Mother Earth
I learn from the river
how to keep flowing.
The trees teach me
to bend and sway
with whatever comes my way.
I learn from the sky
to keep my heart and mind open,
The snow teaches me
to fall with grace.
I learn from the sun
to shine bright,
to trust without fear or fright.
The mountains teach me to be humble,
to stand when I want to crumble.
I learn from the moon
to let go,
to embrace change,
Let her guide my way
to a new day.
Mother Earth helps us grow and flow,
So take it slow with that radiant glow
Learn to just BEE.
Traci Haselhuhn
Ok……I bet you are wondering what the heck that poem has to do with sewing. Umm…actually nothing, except that Ashley read it to me today from a very special magazine that I will tell you about later in the week, and since this post is about Ashley, I guess it makes it relevant. 🙂
It's also a wonderful verse and a perfect way to start one's week, don't you think?
.
Anyhoo, this weekend was a weekend of stitchery. Yesterday I took a machine applique class at our local quilting store and learned some new things that my sewing machine is capable of. I am still in awe at some of the things that today's sewing machines can actually do.
I will let you in on a secret though………this machine quilting….not so easy. I will admit to being a quilting snob in the past. Not done by hand….cheating. The truth is, some of this machine stuff is actually much harder than doing it by hand…that is at least until you get the hang of it.
Back to Ashley. About a month or so ago, she mentioned how much she needed a new bag. The one she had been using was one I bought for her when she entered her freshman year of college a number of years ago. It was a corduroy bag that we picked up at the Gap or Old Navy and it was definitely old and tired.
I purchased the fabric right after she mentioned it to me, washed and ironed it and then there it sat next to my sewing machine. One more thing on my list of things to do…..and you all know how that goes.
Ash called me earlier in the week to say she was going to come home to spend some time with her sister, Courtney…..and she mentioned her bag as well.
So, I quickly read over the instructions and thought…easy peasy, I will have it finished in an hour. Well, 4 hours later, the bag was finished and filled. Not as quick as I thought it would go, but still a fast bag to make up.
Ashley was thrilled with her bag as you can see.
While we were eating dinner we were talking about how the 80's seem to be creeping into this year's spring fashions and my opinion about these fashions was a big ewww. I didn't like them in the 80's and I don't like them now.
Ash was trying to define her fashion style, other than bag~lady fashion, when Ken nailed it…… "Annie Hall". Yep, little Ash is another Annie Hall for sure…LOL
Pattern: Amy Butler Swing Bag
Fabric: Batik's from Keepsake Quilting
Lest you think I have tossed in my knitting needles for sewing needles I want to introduce the beginnings of Acer. Kirsten has created a very enjoyable knit in this sweater!
The Woolen Rabbit 
Great bag!
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Great bag!
I’m a hand quilter myself. When I machine quilt, it feels a bit like cheating. 🙂
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The bag is beautiful. Good for you for pushing yourself to learn some new skills with your sewing machine.
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Nice bag! I’m sure your daughter loves it. I like the poem! Thanks. I love the quotes at the beginning of your posts.
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Pretty fabric. The bag turned out great. And I can tell she likes it.
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What a beautiful poem! The bag is just wonderful…such a special gift! 🙂
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Kim- I agree- leggings weren’t wonderful in the ’80’s and they aren’t great now.
Lovely bag.
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Of all the 80s looks Annie Hall is the best. The bag is fab!
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Great bag!! Must have been a sewing weekend – my daughter asked for a bag to keep her recorder in from school. They give them this plastic case which falls apart pretty quickly. Ok, now we are more than halfway through the school year so I finally got my act together and was able to sew one together this weekend.
Love the beginnings of the new sweater. I just ordered my color cards from Beaverslide – can’t wait to see them and choose some yarn!!
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Great poem, and great bag. My knitting bag, which doubles as my purse/tote/everything bag, has begun to show wear and tear, and I’m wondering what to do about it. Maybe I should learn to sew.
I will so totally see you at SPA.
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That poem was just what I needed after a very trying evening yesterday! Thanks.
The bag is wonderful…I have so many great fabrics downstairs that would be perfect, so what do I do? Go buy Vera Bradley! I agree that the new sewing machines are amazing….I still need to get in for the lesson on mine.
As for machine quilting, I started doing it when Simply Quilts was still on HGTV and then I took a class with the very talented lady who does the machine quilting for Kaffe Fassett! Learned a lot, including that it is by no means “cheating”. It’s NOT that easy and can be an art form in its own right! Make yourself some muslin/batting “sandwiches” and doodle! (Did you get the BSR with your machine….that thing is WHY I bought the new Bernina!)
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I love the bag — gotta love those batik prints! And I’m glad that you are enjoying Acer.
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Lots of stuff done! Acer started!
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Love those batiks! Great bag!
I used to be a quilting snob, too, but I machine quilt now because it’s faster. My last hand-quilting project-in-progress has been languishing in a bag for years now. If I had machine-quilted it, it would have been done long ago…
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What a great bag! :o)
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i love my bernina. i just wish i had more time for practicing my machine quilting skills. instead, i am using my weekend quilting time knitting! (most likely to avoid quilting a 74 X 96 quilt all pinned and ready to go)
the yarn for your acer is simply lovely. what is it? any for sale?
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