The Garden at Schervier

This year I am the lone survivor, of the original three garden committee volunteers that adopted this one section of a courtyard at Schervier Pavilion in Warwick, N.Y.. I won't get into the who and the why but truth be told, it is my sole responsibility now to weed, plant, water and come up with something lovely for this "plot of land".
The white fence was incorporated into the garden since the beginning. It was generously donated by a nearby company named Protection Fence. Some added support and a fresh coat of paint later, it has been the center piece of this garden for at least five years. My plan was to get rid of it and simplify things now that I am flying solo. After some failed attempts to give the thing away, I decided to hang a planter in front of it and fill it with leafy plants with interested color and shapes. I'm so happy that the plants are trailing down the fence as I had envisioned.
Each time I go out and water, whether before work, after work or on a day off when I'm in town, I am happy to be part of something that brings such joy to the elderly residents, their families and employees alike.
One family member called it a miracle. I agree with her. The soil in the courtyard was and still is in many ways atrocious, although it has slightly improved with the adding of mulch each year. Also, the teamwork that went into past fundraisers that allowed us to beautify other areas of the facility, the time, money and personal sacrifice of those responsible for creating and maintaining the gardens which brings me to one person in particular.
Lois would probably cringe if she knew I was writing this. This woman has been the motivating force behind the Schervier gardens. If you walk the perimeter of this facility, I would dare to say that there is not an area that has not been touched by her special green fingered gift. Although she tires, she is tireless in her love for plants and flowers. She has also managed to incorporate the gardens into the occupational therapy she gives to our residents. She is an inspiration and although I sometimes want to give up, her energy and compassion for our residents remind me that I can keep this thing going. The gardens are a blessing to all who look upon them.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Dragonfly Effect

It was a warm muggy fourth of July morning when I stepped out on my front porch. This day I would break my usual day off routine of laying in a exhausted heap while flipping through cable channels making empty promises of being more creative. Today this vitamin D deficient gal was going to soak up some sun, work on evening out her farmers tan and pull some weeds.
While checking the impatiens in the rail planters, something caught my eye. It was a beautiful chartreuse dragonfly that was caught in a web. This year the spider population was moving onto my porch. You can't exit the house without becoming a web head. As soon as you cleared the tangle you'd walk into another one. A thing only a Munster could appreciate.
So I grabbed my tiny fairy garden rake and pointed the wooden end towards the dragonfly's legs. The bug grabbed it and held on as I released it from it's sticky prison. I placed the shocked dragonfly on the leaf of a potted escargo plant and left it in the shade to recover.
After watering my impatiens, I headed to the back yard to start weeding. Shortly after my neighbor Anna walked up to the fence and as we talked I pointed up towards something which escapes me at the moment. In that instant a gray dragonfly landed on my finger. I was like WHOA and she was like "oh Elevyn (she calls me that??), how beautiful. I wish a dragonfly would land on my finger",she said in a semi whiney voice. She stared on as it lingered there and as I told her the tale of the dragonfly that I saved from the clutches of a venomous nasty spider. I even spoke to it asking if it came to thank me for saving it's cousin, all the while basking in the beauty of God's creation. It was like a kiss from heaven.
After what seemed like a whole minute, the gray dragonfly flew off so Anna and I went to check on the dragonfly on the porch. It was no where to be found. I would like to think that it safely flew away continuing to do what dragonflies do on summer days. Anna went home and I continued in the garden.
While taking a break from the heat later that afternoon. I watched as a dragonfly flew in front of me. I stuck out my finger to see if I could once again experience such a amazing thing. It flew away and I lowered my finger. As I saw it fly back towards me, I stuck my finger out again and,yes, IT LANDED ON MY FINGER!
It was then that I knew I was the dragonfly queen. JUST KIDDING!!!
Actually it led me to think that if I could show mercy and compassion to a dragonfly, who am I to not show it to a human being. Shouldn't we, who are treated unjustly, are hurt, or crossed, be able to show those who stomp on our feelings forgiveness? Why hold them in that web? Allow them to emerge like a caterpillar from a cocoon to turn into beautiful butterfly. Remembering that if we leave them there we will remain ensnared with them.
Deep man,deep but that's where it took me.
Walk out your door and experience the day. You never know.
No lie....a nasty horsefly just landed on my finger....yuck.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Quilt for Baby Caleb

