Road Home Quilting: Pearls Posts

Showing posts with label Pearls Posts. Show all posts

Admiring the Finish

I mended my friend Cheryl's little black dress for a special occasion. And I finished it two weeks in advance, not the day of the event, so I was very pleased with myself. I texted Cheryl to say I would be brining the dress back to her that evening. Done and done.

But wait, there is more.....

When I got to Cheryl's home, neighbors were waiting there to see the dress. There was pizza. People patted me on the back and offered to get me drinks. The dress was handed around for each person to admire the new zipper I had just finished. Then a guy I didn't even know played Pomp and Circumstance on his phone while a tiny parade returned the dress to a place of honor in Cheryl's closet. I know, I couldn't believe it either. It was like being in a Beatrix Potter story. It was an actual mending party!

So I'm relaying this strange but beautiful circumstance to ask; how do you celebrate your craft?

Are you like me? The minute I finish a quilt, I start another quilt.

It has never occurred to me to be like Cheryl's neighborhood and truly recognize the finish. Even after reviewing Visible Mending here on the blog, and believing i had a new found attitude of celebrating stitches, and thereby fearlessly creating more art pieces , wow - it still never dawned on me to just honor a finish.

Next time... I'll wear my tiara. What will you do?

Covid Sewing Stories

I was telling my neighbor about the sewing adventures I have seen while selling sewing machines during the quarantine. She said the news was inspiring. Here are my stories, so you can judge for yourself.

A young couple with a new baby came in. They had just received their stimulus check and asked me to help them pick a serger. They wanted to sew their own baby clothes.

Half a dozen men with no sewing experience have come into the shop. They were all starting mask making businesses because they had been laid-off from work. They were fearlessly learning to sew, read patterns, and set-up Etsy shops.

Likewise, the design school students. Imagine having fashion design as an online course, and thus unexpectedly having to teach yourself sewing when you had been promised to learn in class. One young man had bought a sewing machine on Offer-Up; no ankle, no feet, nothing good. I was able to Frankenstein some working parts together for him from different brands that he could afford. BTW, there are 3 design schools in our region. When I finished high school here, you had to go to New York for fashion school. So I especially love helping the baby designers.

Speaking of beginning sewers, a lady came in for "the cheapest easiest machine you have. I don't even want to learn sewing, and the minute this is all over I am donating that machine to a church or someplace." She went on to explain that her husband was a police officer, and he was allocated only one mask per day, which was too dirty for use long before lunchtime. She was learning to sew in order to make him mask covers. I said, "Sure I'll give you the cheapest machine. But you'll be back for an upgrade when the sewing bug gets you." You know mask making is only a gateway hobby.

Lots of mom and daughters have also come in for "starter" machines. They are learning to sew together with their bonus home school time. One lady had twins, and I found a good sale for her so she was able to get a machine for each child.

Speaking of sewing time, one night close to closing, a nurse stopped by the shop, wearing her scrubs on the way to work. She was living in her garage while her husband worked from home with their two toddlers. The family comes to the window to wave bye to their mom when she goes to work. She told me that even with the hospital overtime, she was so bored in her garage room. She had asked her husband to bring the sewing machine outside for her because she had always wanted to learn quilting. I said you sure have come to the right place, and I showed her every dream ruler foot, ditch walking foot, you know, everything you wish you had when you started quilting. I was also fair to outline options for her, cheaper ways to get started, etc. But she said, "I will never again have this much money and time all at once. I'm going large - wrap it all up."

Sewing is essential.

The Time I Saved Christmas - Conclusion

The Time I Saved Christmas

Part I
Part II

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Part III - Conclusion

And then I had another even more worrisome thought.

The present I had left under the tree in the cul-de-sac was, for all purposes, an “unmarked box.” In my mind, I could imagine the new neighbors in their pajamas and coats, terrified of the strange box at the end of their drive, waiting for the bomb squad to arrive Christmas morning and blow up my hot cocoa present that I had worked two weeks to buy. I was as silly the little Marino girls to think I could make a Christmas surprise.

I sat in bed wondering what to do. On Monday morning when we returned to school, and Mrs. Heffron asked us to report on our surprise present projects, would I be telling how the bomb squad was called to our street on Christmas Day? Or how the green truck was marooned next door by a dead battery?

Then I remembered what my Grandpa had told me about a war he fought in. Grandpa said, being brave was not the same as knowing what to do. Grandpa said, to be brave, you just do what you think is right, and then live with the consequences. I wanted to be brave enough to save Christmas. For the Marinos, and for their guest, and for my neighborhood. But first, I would need some paper and a pencil.

