I’m so lucky to have these bits of time with my grown kids. One of the projects I worked on was mending what we call the “squishy chair” purchased years ago when we lived in Chicagoland. It has been loved and used to the point of ugliness. But yesterday I rejuvinated it with a scrap of fabric from my stash, circa the late 1990’s? The chair is still faded and tired looking, but it now it has a freshness about it. It sits in the corner of my studio, hosting a bit of hand sewing or a friend who wants to visit and chat.

My springtime flowers were lovely blues and lavenders and whites…the summertime blooms are wild and firey and hot.

This fuschia in my hanging basket, reminded me of the wild fuchsia bushes we saw in Scotland last September. (below)

To see more beauty from the British Isles, check out photos from Hannah Nunn’s wedding here. Golly, what a gorgeous occasion!

The garden and hoop house are filled with possibility, with crops coming on strong. The garlic needs to be dug once the ground dries out a bit, the blueberries are under netting, as they ripen and tease the birds. We’re tweaking the playhouse, in preparation for Flora and Matilda’s arrival in August. We can feel the days tumbling one into the next. As we age, Batman and I remind ourselves to savor these days. And we try to remember that being happy, creative and loving is productive. In fact, it’s part of the resistance! So glad to have you here, friends, alongside, gathered from many parts of the world. Both hoping for and working towards a better world. I send you gratitude. xo

I feel like the "low fuel" icon is flashing on the dashboard of my spirit.

Hello friends.

Does anyone else feel like even their reserves are depleted? Are you on the struggle bus? Has July felt like one long, hot slog? Seems like we’ve all been on bad news overload! And here in Vermont, the one year anniversary of dreadful flooding was overshadowed by more flooding. Our neck of the woods escaped damage, but folks north of us are slogging through another round of recovery. I don’t know how they do it, honestly.

Do we need to know everything that’s happening in the big wide world all the time? NO, no, a thousand times NO!

Perhaps you have dropped by here at sewandsowlife to get a peek at what will never make the headlines? Domestic, simple, uncomplicated bits of ordinary life? Hoping some of this will take your mind off things, gentle friends…

Freya and her mama and papa have been with us here in Vermont, they left this morning to head back to Detroit.

We celebrated Freya’s second birthday with a lovely gathering. Gretta, Ben and Maggie are living just an hour south of us for the summer, and so they joined us for the celebrations. You can see Freya’s sweet little fingers (above) cleaning up the last bits of her confetti cupcake. Her fingers are appropriately colored with markers (because all great celebrations are marked with color around here).

We’ve gone to story hour at the library, played in the kiddie pool, rambled around the local playground, eaten multiple creemees and read books, played with Duplos and drawn pictures. We’ve also made terrific use of a swing on the front porch. Time just folds into itself when you hang out with a two year old.

Hannah mentioned that a library tote might be a fun present for Freya, so I poked around the internet and found a cute image of a big eared kitty and tweaked it. There’s a little pocket stitched inside, so that when Freya gets her own library card, she’ll have a safe place to keep it. (Of course, I filled the tote with books, among them Harold and the Purple Crayon and a Richard Scary board book.)

Other things that offer sanctuary from the realities of the world:

• the gardens and farmers market and their increasing bounty.

• dead-heading the day lilies early in the morning and thanking each one for their fleeting beauty.

• grabbing fresh herbs to cook with.

• the birds, who sing and fly with abandon.

• laughing out loud until we need to gasp for air.

• reading. BTW, North Woods delighted me and exasperated me at the same time. Lyrical and very choppy at other times, I just don’t know what to make of it.

Good words from inspired people

• from gather here’s July 3rd newsletter, “When I’m Worried I Make Things”. Sign up for the newsletter here.

• also via gather here, npr’s Goat’s and Soda’s How do you stay optimistic in spite of it all? 6 hopeful souls share their secrets.

• via heather cox richardson, “As Maine writer E. B. White famously wrote to a man who said he had lost faith in humanity: “Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.”

Remember to breathe, hope, notice, invite, love, create, wonder and celebrate.

Let’s celebrate the little things, drop a comment below to let us know what has brought you comfort, joy, delight this week! Let’s refill out tanks. xo