From my Garden

Well its not tomatoes, but the more flowery fruits of my own labor. I so enjoyed reading through the tomato love and all of your fancy ways of consuming them. I am thoroughly stuffed, and feel like we all shared a big meal. Food and love. It is something isn't it? I've been thinking about it for a few days now, how we have favorite ways to eat things, and the memories that a simple fresh vegetable can conjure. Its not just the memory of how you ate it and what it tasted like or how it was prepared, but more, its the warmth of the loved ones that grew it, cooked it or shared it. Its the comfort of being provided for in the most simplest form. Feeding the soul through the mouth.



I went out in the garden today to photograph this quilt and was entirely too distracted by the flowers and felt more like photographing them. I eventually found myself to be taking pictures of the same thing as the quilt, really. The palette was the same. And though this blessed Tennessee soil helped along these blooms, each frame was like another piece in the patchwork of my garden in August. And so I made a new quilt.



And in these thoughts of flowers, fabrics and foods, I found truth in this: offering one's work and toil is one of the greatest forms of love. And whether you are mingling oil and tomato in the kitchen, thread and fabric on your lap, soil and seed in the ground, the gesture of doing your best to provide is the same.

I recently read this quote from a Texas quilter named Mary White, that I think sums up the simplicity of making that is so dear to me:

"You can't always change things. Sometimes you don't have no control over the way things go. Hail ruins the crops, fire burns you out. And then you're just given so much to work with in a life and you have to do the best you can with what you got. That's what piecing is. The materials is passed on to you or is all you can afford to buy....that's just what's given to you. Your fate. But the way you put them together is your business."

good weekend, xoxo,AM

Toomanytomatoes

Seriously lets talk about this, cause its been foremost in my mind and my mouth for about 2 weeks now. After Mom and Dad sent a box to us about 10 days ago via a friend who happened to be traveling this way, they came themselves for a visit over the weekend. This time with a bigger box. The pride and joy of their garden by the river was overflowing with delicious potential.



Something that you need to understand is that my Dad giving us food, particularly fruits and vegetables, is a language of love. It's always been. You fell down and got hurt? Here, eat. You wrecked the car and I've already yelled at you for 3 days? Here, eat. Bad day? Here, eat. Lost the house you wanted to buy? Here, eat. Pregnant? Here, eat. Pregnant again? Here, eat. But the joy he finds in offering the fruits of his own labor is something all together different. I tried to get a quick shot of him with the glowing red beauties, but he barely let me get one before he invited anyone nearby to be in the picture with him. Then everyone makes like posing with the tomatoes is just what we wanted to do. Of course.



This little gathering went to the neighbors and likely I'll still need to take more to them later today. Our favorite way to eat them fresh, and the only way we ate them in my house growing up, is common Greek salad style. In most of Greece you would be hard pressed to find a leaf of lettuce served anywhere. The salad is always what some refer to as a village salad and no lettuce is permitted. Ours goes like this: fresh tomatoes peeled, cored and rough cut, large-chopped white onion, peeled & large-chopped cucumber, oregano (high mountain Greek is the best), salt, salt, salt, generous pour of olive oil (which lucky me gets from my dad's own olive trees near his home in Greece!-that's another post). Occasionally you would toss in a few Kalamata olives, and garnish with a large cut of feta. The most beautifully delicious part is the fresh mingling of juices and flavors at the bottom of the bowl which can only be eaten by the dunking of a (torn) piece of dense bread. Slicing even the best bread is completely missing the point of how to eat this. It must be torn, so that its a thick enough nugget to absorb the concoction at the bottom of the bowl. Bread has always been an eating utensil in our family.



Our tomatoes, however, have begun to outnumber the possible chances at fresh salads. So this morning once all the kids were off to their 3rd day of school, and the house was nice and quiet, I opened a window and began peeling, coring, chopping and cooking down. Maybe a soup. Perhaps just some sauce to freeze. Haven't decided yet. But the smell of the simmering sweet gifts coming from the kitchen and the song of the cicadas outside has me feeling pretty relaxed about the whole thing.

xoAM

Please and Thank You!

