Quilts For Boston

The second crafty outlet I found in the aftermath of all that happened was an initiative that the guild that I am a member of started.  Several of our members wanted to do something to give some kind of comfort to those most impacted by everything. As one of our members said, she just wanted to wrap people up in a quilty hug. 

As a guild we put out the call for standard 12.5" squared blocks that contained only the Boston Athletic Association's classic blue, yellow and white organization colors.  We threw gray in there as well as many modern quilters frequently use it in their work.  We really didn't know what to expect for a response but what we got was overwhelming! 

We received well over 2000 quilt blocks that were sent to us from 46 US states, 5 Canadian provinces and upwards of 10 other countries.  Quilters of all ages and experience levels responded with over 400 packages, letters, cards and personal messages.  I spent one of our guild meetings reading through a sampling of these messages and was blown away.  The kindness, concern and passion that came flooding in with these was undeniably powerful.  People as far away as New Zealand felt 'our' pain and reached out with open arms.  The guild and all of its members have been deeply touched by this project and the response from the quilting community at large. We ended up with 100 quilts and thanks to very generous quilt shops, bating manufactures, fabric designers, long arm quilters, and volunteers these quilts will find homes with those who truly need a little bit of handmade love wrapped around them. 

I choose to just piece the blocks we received and turn those in to tops as my quilting/long arm skills leave much to be desired.  The blocks we received were amazing and so diverse that at first I had no idea what these quilts would look like but its incredible how something that was touched but upwards of 20 people can look as if it was made by just one.  The quilts are so beautiful and range from very modern to super traditional sampler style quilts.  

Here are the three most recent finishes that my mom and I worked on.

All in the stars! 

Flower Power and Sunshine!

A Modern Sampler.

This was an incredible project to be a part of and we are still working on it.  Some of the 100 quilts will go to the Watertown Police Department, others to other first responders, some directly to victims, some to the families of those lost and the others will be part of an exhibit that the BAA would like to show during the Running Expo at next year's marathon. We couldn't be more excited for the future our little quilts will have!

As always, thanks for stopping by and happy sewing!
~Leah 

Summer Eating...Farm Style

Community Supported Agriculture Anxiety Disorder

Welp, its that time of year again. The potential for CSAAD to creep in grows by the minute!

We signed up for a half share again this year and hopefully we are better prepared.  We, unfortunately, wasted quite a bit of what we got last round but this year at least we know what to expect.  The early part of the summer is quite a bit of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, peas and beans which are easy so this go around we are doing much better. 

I honestly never knew how good a radish sandwich was! I was watching some travel show and of course can't remember where they were or what they were sightseeing but I remembered what was on their plates! Ha! They were in a little cafe and were eating simple open faced sandwiches that consisted of nothing but bread, butter (and I mean real butter, not the imitation crap), radish slices and a sprinkle of salt.  I recreated them once I got my next pick-up and now have a new summer staple/favorite.  Seriously if you like a nice peppery crunch this is where its at!

Also, as I had this leafy bad boy hanging out in my garden...

...and since we got strawberries in one of our first baskets, I got to make one of my favorite desserts!

Strawberries, Rhubarb, Sugar, Vanilla and a little flour.

I cheated a little and used store bought crust...

Mmmm all gooey and yummy!

Strawberry Rhubarb pie!  

First of the season :)

As always thanks for stopping by, and happy baking!

~Leah 

To Boston With Love

The second phase of my working through what happened in April was to bury myself in projects.  There really is something restorative about the hum of a sewing machine and the feel of fabric gliding through my fingers.  

Something I sewed displayed in a museum! Eek!

The first opportunity that came along was this amazing Flag Project put together by the incredible folks from the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. The concept was really simple but was hugely impactful for those of us that participated. One of our local guild members was able to secure the Shapiro Family Courtyard at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for the display. This was extra special as it was just in time for the MFA's free pass for Memorial Day weekend (free admission for anyone who showed up at the Museum = amazing). 

I jumped on the opportunity to particiapte. 

My flag.

All that was needed was a flag that measured 6x8 that conveyed a message of positivity. I followed what ended up being the most common road and chose to have a heart on my flag and I dipped in to my precious fabrics stash and used some of the Vera Bradley prints I had left over from my quilt (the top has been pieced but no other progress as of yet). I went with bright fun orange, pink, and green and I am so happy with how it turned out... I made my way over to the MFA for the free weekend with my parents (my Mom also made some flags) and was blown away by the sheer number of flags. 

I was actually able to find mine! 

                 

I was looking at the really sweet to Boston with Love chain and there it was taking up prime real estate on the end of a row!

It was so exciting to see something that I made with my own two hands hanging in a museum! I forgot my camera so my phone snaps will have to do but check it out! There were also some really great write-ups about the project in some local papers and on all kinds of blogs, give them a read if you have some time. The participation stats blew me away! 

Some were hearts, some were Boston landmarks and others were words .

It was hard to fit them all in one picture.  The colors, variety and creativity were awesome!

Not to mention a wicked cool glass sculpture!

Check out some of the write ups!

Boston Globe

The Boston Modern Quilt Guild

Artisania (I love her blog!)

Hoarded Ordinaries

Amy Friend's During Quiet Time

Berene Campbell's Happy Sew Lucky

And the flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/tobostonwithlove/

As always thanks for stopping by, and happy sewing!

