Sunday, September 20, 2009

Repurposed and Remembered

It is almost a year since Mike's beloved Nana passed away. One of the things I loved about this wonderful lady was her stories about her life, including her Catholic faith. She and I shared many stories about the churches we visited and the priests we loved. We enjoyed many an afternoon talking about the beauty of the church, including the history of the stained glass, the pews that "belonged" to the family and how a rosary was passed from one family member to the next.
This summer we were cleaning out her house so it could be sold. One day while cleaning out drawers in the basement I came across an old rumpled paper bag. Much to my delight, it contained old broken rosaries and religious medals. She hadn't thrown anything away....how could she? They were sacred.
So, I packed them away and thought about how to save their beauty and history. Over time a few ideas formed. Yesterday was Mike's cousin Julie's 40th birthday. So, for her day, I gave her a piece of her grandmother. I hope to make each person in the family something to cherish and remember and to give new life to these beloved and much handled pieces of her life and her faith.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Chinese Auction Bag

Well, I made it through the first two weeks of my new job. I was fortunate to have off today and Monday for the holiday. The boys have only Monday off. To be honest, I was sort of glad to have the day home alone. It is a rarity. No one is creating clutter where I just organized. One of the projects I promised myself I'd finish today is something I've been working on for our youth group's Chinese auction.Above you can see the whole bag full. I really love everything that is inside (well, and outside since I really love the bag, too).Here is the quilt. I started this last Christmas holiday and finished it up right before school started this year. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I adore bright colors and this one sure won't put you to sleep. It isn't very large which I think is perfect for a new baby and for a toddler to drag around.I backed it with my Mary fabric from this quilt. I used the pattern from the Happy Zombie. It is the same one I used on this wall hanging.
I've had this bag pattern for a long time but never made it. It's from the same pattern I used to make these. This is the "paper bag" version. I've wanted to for some time and thought it would make a lovely tote bag or diaper bag. There are outside pockets on the front and back. I lined the whole thing in pink.The next two items were great finds. I just love finding things at thrift stores and garage sales. Since this is a give-away for Church I wanted everything to look new, even if everything wasn't new. These Babybug magazines I found at our library's used book store. They are in perfect condition and are wonderful little books.The mother's journal was a garage sale find just last week. It looks like it just came off the shelf at Barnes and Noble. I do love the artwork of Mary Engelbreit and was thrilled to pick this up for $.50.

Well, that's all for now. I've still got a few hours until the boys come home. I'm heading back to the sewing room while I still can. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Stay safe.
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