This gorgeous collage, made by my effervescent friend Stephanie Levy is my choice from the grouping that she made from some of my fabric scraps. Several months ago, we settled on a fun exchange where I sent my fabrics to her (in Germany) so she could do what she does best with scraps of things. (Look at more lovelies here.) Stephanie was so kind to offer me first choice for my birthday, even though it took me daaaays of looking, and thinking, and looking, and thinking to decide which one. Cause they're all so bea-yooti-ful, naturally. Don't ya love? I love. Stephanie and I go all the way back to art school where we were student contemporaries (high-faluntin for 'there at the same time'). Anyway, we both admired each other's work, equally, I think and both had a lot of interest in design and pattern in our fine art studies, though with refreshingly different results. I am so happy to have a piece that reflects both of us and points to how we've grown as artists. Our correspondence these days mostly consists of emails where she is asking mother-artist-wife-time-business-management advice which I rarely answer within one month's time because I so clearly have not mastered any of those subjects. But she knows that I love her, and she definitely seems to have it all under control. Quite beautifully.

In articulate promotional news, soon after reading all the glowing reviews of my new stickers I noticed that I have been sending out packing slips with my shop orders from someone named Anna Maria Horer. Yup.

xo,Anna

What is it about stickers?

After months and months of printing stickers on my desktop, I caved into a bit of professional help. Man. Can someone please explain the satisfaction one finds in stickers? Is it just me?
Can't be. Must be the residual pre-teen-Hello-Kitty-loving, note-writing, smelly-eraser-sniffing little punk leftover.

The nursery is red & white, you say?

So mostly I've been cleaning closets, giving away small kids' clothes, back-to-school uniform shopping, house-painting, studio reorganizing, and eating tomatoes from my dad's garden which are out of this world good. Nevermind that he and mom live 3 hours away. Where there's a quickly ripening garden of red juicy perfection there's a way. But yes, eating lots and lots of tomatoes with a healthy helping of the richest olive oil. Now that we've all gotten our antioxidants, look at the baby blanket I finished today!

I've had the fabric, 4" satin ribbon, and the bunny-softest flannel set aside for quite some time. My sweet friend Julie that I've known since 8th grade has given birth to her first baby and the nursery is white with bits of red and I am so glad. (AND I think I should overuse AND in some more sentences AND continue to run-on, you?)

The simple pairing of the already washed home decor weight fabric and flannel (with no batting) makes for a very practical not-too-heavy baby blankie that will only get softer and softer with each washing. I do love a baby quilt, but really wanted to give her something that she's not afraid to use. This was also the perfect opportunity to mess around with some freemotion stitching on my machine. When I came home from quilt market my mom showed me how to do this on the machine that I have owned for 8 years. (I just can't be bothered with learning such things immediately after purchase-immediately here means anywhere within 8 years.) The print of this fabric was ideal for making larger general shapes around the vertical bouquets without getting too fussy with it. I decided to use the pale pink thread to make any little mistakes less obvious on the flannel side. The stitching pattern on the cream side turned out really pretty, but difficult to see with a full size photo.

I folded the ribbon and treated it just like quilt binding but finished it with machine sewing instead of hand sewing which I think is neater looking on satin. Oh, and one little tip: before I pinned the fabrics wrong sides together, I pressed a few little 1x1" scraps of Steam-a-Seam scattered every 10" inches between the two layers then pressed them smoothly together. It's essentially like tacking the fabrics together with fusible. It was very helpful in keeping everything in place and prevented me from having to use a ton of pins that get in the way of stitching.

So right after I load our well-worn baby bassinet into the car for borrowing, finish wrapping the gift, pick up dinner and wine, I'm heading for a night with a newborn. Oh, and her mommy. I fully intend to let that munchie-pie have her way with this new blankie while Julie and I dine and have some mother chat. Wishing you as much fun, xo,AM

Gee, thanks Mom!

Scrappy Birthday to me!