 There seems to have been a outbreak of "preggy" nurses at my job. I don't really have
the time or energy to keep up with all this work related gift giving but once in a while
someone or something inspires me to break out the ol' sewing machine. In this case it was the owl print scrub top that this one nurse often wore.
I went shopping for fabric and came across a owl filled print (sorry..I don't remember the manufacturer of this fabric) which was perfect. I traced over an owl and enlarged it in various sizes.
  Each owl represents a member of the family, Poppa, Momma, Sister and baby Caleb. The stuffed owl was a pattern I sketched out and put together using fleece and a few embroidery accents. Surprisingly, nurse and baby came for a visit and Caleb was wearing a outfit with the same colors represented in the quilt.

Hello it's me

Ugh, I have to rewrite this post again. That will teach me to not stay away from my blog for so long and get rusty at posting.

I am always so amazed how you can take a pile of this...



















...and make something like this.
























I won't use lots of space talking about how the creative well is dry but you know?
So just as it should be, I was just hit by the inspiration stick when I met this sweet little tyke that comes to visit her grandad at the nursing home I work at.
She has short brown wispy hair and bangs that slightly drape in front of her adorable face. She is a bit timid and usually makes her way around in the arms of her mom and dad. Everyone is drawn to her when she is around. I went home one evening and felt compelled to create something for her and it all started with this creature.
























After making this silly creature he mysteriously disappeared. I could not believe that I could misplace him in my slightly chaotic sewing room. I searched high and low. In frustration, I went back to the drawing board and made a pattern for the girl doll. Her face was freemotioned onto skin colored cotton. Her body is denim with arms and skirt made of quilters cotton prints. I hand stitched novelty yarn onto her head and finished her off with a fleece poncho and boots. So I grab my embroidery basket to get red floss for her poncho and boot edging and SURPRISE there was my little creature. How mischievious of him, ha ha.

A Little Horsing Around

Oh my gosh! Can it be that I am back so soon for another post? Easy does it Ev or you might burn yourself out and disappear from blogland once again. Well, now that I am done talking to myself, I would like to share some photos of a day spent with a marvelous little girl named Sarah. She is what I might call my little student but by the end of the day I believe our roles were reversed. Children have a wonderful way of thinking and all things are possible through their awesome imagination.
Sarah really wanted to learn how to sew on a sewing machine and after months of her patiently waiting for my room to be finished she started her lessons. It only took one round of connect the dot sewing, on paper, for me to realize that she was ready to sew a simple pattern on cloth. I chose a horse ornament pattern by Samantha Jenkins. It was featured in the November/December issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. This magazine should be called Cloth Paper Scissors Rocks, because it does.



I prepared the horse pattern in different stages in order to work along with her.
However I did not show her my finished horse so that I wouldn't influence the direction that she would go in. I think I did this as much for myself as I did for her, hee hee. She did not disappoint. The colors and materials she chose excited me from the moment she chose her blue foundation color. She calls it her moon horse and had a whole story to go with it. Due to a senior moment I can not share this story with you at this time.



We raced to get her horse done before her mom came to pick her up. Sarah's moon horse finally met my polka dot loving horse and they gave each other a horsey nuzzle before departing. I'm talking about the horses people.

Back in the Sewing Room

So happy indeed, to be back in a space I could call my own. My home has been in a state of construction since Spring'09. I was unusually patient waiting for my new sewing room to be completed. Just before Christmas my wish came true. My hubby must have sensed that his luck was running out and that I would soon go Mr. Hyde on him LOL. It's like that when I go for long periods without creating a little something. I don't remember taking any before pics, unfortunately. This room used to be half it's size. I chose a very light blue for the walls called mountain air by Behr. I especially like the wood floors and the the long table behind my Koala sewing table. It was made by my generous co-worker, Mike.



My poor loom which has become more of a display rack for various projects. Hope to weave a little something in 2010.




These three stockings are the first thing I made. They were a gift to my niece Tristan and her family. Hope you all like my sewing room.

Hello?

All is well in my world.