A Colorful Thread: August 2022

Weaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life.

Best of Stitched in Color {August}

On My Mind

Anticipating:: Celebrating my 40th birthday. It is times like these that I miss the presence of my extended family and that of friends who I’ve known for years and years. I never would have guessed that I’d celebrate this milestone in Europe, that’s for sure!

September brings my birthday, as well as apple season in The Netherlands. I’m planning to mark my 40th birthday with a visit to an apple orchard. The orchard has a restaurant and playground as well, so we can spend some time enjoying the surroundings.

Picking apples had been a favorite autumn family tradition in America, as these photos show. We went apple picking once since moving abroad, but I lost my camera on the way home from that outing, alas! This time I’ll be sure to take pictures and bring my camera home, so that I’ll have momentos of this special milestone with family and new friends.

Reading:: As of last night, I am approximately halfway through This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom by Martin Hägglund. This book of philosophy is written by a Swedish Yale professor. The subject matter is weighty, no less than the meaning of life, religion/eternity, ethics and politics. As you can imagine, that’s no beach read, but I’m finding it surprising and quite engaging. It’s definitely a different take on great thinkers like Augustine, C.S. Lewis, Kierkegaard, etc. than I encountered in college.

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Celebrating:: Nicolette’s innovative take on the Transparency block! Look how she’s used Moda Grunge fabrics to sew such a colorful rendition. What a fantastic idea! Plus, see how it fits beautifully in Nicolette’s Pas de Deux quilt. It connects the reds and purples of the top left section with the yellows, teals and greens of the lower section. Just brilliant! Visit @DutchComfort to see more photos of Nicolette’s Pas de Deux sampler in progress.

Experimenting:: with bag-making techniques. I am sewing a bag and decided to up my game. This bag has rivets for attaching the handles, plus inset zipper pockets for the bag interior. Fortunately, I’m following an excellent pattern. It’s going more smoothly than I expected!

The kids are back in school, my husband is settling into his new job and the longarm is humming once again over your beautiful quilts. After a summer of exceptions, this return to steady rhythms is oh-so-sweet. But, there is one loose thread. Aria is still searching for a room to rent near her university in Erlangen (by Nuremberg). Her classes don’t begin until October, so it’s ok if she takes the rest of September to find a place and make the move. We’re glad to have her as long as we can! Plus, that means she’ll still be here for my birthday and our trip to the orchard. I’m grateful.

Wishing you a beautiful September,

Rachel