My sweetie-pie Mommy sent me the gorgeous Quilts of Gee's Bend book for my birthday, and I keep getting up from my work to go look at it. It's like a bag a of Doritos being on the other side of the room. Well, better than that. What good timing, too as I was just about to share my scrap bookmarks with you. So in the fabric-saving-and-using spirit, here is my little scrap inspiration for today.



They are every bit as simple as they look:
* 2 rectangles of fabric, in any size you like, sewn right sides together with 1/4" SA
* leave one of the short ends open, clip the two sewn corners, turn right side out
* one rectangle of double-sided heavy fusible that is 5/8" smaller in width and 1" smaller in length than the fabric rectangles.
* folding the interfacing lengthwise first makes it easier to insert it snugly
* after getting the interfacing in place, fold in the open end and press entire bookmark both sides
* I added colorful running stitches with perle cotton for some home-yness (sp?)



I have to admit to not being much of a reader, I never have been. Always more of a skimmer, picture looker through my art books, etc. I do think writing a book (and this blog) has changed that a bit. So I've digested a diverse group of enjoyable reads this summer and I confess to pleasingly pairing up the bookmarks with the bookcovers. Go figure. Something about holding the warm soft fabric in my hand as I read is comforting. Most likely a baby-blankey-memory-thingy.



So if you have lots and lots of this, and not the time to make a giant quilt, maybe a little scrappy bookmark will do the trick for now. Oh! Speaking of giant quilts, I finally decided that I needed to say goodbye to that comfy bed here in the studio in favor of a design wall for making quilts (notice a white background in that first pic up there). I know! Sad, right? I hate not having that little luxury in here, but it was the only way to fit in a large open design space that I need. I do think I'll be able to situate a comfy armchair for hand-sewing and reading with soothing bookmarks in hand in it's place. More on all that soon enough!

xoxox, Anna Maria

There, that's Better

Hullo.
Hope everyone is having a great week!

As August approaches I wanted to mention a mention that many of you have already mentioned to me! (hi, thanks!) Better Homes & Gardens did a little Stylemaker blurb on me in their August issue and I am more than honored to be part of such a favorite magazine. And a very pretty issue at that! While the mag feature is just one page, from there they cue a 16 page slideshow a la Moi at their website that points to several of my free patterns, products, that many of you dedicated (sweetly wonderful) readers are familiar with. But a bonus is that it also points to the "blossom" pin cushion pattern that I did for their Quilts and More publication this spring, making it available to any of you who missed that issue. Hooray! I've added the slideshow link to my sidebar over there for you.

I've been working on several new little projects that'll be available to you here soon, one of them being a step-by-step for the fabric covered magazine organizer boxes shown in the article. I also have two new projects brewing that are perfect for your scrap box.

In other news, my dear Nicolas just told me that it costs 2 cents to make a penny. He's usually right about such things and both the idea of it and him sharing it made me laugh.

xoxo,AM

And Rain on Friday

How did he know that's what I wanted to do today too? Such a smart dog. I guess rain has the same effect on King Leo the VI. Though I'm fairly certain that sun, partly cloudy, partly sunny, snow and hail all have this effect on him too.

Thanks for all the nice color comments on my last post. I don't mean to imply that I ignore color theory. I adore color theory and play with abandon. The colorwheel spins in my brain subconsciously as I compose. I very often go with an obvious pairing, but add a variation for interest, or intentionally choose something "wrong" to add some depth. I also don't subscribe to calling the typical harmonious pairings rules so much as I think of them as scientific suggestions of what happens when combining. I'm also convinced that everyone's eyes actually see color slightly differently. No research to point to other than my sister and I spending about 20 minutes in a fabric store discussing (arguing) the properties of a certain purple-ish fabric that she felt was more blue/cobalt and I felt was periwinkle/lilac. We finally shut up when I suggested our eyes were wired differently (even though it was periwinkle).

