Daddy Still Watches Over Me Quilt

So.....I am almost ready to start on a new set of bags. First I want to make a hero quilt for a very special mother and daughter. I am making them a little bag for the little girl...but I want to do more. I wake up in the middle of the night with little inspirations about what to do for this little girl. I am going to do a rendition of this quilt, but the stars will be out of CPT Moshier's uniform. He was an Apache pilot who was killed last April first.
All my "Hero Bags" are so special...each bag I make is special, but the "Hero Bags" are truly an honor to make. I hope my work can give these ladies and children a bit of comfort.
That is all I am going to say now. I have a lump in my throat.

This quilt is originally by Fun Quilts you can see it in all it's glory at http://www.funquilts.com/.

Welcome back Berninas!

Wow, I missed you ladies! My machines are back with me working away like brand new...nicely lubricated, and tight stitches. I was pleasantly surprised with his ability. He even buffed out the throat plate, where I had shattered so many needles in the past. I have not posted in so long because I have been sewing like a woman possessed. Our mail has not been arriving on a regular basis, which is very frustrating. Ladies if you have sent me your tops (or bottoms) and I have not emailed you, they are probably on back log in Sydney. The APO is the highlight of my day here...it is a thrill to see what made it through customs...like running some sort of gauntlet. I will let you know when I get your stuff.

So I got a new delivery of fabric....Joel Dewberry. And Welcome to you! I ordered 1/2 yard of 20 different prints. It is nice, I look foreword to using it. He has some very nice earth tones that will go brilliantly with BDU, DCU AND ACU. My Nigella is on the way too! I am soooo excited about Amy Butler's new line. I ordered a ton of it, both through normal retail online shops and my fabric co op (FMBG). I think it is what I will be using for Christmas bags. Amy will always be my first choice of designers. She has such grace, and dignity with her art. I just love it! Amy, I am your biggest fan in Australia! I just try not to be weird about it!

This is just a quick post, we are going to clean the house today and I am going to SEW SEW SEW! Oh it is Camel Cup weekend here....it is a big race with camels instead of horses. And this weekend there are going to be protests by the aboriginies about something...I think they are pretty upset about the fact that Alice is now dry. No drinking outside anymore.

Last night I met some really impressive Aboriginies. They were all from tribes to the North. Very sharp fellows, they were assigned to NORFORCE and brought in to take care of some rather unsavory business with some of the tribes in the Alice area. Mom, Dad, I will tell you all about it later! Cheers yall!

Friday I got a wonderful little packet from Purl Soho....it came much sooner than normal and was packed different, but I didn't think anything really about it. Until I opened it. Dear Heaven, two large pieces of Liberty of London! I know I didn't order them and I really do not want to deal with the temptation of sending them back or keeping them! I had ordered some really wonderful Kokka prints for some ideas for new bags and I though at first it had been an mix up. But them I read the very wonderful note that came along with the fabric and a gift certificate for more fabric! Holy Cow! How splendid!

I had written them too a couple weeks ago and said that I loved their shop and loved surfing through their beautiful fabric (if you are a fabric junkie, or just love the Internet do go to their store, I LOVE it http://www.purlsoho.com/). I do it often when I am working on a really sad "Hero Bag". The "Hero Bags" are my favorite in that they really challenge me. They are so sad to make. I can hold this old set of ACUs or BDUs and I can smell the man who wore them. I know I am smelling a ghost . It is not that I am upset about being close the this essence of a man who is no longer walking the Earth, but I am upset that it is me that is getting to be with this man and not the woman who loved him so much. So, sometimes when I am pressing the uniform and his scent begins to emerge from the shirt, I say a pray for his soul and his family, then I leave the sewing room and go wonder aimlessly through the beauty and happiness of Purl Patchwork. When I feel like returning to my sad bags I go back with a renewed sense of purpose. I hope the "Hero Bags" are able to bring some comfort.

Ask, and you shall recieve!

Wow...the biggest box arrived in the mail for me today. As the mail man was hefting it over the counter towards me I was wondering what in the heck I had bought. Had some crazy, late night Internet shopping spree fantasy (where you fill your basket up brim full with wonderful things, then close the page before you actually go to checkout) gone horribly wrong? Did I in fact purchase what was in that really big box? Oh, I hope not. Then I noticed the word "Donations" written all over the box. Surprised I missed that, but there you go.

A couple weeks ago I contacted Westminster Fibers and told them that I made bags for new widows. I asked if they ever gave fabric to nonprofit organizations. I do not charge the ladies for the "Hero Bags" all they have to do is send me their husband's (or children's as the case may be)Uniform correlating to the type bag they want. Then they pick out what fabric they want. I do the rest. I try my best to have them finished in a fair amount of time. I move these very special ladies up to the front of my sometimes very daunting line.

When I wrote to Westminster, Sarah Amrhein gave me an answer even before I went to bed. She said her company would put a box together for me. I expected to get remnants...scraps. Stuff I would sew together and make work. I did not get scraps. She sent me a box of full yardage. There are 9 different prints and at my very rough estimation it must be about 70 yards of fabric. I want to sit here and have a little cry. This is really beautiful fabric, Kaffe Fassett. It would cost me about $40 a yard here (Australian Dollars).

Due to where we are now living I can not take near the amount of orders I used to accept, so obviously I am not bringing in the $$$ I used to bring in. I have many plans for this fabric...maybe I will now be able to reach out to more widows...my own little Camp Follower Bag Cause....

Let me now give a BIGGGGGG THANK YOU!!!! to Westminster Fabric!You have my eternal gratitude and that of the ladies I sew for!