CraftHope and Haiti

**NOTE*** A better version of my movie can be seen HERE

I visited Haiti in 1987 and sponsored a Compassion child for several years after until she pulled out of the program. All my photos from the trip were slides and this weekend I scanned them all so I have digital copies and made this slide show.

I was visiting the founder of the W.I.S.H. (West Indies Self Help) mission, Tony Wolf, who was working on the Island of La Gonave. Tony passed away many years ago but the mission is still there.

Please visit the CraftHope Etsy shop. Some wonderful women have coordinated the shop and 100% of the proceeds are going to Doctors without Borders for the Haiti crisis. I listed a quilt last night and it sold for $100 which can do so much good right now.

Knitting!!

With the new craft movement and all, I have looked longingly at all the gorgeous yarns out there wishing I knew I how to knit. For Christmas this year, my father painstakingly scanned in 2000 (out of how many more still left) slides from our childhood and sent all 4 of his children a DVD with the first years. The slide scanning technology is so great, it makes the slides look like brand new photos, the color is still so amazing. I haven't looked through all 2000 (my husband drew the line when we hit around 600 when I was about 13 or 14 wearing short mini skirts and sporting long long hair) BUT this one photo just struck me. My sister and I KNITTING! I love this photo!

Since she's missing front teeth, I'm guessing she's about 6 which would make me 8 which would make this 1967-68. Don't you love the curtains? And the upholstered chair? And the boots!?!?

Anyway, I thought I would share. I wish I could remember that knitting thing now!

Merry Christmas!

Spoonflower Fabric Designs

Yes, I've been BIT by the Twilight bug! Coming soon... Edward and Jacob fabric, when you just can't choose one.

Mini Quilt Tutorial on Flickr

I have posted my mini quilt tutorial on Flicker!

The Apron Family Does Thanksgiving

OK, so I didn't plan it this way but I ended up getting most of the photos of Thanksgiving with everyone in aprons!

I "stole" this one from my shop and I love it. My new favorite apron.

I made the one my Mom has on for her last year. Dad has a man apron on, factory made. I think I need to make him one. Hubby didn't have an apron on so he didn't make it in the picture! (Notice my Amy Butler curtains there?)


And the star of the day! A twenty pounder, it was YUMMY.


I've been whining for years that I don't have a dining room, wah, wah, wah, but decided not to let that stop me from inviting my parents, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, to Thanksgiving. Wow. I didn't realize that I always just expect Mom to cook. Silly me. Mom was very appreciative. Especially when she left all the dishes in the sink, HA.

What was really fun was first, getting out my great-grandmother's china! It is beautiful and I'm not sure how they ate back in the early 1900's but there are about 5 different plate sizes and the same with bowls. And there must be 12 of each. I also have her crystal which is etched with flowers. It's SO pretty and I love to think about how it's been passed down through so many generations.

Then, my Dad brought a DVD that he made from old slides taken before I was born up to about the time I was 6 years old. They were amazing! The color and everything made them look like new photos. My mother was 21 when she had me and at 29 had 4 children already. And looked like she was 12 at the same time. Seeing photos of my relatives who are in their 70s and 80s back when they were 30, amazing. So much fun. Not to mention my obsession with all things 50s and 60s; the clothes, hair, decor, the old cars (which my father pointed out were NEW to them!). OH, and the furniture. We kept pointing out "I have that cabinet!" "Remember that sofa? Who has that now?" Memories....

I wish I could post some of the photos but I don't have them.... yet. In many of the photos where my mother was dressed to the nines in a long dress to go to some fancy party she said "OH, I MADE THAT DRESS! And that one, too!"

The legacy of sewing lives on. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

More Munki Munki Madness

I'm finally going to dig into my stash of Munki Munki jammy scraps to make some patchwork squares which will become sachets for a friend's order. It's a little scary actually taking the blade to these HTF fabrics but I hope I can do it. The one with the camper vans is paired with lovely linen fabrics that I already had and can't believe how well they match the colors!

The dogs looks fantastic with some scraps of Essex linen/cotton blend.


And here are some of my other delicious Munki fabrics waiting to be made into something fabulous. The one on top is my current favorite and I just succumbed to buying a quarter of a jammy leg on Etsy to get more! It's like drugs, you get a little and then....


And finally, I scored some flannel Munki Munki at Marshall's yesterday in the way of Holiday or Christmas sweater PJs. These will be used with my other flannels from other PJs and I got enough to share in my shop as well!


Now if I can only carve out some time to sew!