A few of you asked for the color in the living room which is actually a Porter color called Green Wave. Green? It did look pretty green right up until I painted on the wall. I was searching for something aqua-ish...but non-intrusive...like if a color could actually act like a neutral, that's what I was looking for. Our wood floors have such a warm orangey/honey hue that the walls look blue because of the compliment contrast with floor. Had the floors been red.....the walls would look more green. See? I embrace color theory. We're bff's.



Okay, okay, I get it. Apparently color chat puts him into a deep sleep.

wishing you a restful weekend. xoxox,Anna

Living (with) Color

What is it that I'm thinking about when I throw all this stuff together, be it a fabric collection, a room or a single pillow? The answer might be the subject of a book one day, but for now, all I know is that in all those instances and more the process is just the same. Does it interest me? Have I seen it before? Does this feel new? Am I comforted by it? Would I wear it if it were a dress? Would I hang those colors on my wall? Am I cheered by this? These are the types of questions I ask myself when I am working at developing palettes and prints.



Sometimes looking at a combination like the pillow above, I think of my personal favorite color Q&A:

What makes a group of colors go together?

I do.

I know you would have enjoyed the look on my color theory professor's face when I answered with that 17 years ago. Back to today, I feel exactly the same way, only a bit more experience with the mix.

I had hoarded that center vintage barkcloth for months waiting for a good way to use it. Then for reasons that I'm not sure I can explain, that fabric seemed to marry the two moods of Garden Party and Drawing Room so well, that I created one big happy family with a pieced pillow. Now the feel of that single pillow has inspired a few other acquisitions for the living room.



I have really been enjoying working my new fabrics into the house and as a confessed serial wall painter I am about to make some more changes around here. I've been living with this blue in the living room for a few months and I am finally getting to know it better. The color feels just like water to me and always makes me want to put fresh flowers against a bare spot of it. The ceramic lamp I recently found at an antique shop and sometimes when we're watching movies it just decides to shut off. Then on. This doesn't bother me for some reason.



I have been on the hunt for small yellow vases to add to a few that Jeff's Grandma gave to me. No particular sort in mind, just that they be small and vaguely yellow. Guess what? Yellow vases are VERY hard to find! So whether I'm flea marketing, thrifting, or new goods shopping, I keep my eyes peeled. It's actually become like this thrilling challenge since they seem to be few and far between. The fact that it excites me so much when I find one, makes me wonder if I'm getting enough oxygen, but no matter. Pretty yellow vases.



Or pretty yellow tie backs sometimes can ignite the same happiness! Flea Market find.



So much happiness that the second of the pair has been sitting on the floor all day because I couldn't wait to take a picture of the first. I made two new curtain panels out of this print, and I am so happy with how cozy they make the room feel. I'll show you a room shot one day soon.



And what makes this vintage light fixture go with the rest of the room?

ME.

more soon, xo,Anna

Promised Postcards

First Morning



6:50 a.m.



Sun Glowing Grass



Gently Rolling



Front Row Seats



Gathering Storm

I warned you about the sky, sea, sand redundancy, but I found it all quite palatable.
Make a cutout of yourself and dance it along the computer screen or just close your eyes and listen for the waves.....can you hear it?

xoAM

Picking Time

If I could send a blossom-y gift to everyone of you, please believe that I would. Enough dreaming, let's get to it shall we? Here are the four winning party-goers with their comments and time posted:

Mo said....Seriously? I have to pick just one?! They are all lovely and they work so nicely together. Your daughters are just beautiful too! If I had to narrow it down to one it would be guest of honor in ice. Fanfare in gold and tablecloth in ice are close seconds though. at 12:45pm

Heidi Ann said...Hi Anna, "Social Climber" in teal, is my very favorite fabric, but they all are simply lovely!...Congratulations on such an "uplifting collection of prettiness"!...heidi XO. at 9:55pm

The Georgia Peaches said...Well, I can't just pick one! I like Centerpiece in the turquoise and olive colorway and Social climber in the green colorway. The little outfit you made in your fabrics is so cute. at 12:29am

Big Red Barn said...You know, I just don't know which facet of you is more inspiring to me. Your fabrics, your home and projects, or the fact that you are mother to 5 beautiful children! I am 9 months pregnant with baby #3 and frankly looking forward to #4 and maybe even #5. Your fabrics have me itching to sew every time I look at them and the vibrant color and creativity in your home makes inspires me to liven things up around here. Oh how I wish you lived in Birmingham, AL so I could have your over for a play date with the kids and a tall glass of lemonade. You seem like so much fun!

