A Colorful Thread: May 2022

Weaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life.



On My Mind

Experimenting:: with new fabrics for my Ice Cream Soda quilt project. One advantage of a 3+ year, slow-sewing project is that new fabrics come along that suit the quilt during that time. This English paper pieced quilt is going to have quite some fabric diversity.

Of course, I’m prepping blocks to bring along on our trip to the United States. That’s ironic, since the first blocks for this quilt were prepped in South Carolina, in the weeks just before we made the big move to Europe! I’ll be the one hand sewing patchwork on the plane.

Reading:: Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. I was saving this one for our trip, but I started it last weekend and, of course, have already been caught up in the story. I’m a fan of Jodi Picoult, whose writing draws you right in and also tends to make you think. This one begins in New York City at the outbreak of corona in 2020. Somehow it feels recent and long ago at the same time.


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Celebrating:: this vibrant work-in-progress by @70’sJen.  Jen is sewing her Pas de Deux quilt without planning the colors in advance. Instead, she’s choosing a direction for each month’s group based on the scraps she has on hand. Her improvisational journey will result in a scrappy quilt that reflects her style, since it’s based on the colors she actually uses most. It’s looking fabulous!

Anticipating::  Oh gosh, so much. Our family has been on the cusp of so much change this year. Over the summer it should all finally happen. I’m eagerly anticipating the day when there are not question marks hanging over all our visions of the future.

Brandon will either accept a job offer or decide to pursue a masters. We will either win or lose the lawsuit, and either way we will have stood up for Eleni. Hopefully it won’t be appealed. Aria will be going to university abroad, in Germany, but first we have to iron out all the paperwork and get her an apartment. This is emotional stuff! Also, logically challenging. Meanwhile, we have some major home improvement projects to tackle this summer in order to better insulate our home and control those energy bills. Few!

It’s all going to work out. Each day is precious. Don’t rush the journey. These are my mantras!


The bags are packed. We’re leaving today for South Carolina with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Thank you for your well-wishes and prayers as we go through this emotional ordeal. I’ll see you on the other side!

xoxo,

Rachel