~Leah 

One Foot In Front of the Other.

I guess I should start where I left off, the Marathon. 

I still can't think about it without feeling sick to my stomach or getting teary eyed but I have found some creative and active outlets which have helped.  Its really interesting to see what events like this drive people to do.  For me it was running and sewing.

I quickly signed up with several friends to run 3 different races, all of which benefited either the victims of the Marathon or their families.  Most of the races I run are for the benefit of some charity but these felt so much more important, the first one I ran also marked the first time I have ever cried at a finish line.  I was not the only one.  Runners really do make up a pretty incredible community.  These runs brought me one step closer to loving running again, I feel like I bellong there again.

In August a few friends and I are taking a trip over to Ireland, at first I was just going with them for fun knowing that they were going over with the intent of running a 1/2 marathon.  Distance running has never been something I considered mine but this time it just felt right so come August 5th I will be running my first 1/2 marathon.  I can't wait!

One of the hardest parts of this whole thing is finding a training plan that actually works with life! ha! I feel like I am constantly juggling things these days and longer days at work are not helping.  Sometimes I find myself trying to justify my 2 hour runs on the weekends but then I look down at my feet and remember why I'm there in the first place.

My 2013 Limited Edition Saucony Kinvara 4s 

I had picked up these little gems at the Running Expo on Saturday April 13th, snagging the last pair in my size.  They are a brand I don't normally wear, colors that really aren't me and more than I normally spend on sneakers but I couldn't walk away without them. And now I am so glad I didn't.  When my training runs get really hard all I have to do is look down.

They help me feel Boston Strong.

As always thanks for stopping by and happy running!!!

~Leah

Seriously! Where has the time gone?

I can't believe it's June already and half way over at that!

The events of April threw me for a loop and it took me a while to get back on track but I am back in the thick of things! So many things to share with you and tell you I can't wait! This post is really just a drive-by so forgive me for being so brief but I wanted to at least stop in and say hello!!!

Hello!!

I hope April, May and June (whew thats a lot) have all treated you well!

Thanks for stopping in!

~Leah

Look For the Helpers.

This morning I woke up excited for the day. Marathon Monday has for a long time been one of my favorite days of the year. I have posted in the past about my love of the Marathon, how I love the history and the excitement. I love watching the elite runners just glide along the course with beautiful grace and a composure that makes it seem effortless. I love seeing how many put their bodies through the grueling task to support so many different charities and I cheer them on from start to finish. This year was no exception but in the midst of that triumph and that joy a coward stepped out of the crowd and took the breath out of my chest and the jubilation out of my heart.

I am deeply saddened and absolutely heartbroken over what happened on Boylston Street this afternoon. My thoughts and prayers are with those who were caught in the horror and confusion of the day. My heart aches for the runners who had their dreams crushed and I felt the panic and uncertainty of those that spent hours trying to connect with loved ones during the aftermath (thankfully I found out pretty quickly that those I knew watching, volunteering and running we're all safe and unharmed). I wish those injured a speedy recovery and peace. Most importantly my deepest sympathies and condolences go out to those who lost a loved one.

What I would also like to say is thank you to those who ran towards the danger in order to help, the volunteers, the medical staff, the first responders, the officers of the Boston Police Department, the National Guardsmen, the spectators in the crowd, the runners (especially those that veered off course straight to the hospitals in order to give blood - that really is an act that can save a life and make a difference). It reminds me of a quote that I stumbled over a long while ago that has always stuck with me...“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."― Fred Rogers (I loved Mr Rogers as a kid). With so much ugliness and hate in the world today it is nice to know that there will always be people who are helping.

~Leah

Where'd She Get That Phone?!?

I am super excited! My iPhone finally has a snazzy home.  I have seen these cases around, here and here, and loved them.  I finally ordered one (I have no idea what took me so long!) and spent the past few days laying out my design.  

I had a lot of fun with my colored pencils and graph paper.  

I am really in to argyle and geometrics at the moment and I’m loving all things nautical so I really wanted to work those two together.  What I ended up with is the notion that I need waaay more than just one of these cases. The design I decided to stitch was my 11th idea. Yikes!

As usual, when I went diving through my floss to pick my colors I got overwhelmed so I turned to my go to color guide Design Seeds.  Have you guys come across this yet? 

OMG I love it! The photographs are beautiful and the color palettes are stunning.  I have a pinterest board specifically set up just for this website.  I love it! No surprise here, but I found the perfect color combination for my project!

I drew up some chevrons, stripes, diamonds and argyles and ultimately decided on my diamonds.  It reminded me of a true basic cross stitch and I liked it most because I could use all the colors that I wanted to! I purposely moved the repeat of the design off the center just to make the edges a little more interesting. My first design included ecru borders but you really couldn't see it against the white case and I had also drawn the orange diamonds to be tight x's like the blues but when stitched it just looked too dense. I went back to the drawing board, added some white negative space and opened up the orange to be every other stitch and got what I was looking for.  It took a lot longer to stitch up than I had anticipated but I am really happy with the result!

I can't wait to be that person when I whip out my phone and show off! ;)

As always thanks for stopping by!

Aaaand have a safe and happy Easter!

~Leah