Send me those addresses you lucky winners! (and big red barn, birmingham isn't far and I love lemonade, especially the vodka kind, wink)



Congratulations and my sincerest thanks for all the encouragement and excitement for this lovely craft of designing, sewing, sharing and friendship. All of my favorite things, that wouldn't be nearly as gratifying without your charming and uplifting visits here. One comment that I can't forget is about the Social Climber Ice being "so pretty it makes me want to cry". Oddly enough I was completely flattered by this and totally understood the sentiment. I think that if I can create an emotional response, happy or sweetly sad, simply by putting color to cloth that I am in a fortunate place in the world. I allowed myself imagining the "cry" to be a good one...one that feels a yearning for something soft and comforting and a bit nostalgic. These are the thoughts I had as I composed those colors. Making people cry is not my goal, but I was touched by the idea that someone completely "got it", if you know what I mean. I know you know what I mean.



Now before you go off into a corner crying because you didn't win, I have been working away at lots of ways to continue sharing ideas and inspirations for this line. Here's a few:

*the Garden Wall Quilt pattern is over there and ready to download
*the Garden Party Sewing flickr group is set up and awaiting your amazing creations
*our shop is now loaded with Garden Party everywhere, including new rugs!
*and of course if you want fabrics by the yard online, some of my favorite spots like purlosho, sewmamasew, jcarolinecreative, and pinkchalkfabrics already have some listed...more on my find page (which is about to be updated again)

There are many, many other little and not so little projects that I've been working on for you with this line, so stay tuned!

have a super good night, with my love and thanks, xo,Anna

Party Crashing

I'm here. Vacation was so so wonderful and much needed and you know how the transition goes, its a bit painful. I will be boring you at some point soon with beach photos bc I took a bajillion of them. Mostly of sand, water and sky. But then there are also some of just sand and water, still more of just water and sky. Oh and clouds too. Lots of clouds. I'm just warnin' ya.

So I came home to this roaring party and feel like I missed all the fun! Okay, not quite. I've had a blast reading all (ALL) those comments! Thank you so much for all the generosities you left me! I apologize for the comment blipping that was going on! Geesh! Blogger flipped out at times and sent out error messages saying they didn't post, yet for the most part they were posting anyway it seems. This resulted in a lot of duplicates, and I've been weeding them out (ha! in the garden!) today to make the random drawing as random as possible. I am sorry if you tried, gave up and never got a comment posted. Wish we weren't subject to the imperfections that happen with this service, but for now it'll have to do.

I'll keep the commenting open till midnight tonight, then meet me here tomorrow to see if you're one of the 4 lucky winners (in honor of my fourth fabric collection!) Winners will receive the favorite(s) they listed along with some companion fabrics.

Hoorah. What a joy it is to have you guys to come home to. xo, Anna

A proper introduction (which is kinda long, but I'm giving something away at the end so I would read it if I were you)

Now that bits and pieces of my newest fabric collection have spilled here and there around the internet, I thought I should formally introduce you to Garden Party! Juliana and I just finished up some new photos for the line as shown above and I am so happy with the glowi-ness of it all. I waited as long as I could in the day to have a glowing evening sunlight and came close to not having enough time for the shoot. We went to the Cheekwood Gardens here in Nashville and both ooohed and awwwed the whole time we walked around taking pics.



My thoughts for Garden Party were first and foremost inspired by the palette of beautiful things I collected as I was preparing to host a huge engagement party for an old friend last year. I was gathering flowers, cakes, linens, cocktails mixes, wines, working in the garden, and thinking ahead to what it would be like to have such an eclectic group of people in my home all to celebrate the happy couple on a sweltering hot August evening. I thought about all the elements that pull a party together, from the bouquets on the tables to the tiles on the dancefloor and the sometimes quirky, sometimes romantic combinations of different personalities meeting up for the first time. I was inspired by the optimism of the 50's and the clever swank of the 40's.



