The Red Leather Purse

It was a hot sunny day in East Texas. We were on our way to visit my Aunt. Well, not really my aunt, but we call everyone "Aunt" in Texas. Little did I know that this day would change my life. It really was an uneventful day, except for the fact that my so called aunt gave me a cute "Red Leather Purse". It was l962 and the the purse is vintage now, which makes this story even better. It wasn't really about the purse, although it truly was adorable, but it was about what was inside the purse. I opened the purse when it was given to me and it was filled with colored embroidery threads. Me being just a child, it was like walking into Toys "R" Us nowdays. The different colors were so vivid they hurt your eyes. There was probably almost every color made at that time. And, the needles were included in a little pouch on the inside of the unbelieveable purse. When my aunt asked if I wanted it, I had to control myself to keep from snatching it from her. All I could say was thank you so much as I grasped it to me, not knowing at the time what was inside. It had belonged to my mother's real aunt, Mildred Holland. When I did push the litle metal clasp to the side and it popped open, I could not believe what a treasure I had. I was probably speechless for the first and last time in my life. As soon as we arrived home, I laid out everyone thread on my bed and began to untangle all of it. Since that day embroidery thread makes my heart beat faster. I breathe a little different when I touch it. My mom began to teach me that day how to embroidery. I loved to sew flowers over and over and that is what I still do. It is my passion and then I incorporated quilting with it. This has gotten me through alot of things in my life: waiting for babies to be born, living in Mexico, a horrible divorce, my daughter's surgery, hours of flying in our private planes, yeas of sitting watching games, cheerleading, piano lessons, dance lesson, and much more. Since that day, I have not left home without that purse or another bigger one now, with something inside to work on and lots of colored threads. My daughters also do not leave home without a beautiful tote filled with magazines and all kinds of other things to work on. I really don't know what life would be like for me, if this wonderful lady had not given me her mom's little red purse. It was just meant to be. And I thank God for this hot summer day that changed my life forever!!!!

Applique

As I sit in my bed drinking Dunkin Donut coffee (the best by the way), far better than Starbuck's, which I have spent a freaking fortune on, and I want my money back), I just laid my book down Julie and Julia. Her cooking endeavors are so much like my life of sewing. At one time, I had thousands of books on sewing, quilting, embroidering, but with every move, I realized I might have a problem. The movers never got mad about the heavy Ethan Allen furniture, the authentic slot machine, or my antique pieces, but the boxes of sewing books pissed them off royally. See, I use to live in the Valley and Monterrey, Mexico, and that is where I began my trek to sew. I was first a legal secretary, and I would wake up on Saturdays and feel completely useless from all the socializing and drinking, so I would get my 4 year old up and we would go looking for fabric and sewing books. I was trained by the best: Good Houskeeping, Butterick's Ready Set Sew, and the l940's Complete Book of Needle Arts. I have had treadle sewing machines, Singer, Berninas, and now I have a Janome. It is truly Heaven!!! And, I have the new book, Vintage Notions by Amy Barickman. I am in sewing book Heaven with this one. I didn't need it, but that never stopped me before. I also have a storage room for sewing books that won't fit in the house, but it is within walking distance of my house so no problem. Now, my 4 year old is 36 and I am still sewing and I have made so many projects. The latest being for my 27 year olds wedding. And, I have to thank Aimee, and I don't know her last name, or rather remember it, but I trained under her in Chicago. She taught me Applique and she was the absolute best and I have won many awards for my appliqueing. She is and will always be my hero. I tried to find out her name, but couldn't find it. I know she is Amish and if anyone knows it, please let me know. Until then, I will keep on living in my sewing Heaven with my cup of coffee and my fabrics strewn everywhere!!!!!!

Florals, Stripes, Rosemary, Quilts, Pots, Thread: My Mind After Coffee

It is somewhat cooler and our hibiscus plants are going crazy. Especially the white one. It is soooo hard to find white hibiscus. If you live somewhere and you have white ones, please let me know. I am working on muslin: Love muslin, with flowers sewn (handsewn by the way) on it. I have them everywhere. Wooden vintage signs, herbs in old pots, flower quilts, dried rose petals, and old wooden drawers for keeping anything and everything. I work off of an old antique desk and I catch myself wondering who worked off this before. It is a replica of Nepolian's desk. It is so beautiful and the way I ended up with it was: I was working as an assistant to a wonderful interior designer and she found this desk and made me drive to Dallas and pick it up and I let my salary go towards it for awhile, believe me. But, it was one of the best purchases I have ever made. It just makes you feel better working on something like that. Gotta get busy. Today I am working on old seed boxes. I love everything I do except, my other job at the prison, but I am retiring next November and I am living for that right now. Going to the country this afternoon to pick dried seed pods. I am land in the country and we just go there to walk it and that is all the inspiration you really need. Until next time: Seed boxes, muslin, sachets, clay pots, vintage fabrics, twine, bread bags, red thread, I really need to quit drinking coffee.

