When the Pumpkin Hatched There was a Bird Inside

One very old Old Navy Halloween Shirt complete with pumpkin.
A very comfy shirt to wear one or two days a year.



So the Pumpkin hatched and there was this bird inside...reverse applique for the body, applique for the wing.




When I wasn't looking another bird landed on the back...appliqued of course



The Bird on the back of the shirt is flying around to meet



The bird on the front.



The birds flew out of a bin of fabric and other supplies passed on to me by my friend Kim....so they could make some space in her basement. There may soon be a flock of these guys in my closet.

File this one under fun, easy, and as close to instant gratification as hand stitching can get.

Backstage Mom that's me......

Years ago - before kids, I used to work in a field that I loved (still love in fact). I used to lighting designer and stage manager for several local dance companies, I spent a couple of years as a stage electrician and production assistant at a theatre, worked for a university dance department and well, you get the picture. I walked away from it all when my son was born and have never regretted it. It took me a long time to find some way to make use of my love of the performing arts. I have helped design sets for my kids elementary school plays, co-directed the school's talent show for a number of years with my best friend, and most recently helped backstage at my daughter's first dance recital.




It took me a few years to let go of some of my expectations and relax a bit.
It has been worth the effort...kids are almost always a delight, occasionally a challenge, but never a waste of time or energy...




Few things are more rewarding than watching a shy child learn to sing out loud, or dance, or just be on stage. Nothing beats watching kids grow into confident performers over the years.

Equally rewarding is watching the rare few discover how much they enjoy being behind the scenes, discovering all the small details that make a show look seamless to the audience.




I got my start in dance recitals so much like my daughter's I could close my eyes and picture all the girls I grew up with fussing over their make-up and looking for tights and toe shoes, trying to walk quietly in tap shoes, while reining in the excitement of being just about to walk onstage. The same coloring books to occupy the downtime during rehearsal, the wide eyed looks at the big girls in toe shoes and costumes that are the epitome of every ballerina dream. Once I stage managed for Merce Cunningham (just one time but what a time) Yesterday I helped little girls negotiate quick changes and sweaty tights and uncooperative head pieces, passed out crayons and shhhs in equal measure and watched my little girl take the stage. Sometimes I second guess the choices that have landed where I am today, yesterday was not one of those times...

Bravo girls!

Father's Day

This is my dad spending a Saturday afternoon his favorite way, picnic lunch in the cooler, fresh batteries in the video camera, watching trains. I think this picture was taken in Palmer, Massachusetts, about 14 or 15 years ago. If he were alive today he would spend Saturday nights posting videos on youtube while chatting online with his train buddies.




I miss him on Father's Day, for myself, and my brothers and sisters, and more for my children who never really knew him. But he is here in our hearts and in the stories I tell them. He is somewhere standing beside my sister Stephanie and my brother Marc, somewhere beyond the world, somewhere where I am sure he has a really great view of a really enormous train yard. I am just as sure that he spent this Saturday like all Saturdays, watching trains, joined by a good number of his buddies, reminiscing about all of the other Saturdays that came before.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I miss you, but I'm smiling.

Roses are Tattered

I needed something a bit nicer than my normal super casual normal wear.
Went and did some shopping and came with nothing...or at least nothing affordable.
So I went through my closet and my scraps



and came up with this bracelet made out of a bit of old sweater, some linen and yarn,
and some really beautiful antique shell buttons that a friend had given to me.



Out of my closet came a denim shirt with big buttons that I hardly ever wear, but love. I covered the buttons with rosettes made from linen and yarn twisted together.



A couple of hours later and I had this...



Not so much a re-fashion as a re-boot. But I love it and I think I'll be wearing this shirt a lot more often.