The colorways were inspired by thoughts of a sunny morning of preparations slowly growing into an afternoon of fierce anticipation and finally a night of low-lit celebration. My memories of the evening are mesmerizing...... the way the fading light intensified the gardens around our gathering and how the energy of the guests maintained through the last glass of wine. I wanted the line to be colorful, but not without mood, so I set in some deep saturated tones.



Above is the Morning Palette. I've been wanting to use this little piece of free html that attaches to a flickr set for a while. Perfect excuse and nice to not have to load all the big pic files into this post.



Above is the Afternoon Palette. You'll notice that each slide has the title and fabric style number listed below. Keep going to the right (numbered pages below icons) to see more icons in the slideshow.



And the Evening Palette. Each of the images represents about 12 x 18" of fabric. This collection is the regular lovely and versatile quilting cotton weight and 45" wide. There are a total of 44 fabrics (whew) in the whole collection. Lots and lots of possibilities!



And this is the "Garden Wall" quilt that will be available here very soon. And speaking of available, most stores will be receiving their Garden Party shipments in the next few weeks. We'll have it up in the AMShop, just as soon as I'm all rested and back from vacation. (In fact some lucky ducks have already gotten a few surprise scraps in their scrap bags!)

You know. I'll be in such a good mood by the time I get back from the beach (as opposed to all the bad moods I'm typically steaming through) that I just might feel like sending a cordial invitation, in the form of a fabric stack, for a Garden Party in your sewing studio. Perhaps to a few of you. It is a party! Anyone? Join me? Pick your favorite fabric from the collection and leave the name of it in a comment. Take your time, I'll be busy sunning my lazy bones between chasing sandy-reared children up and down the coast of South Carolina. Be back in about ten days.

I'll miss you and have fun looking, hope you love it! It is for you, after all.

xoxo, Anna

Summer in Motion

I should make clear that I can not at all take credit for the idea of a dress from a pillowcase. I've known for years of the concept, and its been filed somewhere in the dusty recesses of my brain that were thankfully swept up a bit when I came across these darling little linens. And all one would have to do, of course, is google it and find a great deal, naturally. I made this one of Isabela's in the most straightforward way. It was harder to get straightforward photographs however since she has been in almost constant motion since putting it on. The dresses seem to inspire young girls to mimic freshly washed bed linens flapping about on the clothesline in the warm summer breeze. I am certain this is the whole point. She is now a flapper. A happy little flapper.



I used a very sheer pink gingham for the drawstring straps. And I used a preppy pink cotton shirting (think button-down Polos from the eighth grade that your mom was too cheap to buy - or too smart - interject your own adjective there) for the bias edging that creates the casing on the front and back and to edge the inner armholes.



And I didn't have to do a darn thing on that gorgeous hem. Such a smashing bonus to the whole ordeal. OH. Perhaps here is where I mention that I have handwritten an instruction sheet for you that you can view by clicking here or by clicking on the Pillowcase Dress link over there under the "make this with me" section. These started out as my handwritten notes that I would then draft into fancy computer-y instructions to give to you. Then it hit me I felt more like I was writing to a penpal or a neighbor or a family member. Which is just how I want you to have this. From me to you. And of course like any friend passing a note to another, you have to forgive the scratchiness and possible typo type things. Have to.

Helloooooo!

Here I am at your back gate with my folded up piece of paper to pass over the fence to you. Come on out back and take it. (Your dog won't stop barking!) And send your girls over for cookies and juice once they're wearing one, I would love to see.

xoxo, Anna

Saturday Wash

We have risen from trash talk to laundry. It's a small yet meaningful move, and I promise there's a point to it this time.

