So here’s the thing… I feel a whole lot better when I show up even when I feel awful, even when I feel things are rough and I’m tired, even when I don’t want to. I’ve also learned that showing up anyway is the single best remedy for not continuing to feel that way. Except […]
read moreStitch, put on the design wall, evaluate, consider, take down, add a new element, stitch, put back up on the design wall, take a photograph, consider, have an idea, take down, thread up a new color, take a chance, take a risk, take a breath, stitch and then the tears arrive. Not a few drops […]
read moreIn 2015 or was it 2016(?) things were in flux. I was re-evaluating what I was doing, where I was headed, what I wanted… There were a number of things going on that led to this, but it was one of those moments that didn’t seem particularly extraordinary or even interesting, but in hindsight I […]
read more“We are what we repeatedly do, therefore, excellence is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle I always think about repetition when I’m stitching. Stitching a few french knots? How about a few hundred? And what about some bullion circles? A whole cluster of them is even better! In nature repetition is a constant and […]
read moreThis blog is a reminder of my mother. She was my biggest supporter and commented over the years more than anyone else. It was through this blog that I often kept in touch with her and towards the end it was the one full proof way I knew I could reach her, especially when my […]
read morehobbies. He bought a woodworking Shopsmith on a whim at a mall demonstration and I got a quilting book by mistake in the mail. 28 years later, we are both consumed by our passion for wood and fabric and our marriage is as strong as ever.
Five years in, along came Tessa. Now I diligently exposed her to all sorts of media as she grew up, hoping
to spark her "passion". She played with them - explored them - enjoyed them, but nothing ... read more
I just finished editing the final video of our Africa trip. If you’re interested in following along I created a playlist: African Adventures and you can subscribe to get email notifications whenever a new video is posted. The last video of that trip will post on Saturday. A couple of fun things are in the […]
read moreAs it turns out the bobbin winder on my new Bernina is broken. Silly me, thinking I could wind the bobbin upside down, I didn’t realize this until it was too late, and it did us both in. Off to the shop it will go, but in the meantime, I continue to fine tune my […]
read moreThere are still spaces left for The Basics Workshop! This workshop is for any and all who want to learn basic design concepts, techniques, stitches and have lots and lots of fun. Hurry and sign up now before it fills up. I did a livestream for my Patrons yesterday using my newly organized space and […]
read moreWhen COVID hit New York City over a year ago now, death was no longer an abstract idea. People we knew were getting really, really sick, a few of them died, a few are still not 100%. When the mobil morgue parked just blocks away from our building to handle the overflow of dead bodies, […]
read moreI’ve been traveling. Though I must say that though this trip to visit my mother and sister is a long one, involving connections and then an hour and a half drive, it was about as flawless and easy as traveling can be during these bizarre times. First off, the La Guardia Airport has done an […]
read moreAs I mentioned in my last post, I put my hand stitching aside in order to take a Pat Pauly virtual workshop. It was all about line, setting, composition and boy did she pack a lot into those two days. So much fun! I’m not a quilter. I just have to say that. I mean […]
read moreWait, what??? I know, I know. You’re wondering if you stumbled upon the wrong blog. You’re thinking – what has she done? Where are all her beautiful threads that I so covet? What’s going on around here? Never fear. My threads, and everything else hand stitching related, are all, somewhat, neatly stacked on the floor […]
read moreI’ve always worked with my hands. As a child it was embroidery with a hoop and sewing my own clothing. At around nine years old my mother taught me to knit, then there was a brief macrame obsession in the 70’s where I decorated my bedroom with intricately knotted macramé pot hangers into which I […]
read moreSomeone commented on my Youtube channel about messiness, saying that she was happy my work area isn’t pristine as that would be intimidating. And it made me think about the various stages of messiness. The gradient scale of messiness, because this is important. 1. Kind of “messy”, but it’s not a problem and anyway to […]
read moreDedicated to all of you who are in areas of the world where the heat is the only topic anyone’s talking about. From the south there’s this one: “It’s hotter’n a blister bug in a pepper patch.” And this one: It’s so dang hot, I just saw a hound dog chasing a rabbit and they […]
read moreMy mother hasn’t sent me anything in a few days other than requests for rain, which I’ve done my best to accommodate, but I only have so much reach when it comes to the weather. Speaking of which, it’s in the upper nineties here in New York City for the next couple of days and […]
read moreThere’s nothing quite like being woken in the middle of the night only to then not be able to go back to sleep. I took this opportunity to read. I read about Britney Spears and her ongoing battle to gain her full independence and then an article about how learning a new language will increase […]
read moreMy mother sends me some truly fabulous things, among them is this video of the Denver Airport. I promise you, this in NOT what you’re expecting! As the Denver Airport is one that I have frequented many, many times I was particularly pleased to see this. All airports should have things like this. It would […]
read morePacking for our hiking trip...
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