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 

A Great Way to Greet the Day

I live in a space with lots of funny angles and slopped ceilings which means that I don't have a ton of tall wall space.  It makes decorating a little difficult since in some places standard frames don't fit so well or the shadows/light is really bad so what I want to put up doesn't get the view it deserves.  One of these such spaces is where I hung my latest finish.

I have always been a fan of Dame Edna and when I saw this pattern by Serious Floss I just had to have it! Sometimes buying my patterns online makes me nervous (I've gotten a few duds) but I was willing to risk it on this one.  I modified the colors just a little bit to match my existing paint job and used some seed beads that I had on hand instead of the metallic thread and I just love it!

See what I mean about an odd little spot! Its actually right in my sight line when I wake up in the morning so it is almost always the very first thing see so it makes for a great start to the day.

Here she is up close and personal, I used some silver gray ribbon to dress up my hoop.

There are so many great patterns out there now that are fun, modern and very wallet friendly and I have found some new designers (well new to me) lately and am very excited for my next couple of projects.  

I'm on a little bit of a roll at the moment so I hope to have more to show you soon.  

Until then, thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!

~Leah

I'm Calling it a Come Back!

One of the goals I have listed on my 101 in 1001 is to start running once a week to try and love it again.  There was a point a little over a year ago where I just completely lost my love of putting my feet to the pavement and at the time I was at a loss as to why.  Prior to that I have always looked forward to the end of my work day knowing that my next half hour would be spent in the comfort of my own headspace where I could retreat and think of nothing but my breathing and the sound of my own heartbeat. I would occasionally sprinkle in a road race or two just for fun and to interact with other runners but I never took my running as anything but a fun hobby.  It was never a question of having to log miles or run faster it was simply what I did to unwind and de-clutter my brain.  For obvious reasons my consistent exercise had a positive impact on my body and my energy level and people noticed and asked.  I never had any problem talking about what I was doing and when asked I didn’t mind helping others get started. 

It’s only now in looking back that I realized what the something was that changed; it was like by sharing what I was doing I left my inner sanctum unprotected and all this negativity came rushing in.  All of a sudden there was this pressure and these expectations and I let what other people thought of my hobby take the joy out of it.  I started getting questioned on why my times weren’t better and why did I only run 5 and 10k’s – where were my half marathons and marathons, and how could I possible be satisfied finishing in the lower to middle part of the pack – didn’t I want to be better?  These are questions I had never thought of; to me the satisfaction of running came simply through the act running. I had never thought to grade the quality or quantity of my runs but for some reason everyone else did and made sure that I was aware of just how disappointing my running was to them. 

I let them get under my skin. 

I stopped running. 

In late February I got an email from the directors of a race I have run several times in the past.  It had previously been my season opener and it was always dicey.  Running in mid-March in New England is always a crap shoot.  I signed up.  The last time I ran any kind of distance was April 16, 2012 and it was a 5-miler.  I can’t believe I signed up.  I pulled my running shoes out of my closet the Thursday before the race and went running.  It was an ugly run but I’m glad I did it. 

The race was the Sunday before St Patrick's day and I’m glad I signed up for it.
I hit the two mile mark and remembered why I started running in the first place. 

I think I can fall in love again and I now know that I will not let anyone else’s ideas or opinions take love out of my life again.

Here's to all the comebacks in your life!

~Leah

My Newest Project.

I had heard about this program a ways back and always found it a little fascinating.  I have spent more hours than I can count trolling the Day Zero Project website and have watched it grow and evolve. I like the idea of a bucket list but I don't like the idea of waiting for it too be to late to do any of it. I had actually tried to put a list together a few other times and came face to face with how hard it is not only to come up with 101 things that you want to do but also make sure those things will still be important and relevant in 1001 days. 

The first list I came up with was really silly, it had all kinds of crazy things on it like visit all 7 continents, drive K.I.T., jump out of a plane and use dynamite once in my life.  Pretty sure on the day I wrote that list I had just finished watching a James Bond marathon or something!  I decided to take a slightly more practical approach to this one this time around.  I did my best to pick 10 areas where I wanted to see change, I ended up with 11 but it works for me.

I pretty much focused on taking care of myself, bettering myself, taking care of my money, getting myself out of my comfort zone a little (jumping out of a plane stayed on the list), focusing on my health both mentally and physically, traveling plans, growing my creative side, having fun, education goals and a few other odds and ends. Some of my groupings overlap but only because some of my goals impact more than one aspect of my life. 

I won’t officially be starting this quest until April 1 (which is coincidentally my 1 year blogaversary!) but I have started to think about my approach to some of these most specifically the journal I would like to keep.  I am thinking it will be more like a scrapbook than a journal because some of my goals will definitely need souvenirs and pictures!

I didn't want to have to constantly post my updates so I started a whole new spot just for my list (you will be able to see it on April 1st), I also do not have it listed on the Day Zero website as I am trying to keep it simple. I made sure to list a few goals on there that I know I will not complete, not because I want to fail but because I want to have something I know I can start my next 1001 days with.

I'm wondering what your bucket list looks like and what you think about starting it sooner rather than later...

Thanks for stopping in!

~Leah 



Happy March!

Well, hello there March! So glad you are finally here! February was a rough month for me so I decided to start March off with something new.

I saw this as I was perusing through the blogs that I read on a regular basis and since I have way too many random fat quarters filling up my fabric drawers I decided I would give it a go.  I'm normally an embroidery-cross-stitch kind of girl but it was about time I pulled out my trusty old sewing machine.

I have had this fabric for I don't even know how long and I like it but I never really loved it so I figured it would be perfect for the little clutch that was part of See Kate Sew's Envelope Clutch-Along.