Summer has if nothing else, so far, been a refresher course on the mere maintaining of life. Lots and lots of lives. Little dripping wet from the pool, hungry, loud, fighting, bored, rambunctious lives. Did I say lots of them? The lack of a rigid school-schedule+homework does leave the days slightly more relaxed, but my brain is more crowded as I try to keep up with studio work and the rhythmic chaos of it all. I find myself daydreaming of doing nothing but taking care of the garden, and doing wash by hand, and sewing clothes for all, and home making bread and other things that feel all but impossible currently.

So while on the hunt for something entirely different that I never found at the flea market this morning , I instead came across a way to make one little daydream come true. Lovely vintage embroidered pillowcases which will become beach dresses for the little two. (We leave next week!) I was digging to find pairs for their beds, but all the single cases were my favorite. And way cheaper. Just 1 or 2$ for most of them. The cotton is sooooo soft, and slightly sheer with wear, hence the beach dress variety plans and not the Sunday-go-to-meeting variety. Though you could line them I suppose, but perhaps then they wouldn't be cool enough for the heat.

I take so much pleasure in making something from nearly nothing and also have a bit gratitude for whoever spent the time on these handmade lovelies, years ago. Thank you, whoever you are!

I'll get them done, and share the steps with you. Hope you're enjoying the weekend! xo,AM

TrashTalk

We thought it was the fourth weekend, which is flea market weekend, only to find a gated up fairgrounds then check our cell phone calenders and finally noticed it was only the third weekend of the month. So we settled on the Tennessee Antiques Mall. You know that I have a weakness for folky-ish-things. How adorable is this little trash can? It's older than me. (I would go on to say how that's really old, but ya know, no that old.) Anyway, we have what you could call a waste management situation in this house. All the little bubs love to draw. And also to change their minds about what they should draw, just a few strokes in. I could wallpaper the Louvre in their indecision. This causes said waste management situation. I have worked on the theory with them, that no drawing is ever beyond saving, and that lots of erased lines are cool and provide "texture". Which probably explains the recent giant pile of erase-y pebbles I cleaned off the kitchen counter. Can I win? I can't win.



Back to the prettiness of this little trashcan. Ack! On the inside too! I'm pretty sure the metal is screen printed, but looks almost watercolor-ish when investigated up close. Did anyone have one like this, say, 40 years ago? And if so, did you feel like leaving it empty too? I bet a set of crayolas that it'll stay mostly empty but will be kept company by several half drawn ducks, over-erased horses, and some half graphite/half markered Jedis on the floor nearby.

Yes, I did just blog a trash can.

And look at you, you read it. Awe, I love you. xoAnna

Migration

These little birdies found their way onto Juliana's bed. If any room is a drawing room in this house, it is her's. In the most literal way. (She has forgone a bulletin board of any sort and just tacked her random renderings right into almost every inch of one 14ft. wall.)

I meant to mention the finished size of this quilt in my post the first time and never did. If you make the quilt top, add a roughly 2.5" sashing all around plus binding as the quilt is shown, you'll end up at about 69 x 84". Which covers a double matress pretty well, though, not completely over the L & R sides. Would def. reach the box spring on a twin bed. I have also gotten lots of emails requesting a fabric kit for the quilt pattern. I think that's a fab-y idea! So we're working on it. In fact I thought it would be fun to also kit up an Eccentric version too. The sample one shown is more of a Nostalgic mix with just a dash of the hotter red. Hope to have it in the shop next week. The kits will be made as they're ordered, so they'll take a bit longer than the other usually swift to take flight items.

Hey! It is officially summer today, no? Tomorrow?

