Maine Seasons Wedding featured on the Wedding Chicks Blog!

I just learned that one of my weddings was featured on the Wedding Chicks Blog! You can see more of the gorgeous pictures of this wedding on the blog post in the above link.  

This wedding was photographed by the lovely and oh so talented Sharyn Peavey-gorgeous images, as always!

I was so pregnant at this wedding, I remember having to move 130 chairs from the ceremony area to the reception tent during the cocktail hour.  Up a hill.  That is when I learned to strongly suggest that chairs be rented for both the ceremony and reception, unless the client wants to hire my staff or provide their own to move them!   All of the things I have learned over the years seem obvious now.  Isn't that how hindsight works?

Life is partially for learning we must remember!

Patchwork Quilt for a Friend's Daughter

I have wanted to work on a fabric item for a friend of mine who happens to be an incredibly talented photographer, mommy and lady-finally it is done!

Whenever I think of Sharyn I always think of this color palette-vibrant, interesting, fun and so pretty. Not surprising, Sharyn embodies all of those characteristics!

The front of this little quilt is in purple, magenta, lavender, gray and pale pink. I made some little yo -yos in coordinating fabric to accent the front.

For the back I wanted to do something with a little more contrast...I fell in love with this black and white checked fabric and thought it made the feminine little quilt a bit more sophisticated and serious.

And maybe some of you know that I had a break down recently. A long awaited breakdown. The new sewing machine is a dream. Not as meaty feeling and hefty as my antique machine, but buttery and smooth and loaded with fun stitches! I had to sample some one of my faves for this quilt. I love this little star stitch....the body of the quilt was stitched on my old machine, as it was fading, so the new machine had to have an option to drop the feed dogs-I have had it with the puckering of machine stitched quilting and it isn't likely I am going to have the time to pick up hand quilting anytime soon!

Not perfect, but colorful and cozy and made with love. That is what counts, right?

Recycled Toddler Sweater Dress

My husband e-mailed me this link-from the desk next to me the other night...he said, " I am sending you an e-mail, go look"  So I did and of course I had to make this little dress from a pile of my sweaters destined for Goodwill...Instructables is a fun web site, one which I never have time to peruse, but my husband checks it regularly and sends me the links he thinks I will like.  What a peach he is. 

Cozy and cute!  I had some little fabric yo yos left over from a Christmas project and they were just the right accessory for the dress.  Ava said, "I don't know about this dress, I think it needs sumting..."  A built in brooch if you will.  For a 2 year old who actually requests to wear brooches.  I mean really!  After I sewed on the "brooch" I was told, "Now this dress is beeuutiful mama"  Oh dear.  I am headed for trouble when she is a teenager, aren't I?!?

Just when I thought it was over, I was instructed to, "please make a hat to go with this beeuutiful dress".  Toddlers really keep you on your toes and you have to be mentally ready for anything at anytime.  I scanned the room, a hat, a hat....what can I make into a hat to match....a hat, a hat...think, think, panic, think...

I saw the straw hat I recently got at Baby Gap, just because I couldn't leave it there...it was in the boy's section with a blue madras band on it...

Off went the blue band and on went a custom pink ribbon band, complete with a yo yo applique, attached with good old hot glue.  Then I was told, "OK, now this is the best ensemble that I have ever seen in my  whole life!"  Ensemble?  Really? Wow.  Where could she have possibly heard that word?!?

That should fulfill my seamstress duties for the week.  I soaked up the sweet mommy appreciation too, I know it will be in limited supply in the not so far away future...