What would you take with you?

Last week was a very emotional week for the residents in our area of Colorado Springs.
As you probably heard, a fire broke out in Black Forest on Tuesday, June 11, around 1:45. The fire devastated almost 500 homes, burned over 15,000 acres, and caused the death of two people.
This is what it looked like from my house on June 11 at 4:00 pm. The fire started about 3 miles - as the crow flies- from our neighborhood.

By Wednesday, our area was on pre-evacuation, which is a nice way to say: take a look around your house and decide on what you will take if the fire gets any closer, take pictures of your furniture for the insurance company, and be ready to go in 30 minutes or less.

Wednesday afternoon from the driveway

By Thursday midday, the mandatory evacuation boundary was moved to within 300 yards of our house. With the wind blowing like mad, all bets were off, and we knew that we might have to leave.

The neighbors started to go. One after the other, we watched them pack their Suburbans and drive away. The street was eerily quiet after a while. I thought I would stay until I was told to go by the sheriff's department.

While my husband was gathering important papers and passports, the first things I grabbed were pictures of my children. I also packed my jewelry box filled with not so much jewelry, but my kids' baby teeth and handmade mother's day cards. After that, I threw some clothes in a suitcase- just enough to last for a few days. I filled a box with each of my kids' favorite things (stuffed animals, yearbooks, school stuff). I put my laptops and iPad in a bag, along with my schoolbooks- hey, I might have some time to plan my lessons in the middle of all this...

I packed a silver sugar spoon that my grandmother had put aside for me - her last grandchild-, I filled a basket with fresh fruit and a couple bottles of wine that were on the counter- we might need a drink somewhere along the way, I watered my plants, just in case... I folded five baskets of laundry...

I was filled with a feeling of sadness at the thought of losing my stuff- my several hundred books, my sewing machines, my fabrics, my antiques- , while at the same time knowing that we were lucky to be able to prepare ourselves and exit safely with whatever was precious to us.

As it turned out we did not have to evacuate. The boundaries were moved back on Saturday. Most of the neighbors came back then. Many evacuees were allowed back into their homes yesterday. Some are still not allowed to go back.

It was a close call, and a wake-up call. We are still reeling from all the emotions- happiness the fire is under control, sadness at the devastation, fear, stress, relief it's over. 

We are making plans to cut down more scrub oak ( a very flammable tree) and to replace it with apple trees, maybe. We want to be better at organizing things, maybe donate a few things we don't need...Less clutter is good...

So, what would you take with you?

New Tote- Red and Cream Waxed Canvas

This is the most recent tote in the shop.
The natural leather handles are long enough to be worn over the shoulder and the tote has two exterior pockets as well as one zippered pocket on the inside.
This tote will make a great beach bag or boat tote. Perfect for Dad! Check it out here

Garden notes

After several days of cold and snow, the weather turned out absolutely gorgeous yesterday: sunny (not uncommon here) with a high of 77 degrees (definitely uncommon for April). The warm temperatures inspired me to start my seeds. I know it's late by most gardeners' standards, but since I can't safely set out my plants until early to mid-June, I think it will be OK.
Aside from the warmth, I was also inspired by a couple of gardening books by Gayla Trail: You grow girl, Grow great grub, and Easy growing. There are plenty of pictures and amusing anecdotes, simple recipes, and great tips. My kind of gardening book!

Growing tomato seeds in toilet paper cardboard rolls set in repurposed salad container. 

My salsa pot: tomatoes and cilantro. The  lime tree is growing nearby.

I repurposed a sheet cake cover into a cloche for my seedlings

We are dealing with a mole or two digging tunnels in the vegetable raised bed. The little critters are actually aerating the soil, so we are not too concerned about it at this point. We did sprinkle some castor oil around the tunnels in hopes that the mole will have moved elsewhere by the time I have to plant.

My first wholesale order

This month I was contacted by a shop owner from Austin, Texas. She ordered ten waxed canvas Market Bags to sell in her new shop. So exciting!

Work in progress 

Ready to ship!

All finished!

Hopefully, they will sell well and I will get to make more.

New Bags in the Shop

 Another repurposed denim and leather tote with a lovely aqua and red lining this time.

 A  Foldover Tote that turns into a fabulous clutch when you remove the strap.

 The Waxed Canvas Tote in graphite gray with black leather.

The Foldover Tote in Tan

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Camp cot

Another finished project! Yay!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to redo the cover. The first one was much too tight. This one fits perfectly.

The pillows do add some punch! The red ones are eco linen. Julie is very pleased...and so am I!

My Alabama Chanin Bag

I have had quite a bit of fun planning my Alabama Chanin projects... Since I have owned Natalie's books for a couple of months, I have been poring over them and making lists of projects to make.
I started with a napkin to take to school, in the spirit of reusing things and reducing the usage of paper napkins. I keep the napkin in my drawer and bring it home from time to time to toss in the laundry. It is light pink with a gray border. Sorry no pix :(
The next project I picked was the tote bag because I wanted to practice the reverse applique technique. Here are a couple of pictures of the work in progress:

 I traced the stencil with permanent marker and stitched around the shapes with dark gray embroidery floss. I cheated a bit by using my own pattern for the tote- a folded over piece of fabric with square corners. I also used my brand new serger for the project...worked like a charm...

A close-up of the design

The final product

I finished the top with a topstitch- by hand, if you please- in dark gray embroidery floss. I did not split the thread, so the stitch makes more of a statement, while providing added support for the handles.

So, what have you been making lately?