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I got dressed, again. This time I found my other glove. Then I wrote, “Thanks for the nice tree. From: Kit,” on a piece of notepaper. I ran down to the end of the cul-de-sac to put the note on the present. The street was still quietly blinking holiday colors, but now, I was on a mission, no time to notice the quiet night. Next, I ran to the Marino’s house. I was going to ring the doorbell. The green truck’s cab light was already getting dimmer. And when Mrs. Marino stopped yelling, and the girls stopped crying, I would explain…….

I paused at the front door. There had to be a better way. When would Santa get here anyway? Maybe he could explain to Mrs. Marino?

And then I remembered. Mr. Morino and Brian what’s-his-name were staying in the girls’ room. Is that what I had heard at dinner? Zupa de pesca seemed like a week ago now. But what if I could wake up the Brian guy, and tell him about his truck, without bothering anyone else? It was worth a try. Yes, that was a plan worth taking consequences for.

I ran around the side of the house. Which bedroom window belonged to the girls? The first one, I was pretty sure. Anyway, it was too cold to stand there wondering for very long. I climbed through the bushes at the side of the house. When I got under the first window, I felt around the ground for a stone or stick, something to knock on the glass with.

And then I got a break. I could hear snoring. Poor Mr. Marino, sick with a cold, was snoring loudly, telling me the window was open a crack.

“Mr. Marino,” I whispered, loud as I dared. I had to call three times, a little louder each time, before the snoring stopped and I heard Mr. Marino’s loud, “Who’s there?”

“It’s Kit, from next door. I came to….”

“Kit, have you been out all night?” Mr. Marino sounded more concerned than angry, I was glad of that.

“I came to tell your friend that his truck light is on.”

There was silence for a long second. And then, with relief, I heard the sound of keys being fumbled for, and shoes being tripped over.

“Thanks, kid,” said Mr. O’Brian through the dark window. “I would've had a dead battery, on Christmas Day.”

Then Mr. Marino started to say something, but I didn’t wait to hear. I ran back home and got into bed fast as I could. I didn’t look for Santa, or say goodnight to trees. I might be in big trouble on Christmas Day, but I had helped someone, on Christmas Eve. I would take any consequences that came.

******

Christmas morning, Mom was surprised I slept in.

Santa had come, and the bomb squad had not. Nor had Mr. Marino called my Dad.

And the big green truck with Brian O’Brian and everything he owned, was gone.
Thanks to me.

THE END

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The Time I Saved Christmas - Part II

Part I

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Part II

.........That was when I saw the odd light by the Marino’s house.

There was big new green truck in their driveway, and the cab light was on. I stopped to think. Of course, it must be the house guest’s truck. And when he had gone out to fetch his travel things, he must have left the cab light on. My dad had scolded me for doing the same thing. Once I had left the car lamp on, and our car battery had died. I detoured over to the Marino’s house. Maybe the truck door was ajar. Surely I could help shut the light off and save the battery.

Standing on a rock by the side of the drive to look in the cab, I saw that it was filled with presents, suitcases, a vacuum, a blender. Wow! Whatever trip this guy was making on Christmas Day, he had a lot of presents to deliver. Then I saw the blinking red light on the dash that says a car alarm is turned on. No point trying the doors. I would only succeed in setting off the truck alarm and waking the Marinos, or worse, the whole street. I imagined how angry Mrs. Marino would be if the girls were woken on Christmas Eve.

I was glad to get back into our warm house, my new Christmas PJs, and my own bed. I looked out my window one more time at the little pine tree. It seemed to blink brighter now that it sheltered a present same as a real Christmas tree. Would Santa notice? I wondered as I pulled my quilt up to my chin. But when my head touched the pillow, I had a very different thought…

Brian O’Brian was running away from home! There was no empty spot in his truck at all, except for the driver’s seat. His truck wasn’t full of presents, it was full of all his stuff, I was sure of it. And that was why Mr. Marino, sick with a cold, had invited a near stranger to stay at their house on Christmas Eve. The man had no home. I was just as sure that on Christmas morning he would have a dead battery.

And then what? Mr. Marino couldn’t help fix the truck, he was sick. There would be no shops open where they could get new truck parts. Like my Dad always says, “No good deed goes unpunished.” The Marino’s Christmas would be ruined by the stranger’s broken truck. Not to mention, Mr. Brian would be grounded on Christmas Day. Unless I did something.