Sending you sunshine, xoxo, Anna

When a mother of five goes on a business trip

I feel a refreshing sense of singularity as I pack for one.
One bag to check, and glorious independence - a carry on item.
A quiet contemplative flight. Browsing in the layover airport bookstore for "the Forger's Spell" or "The Rescue Artist". One about a famous art forgery the other about recovering Munch's "The Scream". Didn't have either so I resorted to scribbling on the second leg of the journey.
The reality of what I am about to take part in makes itself known as I hear my name called over the airport wide announcement system while I'm in the bathroom stall.
It tells me and perhaps a thousand others that my Driver is at the information desk by baggage claim. And it pronounces my name right.
After I settle into the black leather and some conversation, he says "God Bless You" when I tell him I have 5 kids. Then he tells me about driving Prince Albert of Monaco and I'm fascinated by all of it. Not 5-kid like at all.
He personally introduces me to the executive hotel staff, and security and wishes me well.
The room is modern, bright, well designed. And empty. Which for now feels fine.
About an hour in something twinges. I need to tie someone's shoe.
The cell phone keeps me busy with plans. Then with changes in plans. Then with talks to the kids. A talk to mom. A talk to my sister. (Of course to Jeff.) Then with plans again.
Then dinner out by the River Walk in the dry, dry blowing heat. I felt like I would eventually find the world's largest hairdryer that was blowing that unforgiving wind. Never did. I did think about the kids splashing in the pool the next morning at the swim meet I would be missing.
Dinner included some pals with SVP. And Martha's security guard who joked that I can't mention his name. Actually the former NYC cop wasn't kidding at all, but we had some fun conversation about his four children and one grandchild, about my 5 and we shared a hi-five when we uncovered that we were both teenage parents. Nice guy.
My bed was waaaay too big and the room was way too empty when I got back. I think it grew while I was at dinner. I also think the quiet got even more silent.
I sunk into sleep quickly without even thinking about the next day. Woke up at 5 am when I thought I heard one of the kids. Maybe I did. But fell back asleep.
Wakeup call. Without a word I brewed coffee that should have been made by Jeff.
I dressed without stopping to talk to anyone or spread butter on a blueberry bagel or apologize for toasting a plain bagel that was suppose to stay untoasted.
I got dressed and contemplated shooting a picture with the belt, one without the belt, emailing them to Juliana for a final decision. I decided against the email and the belt.
The big event went exactly as it should have. Martha was engaging and insightful and it was clear that she truly enjoyed the conversation and I sat in that chair conducting it feeling very out-of-body at the fact that I never got nervous at all. I thought about home a lot. I thought about my mom. She talked about her mom. I thought about mine. I love my mom.
A late afternoon whiskey-sour and spanish ham and cheese croquets at the hotel with my friends from SVP, I was already at home in my mind. After, I packed up in no time. Didn't have to check under the bed for socks or toys, though I took a final look anyway.
The delay in my flight granted enough time to think hard about the gifts for the kids. Its a business trip ritual. I don't think I can ever top the scorpion suckers for the boys up there.
My eyes opened to a golden headed little thumbsucker standing by my bed this morning. After a warm hoist up next to me we both fell back asleep. She got a pony princess tshirt. The other girls got tshirts too. Jeff got some bizarre Mexican goat milk caramel candy that Juliana sampled and okayed the minute she saw it.
I got a ticket home. And what a gift.
xoA

The Stars at Night

The bag is big, the necklace is bright and I'm deep in the heart of Texas. I blog, dear readers, from a hotel room in San Antonio, where I've been lassoed into doing a fun little ditty tomorrow. SVP asked me to join Martha during her appearance here at the SVP convention. Why? Hmmm. Dunno. But here's what I get to do. Sit on stage with her in a cozy setting and interview her one on one about her personal sewing history for about an hour in front of 1500 sewing machine dealers. Sounds fun enough right? Should I have said yes? Dunno that either, but you can bet I'll be reporting back asap.



As I was dashing off to the airport this morning the bag and the necklace where the last things waiting on my bedroom hooks for me. Juliana helped me pick out the necklace the other day on an all-evening shopping excursion. Isn't the detail so dainty and cool all at once? I love it. Speaking of DETAIL. I was actually told by my driver from the airport that I have security detail while here.....?..... Like I said, I'll report back. Hope it doesn't have anything to do with my recent art stealth confessions.

Oh. And the bag, just a smidgen of a glimpse of a prototype of pattern due out this fall.

Oh. Oh. And I'm listening to Edith, and painting my toenails plugged-in-plum right now.

Back soon!! xoxoxo, Anna