Little Things

The beginning of the school year has always been a kind of New Year for me. As a kid I always loved getting new supplies, especially the crayons.  Later when I became a teacher, artist & quilter, supplies often served as a form of inspiration.

Last week I took advantage of the school supply sale and found a new sketchbook with paper heavy enough for mixed media. I painted & decorated the cover so I'm all ready for new ideas.  I'm not heading back to school but hope our upcoming trip will allow time for new ideas in addition to escaping the Texas heat.  

Speaking of school, life will be quiter in the neighborhood with all the children gone most days. My neighbor, Raina, is eight years old & going into 3rd grade. For her birthday this summer she asked for and received a sewing kit. Her excitement is inspiring. I invited her to pick some fabrics from my stash and helped her with lessons on the machine. This is her first project.  Isn't it cute? I can just imagine what she'll be doing when she's 12 or 20.

Another small project that I'm enjoying is Priority Quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative http://www.alzquilts.org. /index.html. It's a very worthwhile fund raiser that I'd encourage every quilter to join. Our family has been touched by dementia and as the population ages more and more of us will be dealing with this issue. This is a small thing we can do to help. Here are my 2nd & 3rd quilts.