I hit a few snags, mostly because my interfacing was too heavy but overall I am happy with the way my clutch turned out.  It is bigger than I expected it to be but it fits my wallet so I am super happy about the size.  

Its a little hard to see but I ended up making a fabric covered button out of spare lining fabric because out of all of the buttons in my stash I couldn't fine one I loved.  The button stands out enough but blends at the same time!

Here is where I ask you to ignore my wonky corners and stitches!

I'd call this a great start to March!

Hope all is well on your end!

~Leah

How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?

I have spent the better part of the last week and a half attempting to write this post but fell short every time. 

It is always easier to write with joy in your heart than with sadness.

For most, February is a month that celebrates the joys of the heart.  Love, friendship and special relationships are at the forefront of everyone’s minds.  Some cherish the ones they have and others look around and feel the sting of ‘what they are missing’ but February started out with a devastating heartbreak for me and my family.  In the small, quiet hours of the morning on Monday February 4^th my grandmother slipped away from us after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. 

Shortly after she was diagnosed I started to fight through the anger surrounding what we all knew would happen as the disease progressed and stole her from us. Over the past several months we have been preparing ourselves for what was to come as the incredible in-home nurses talked us through what they knew was on the close horizon for us but it still feels like she was taken from us without a moments notice. 

My grandparents would have celebrated 60 years of marriage on the 4^th of July this year and they shared a love that rivals those of the greatest love stories ever told.  Their devotion to each other survived 12 years of deployments and relocations while my grandfather served as a US Marine, the birth and raising of 7 children, tough years when money was tight, and the joys of 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

That is what I am choosing to celebrate this February.

I am still angry that my beautiful, vibrant, hilarious, kind, unconditionally loving, firecracker of a woman Nana had everything that made her who she was taken from her but I am going to celebrate the joy and light she brought to us

As always thanks for taking the time to visit!

~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 7

The last few things I added in just as reminders to myself.  I think we all have habits that get in the way.  They aren’t always ‘bad’ habits, they are just habits that keep us in our ruts and prevent us from truly looking out for things on the horizon.  So this year I want to remember these few things…

No one is in charge of my happiness but me…it’s never too late to be happy but it’s all up to me and no one else.

Don’t audit life, live it!

Get outside every day.

I think the second one will be hardest for me out of the three, I do like to analyze! 
Must be the scientist that lurks within. 

Well, that's all she wrote! 
My manifesto in a nutshell, a very large wordy nutshell ;)

I will try and keep you posted as the year goes on about how things are going and what I found I needed to add or change.  I am very happy to admit (with no selfish guilt) that I am finally ready to live life for me.  I want to be present for those I love and open myself up to things that I always thought were out of my reach.  I know it will take me more than a year to get there but I am going to give it all I've got for 2013!

As always, thank you for stopping in and taking the time to visit my little corner of the world!

Happy 2013!
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 6

Be Rich Even Without Money

Coco Chanel (who I love btw!) once said ”there are people who have money and people who are rich”.

 I’m not sure if this is how she meant it but for me I want to be a person that is rich, even without money. 

This year I need to spend more time and energy on the people and relationships that make me rich.  Show a little more love and accept love when it’s given (very hard for me to do!).  The later half of 2012 was wasted worrying about things that really didn’t matter and by focusing so much on the material stuff I lost out on some wonderful, special moments, my goal for 2013 is to never waste any of those times.

How will you be rich this year?
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 5

Good Health is Self Love

Ah my mantra, I have long thought that there had to be a better way of living this message. 

I have struggled for so long to not only be physically healthy but to have a healthy opinion of myself.  This year my most challenging goal is to stop knocking myself down so much, I actually need to give myself a chance at succeeding in being healthy both physically and mentally.  All rolled into this is making better choices, focusing on exercise and eating right and hopefully trimming off a few pesky pounds that even my doctor agrees aren’t good for me to carry. It’s being comfortable in my own skin and being able to walk by a mirror without thinking a negative thought before a positive one. It’s being able to think a positive thought at all.

This one I fear will be the one that I fail at. Its been a 'resolution' of mine for a number of years but I never seem to quite make it.  This year I started my January off by joining several friends in participating in the Whole30. I wanted to do something I had never tried before an I am very happy to say that even though I am not quite at the finish line I really did change my life in 30 days.  I feel great and I am sleeping so much better.  I have changed the way I think about food and how it fuels me.  

When I was reading It Starts With Food I will admit that I was totally overwhelmed! I thought to myself that I would never be able to do it but here I am with less than a week to go and I haven't had a single mis-step or cheat and I am already planning on keeping it going with some minor tweaks (sorry, I just can't live without my Nutella any longer).  There were 4 of us that started together and I am very happy to say that we are all finishing together as well!

One really positive side effect to this is that I discovered that I am a pretty good chef! (Pat myself on the back!!) I will share a few of my recipes with you at some point in February!

What kicked your year off on the right foot?
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 4

Floss Once A Day: The Stitchy Way!

Sometimes I feel like I let the things that matter most fall victim to those that matter least.

 One thing that gets pushed aside more than I would like is my crafting, most specifically my stitching.  I am going to make it my mission to do something stitchy as often as I can (even I know I can’t stitch every day) just so I can keep projects moving forward and hopefully have that handmade Christmas I wanted so much this year.  

I have this amazing stash that is just sitting on a shelf right now and I plan on doing something about it!!

Very happy to report that I already have 2 WIPs! I might not be stitching everyday but
I'm stitching enough to keep my hands and my heart happy!

How about you, are you fingers itching to get bust on something?
~Leah