What could an eight-year-old boy possibly do? I was already in bed, and it was cold out. Plus, I wasn’t even supposed to be outside. Anything I tried to do, would get me into trouble. Santa might not come. What’s the point of helping if it causes more trouble?
And then I had another even more worrisome thought............
Final Part III Coming Friday, December 23rd

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The Time I Saved Christmas - Part I

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I had a special gift planned for the new neighbors. This summer, a new family had moved in at the end of the cul-de-sac. And right away they started taking care of the little pine tree at the end of the street. The tree was brown ‘cause no one had cared for it in a long time. The new people just trimmed it up and started watering it, even though it wasn’t really on their property. Now, as the holidays approached, the sad little pine had bloomed into a pint-sized Christmas tree. Even better, the new neighbors took time to decorate it. It was wrapped with lights, and giant lighted candy canes brightened the entire end of the street.

Every evening as my mom cooked dinner, I would watch out the kitchen window, waiting for the new neighbors to turn on their Christmas lights, and the pine at the end of the street would begin blinking all the holiday colors. So when my teacher, Mrs. Heffron, challenged our class to surprise someone with a special gift this Christmas, I decided to thank the new neighbors.

With my savings of two weeks allowance, I rode my bike to our corner store and bought a tin of hot cocoa, the kind my Grandma always made for me. I wrapped the cocoa best I could. It didn’t look as nice as mom would have done, but I wanted it to be a surprise of my own. Now, it was hidden under my bed. Tonight, on Christmas Eve, when everyone on our street was in asleep, but before Santa and Rudolph came, I would leave the present under the tree at the end of the street.

But first, we visited next door for Christmas Eve dinner with the Marinos. The Marinos invited neighbors every year for their traditional holiday dinner, zupa de pesca, which is soup with seven kinds of seafood. I’m always amazed by the tiny octopus and clamshell things in the zupa. My mom never cooks fish, so to me it’s a strange adventurous feast.

This year, in addition to us neighbors, Mr. Marino invited a friend from his work, a younger man he called Brian, or O’Brian. Mr. Brian was staying the night there, but he was leaving on a big trip in the morning. So the Marino girls would be sleeping in their parents’ room, Mr. Marino and the guest would stay in the girls’ room. The little girls were so excited about the house guest arrangements, they kept moving their toys and pillows between bedrooms like they were going on safari to their parents’ room.

Mr. Marino was sick, and he left the dinner table early to go to bed. Then Mrs. Marino poured a glass of wine and said she guessed that she would have to help Santa all by herself. I offered to help Mrs. Marino wait for Santa, but my mom said we were all tired and had to go home right away. That was fine with me, I had my own plans.

    I said Merry Christmas and goodnight to my parents, and went to bed still wearing my clothes. I set my alarm for 11:30. This would give me plenty of time to get my coat and gloves, retrieve the present from under my bed, deliver the gift to the little tree, and be back in bed before Santa came.

Thanks to the warm zupe, I slept really well, despite my excitement. The alarm startled me awake. Maybe I could just stay in the warm bed, get up early and deliver the present before….no. Middle of the night was no time to change plans. I could only find one glove in the dark, but I got the present, and got out of the house without waking anyone.

    Christmas Eve was cold and clear. All the neighbors had left their holiday lights on to welcome Santa. It was a perfectly quiet night. No dogs barked, and there was no snow or leaves to crunch under my sneakers as I walked through the neighborhood. Not to fast, footsteps would disturb the quiet. Not too slow - it was cold. Is this how Santa felt? No, Santa would hear jingle bells as he delivered presents. My delivery was silent and short. I left my package under the tree, and then went back up the sidewalk back toward my house.

    That was when I saw the odd light by the Marino’s house.......

Part II coming Tuesday, December 20th, thanks to TQPM.

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The Time I Saved Christmas

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Thanks to TQPM, The Time I Saved Christmas will begin right here on Friday, 12/16! Be sure to check back then, you can be first to read the new story! Our story will have 3 parts, but don't worry, you will get to the finish before Christmas Eve (in case you want to read it again;)

While you are waiting, you can read the 2015 RHQ Holiday Story, The Travel Quilt Trade.
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Happy Holidays

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Mom's Color Story

When I went to the cabbage patch to pick-up my beautiful new baby.....

Our entire little town was covered in snow.

But things didn't go well. We had to live there for an entire week. We were never allowed outside. Maybe the whole world was covered in snow. I didn't know.