THE WEDDING

Megan and Stephen's wedding was wonderful. They were married at the LBJ Park in Stonewall, Texas. They were married beside a river under beautiful, gigantic pecan trees. It was 7:30 at night, but very bright outside. The sidewalk path leading down to the river was lined with tiny river rocks. The grass was so green that it hurt your eyes to gaze upon it. Megan has a beautiful, crisp cotton empire dress. It was a beautiful creme color and she wore shiny new converse tennis shoes which you could not see because the dress touched the grass. She had her long, blonde hair down and it was flowing curls hanging past her shoulders. She was so naturally beautiful. She carried fresh very pale roses with fresh off-white hydrangeas. Madeline, her flower girl carried, a darling designer, cotton herb basket, made by her grandmother. It was filled with fresh lavender and rosemary which she tossed from side to side as she walked down the aisle. The tables in the reception hall were covered with crisp, white cotton tablecloth and overlaid with old coffee sacks. There were beautiful silk hydrangeas in clay colored pots on each table. Fresh lavender filled purse sachets were given to all the female guests and homemade jerky to all the male guests. The tables had new age wine in homemade wine bags and fresh bread sticking out of homemade bread bags trimmed in designed fabrics. Beer was iced down in old galvanized buckets. There was aged cheese and fresh fruit lined out on platters and a beautiful three tiered coconut flavored cornmeal cake just standing waiting to be cut by the new bride and groom. Children ran and played and guest roamed and visited as music played int he background. All the tables had big clay colored flower pots which had been labeled with chalk writings on each one with a special message. The fireplace had a jute roping hanging across it with black and white pictures of the bride and groom for all the view. It was the best wedding ever and everyone really enjoyed themselves immensely. Megan and Stephen's goal was to have a beautiful wedding without a huge cost and they really pulled it off. They are now in Florida fishing and lying on the beach and will always have memories of this eventful day that turned out amazing.

Passions

Flowers on "M" Street was born from the desire to keep my passions of fabric, creating, cutting, sewing, cutting fabric again, waking up with new ideas, jumping up, making coffee, hurrying to my sewing machine, laying out fabric everywhere to see how it looks together, etc., ALIVE!!!!!!!! I never seem to have a problem thinking of what to sew, how to do it, whether it will work; it just seems to happen for me. I am addicted to fabric!!! Quilt shops make me alive. My heart beats faster when I walk in them. I don't know which way to go. I literally have to stop and get some control and say, "It's O.K." Take your time. You can see and feel it all. I never have enough hours in the day to make all I want to make, to sew everything together that I cut out, to look at every book that gives me inspiration. I need more hours in my day. Why aren't hours longer than 60 minutes. Who decided they would be 60 minutes? Didn't they sew? Didn't they have a passion for something that made them ALIVE? Gotta go work my 12 hours, hopefully when I come home, I will still have the energy to do more, and if not, in just a few hours my passion will return and here I'll go again.

Making Scented Lavender Flowers for Megan's Wedding

Almost finished with the Scented Lavender Flowers for Megan's wedding. Finished the Wine Bags yesterday and the Bread Bags are done. I am so glad to be finished. I was so afraid with working l2 hour shifts that they wouldn't all get done. With Nevelin's help I got it all completed. He is so wonderful. Have you ever noticed that the world looks different when you don't have alot of work hanging over your head. Made the Wine Bags out of the old coffee bags Nevelin found. They are so beautiful. Posted a pic of them, washed them, and hung them on the line to dry and air out. I couldn't wait to cut them up. Found a beautiful bandana of Nevelin's and as him if I could have it and he said no, "You will just cut it up and make something out of it". He is so right. Making stuffed Lavender Hearts today before work. They smell so good. Made them out of designer fabrics!!! OMG time to go to work. Flowers on "M" Street by Jamie

Flowers on "M" Street by Jamie

Excited about my new blog. I got up this morning and I have a beautiful new flowerbed and I can put anything I want in it. Beautiful new hibiscus, all colors. I also have new ideas about what I am ready to create. My beautiful daughter's wedding is coming up and she is making it simple and going green all the way. We are making alot of cute things for it. One is wine holders for all the wine, bread baskets made out of muslin and cotton. She is using antique glass wine glasses. It will be so much fun. I have to go to work later, but I will put on the directions on how we are making the things for her wedding. Stay tuned also to see what all I am putting in my new flowerbed. EXCITED is an understatement!!! Love all of ya'll, Jamie