Archive for July 7th, 2008
brain food
Thank you so much for your kind comments about the kids. They have indeed grown by leaps and by bounds – it’s astonishing. Max now takes a larger shoe size than I do! I’m looking forward to a fun six-week summer break with them and have lots of ideas of things we can do together that will be both instructional and fun. Knowing that I’m going back to work right after the summer is certainly an inspiration to make the most of our time together!
On to today, which just flew by! I started off well, piecing and cutting and interfacing four birds-to-be. And then things got busy. 
I did get Thine Forever posted off for Sandra – congratulations, once again! Although I only managed to get two birds fully assembled, I’m very happy with them both.
Cadbury is named for the Cadburys of chocolate fame - did you know they were Quaker? I didn’t! Not only is the family Quaker, but they’re incredible social reformers who’ve gone so far as to create a village (Bournville Village) for employees that includes special homes for those who’ve retired from the company, parks, and much more. In addition to labor reform, the Cadburys were also involved in educational efforts and the struggle against animal cruelty. Even the choice of chocolate as a business venture was part of the Cadbury’s vision – as alcohol was responsible for so many social ills, Cadbury saw chocolate as an alternative to alcohol. Pretty amazing stuff, don’t you think? My Cadbury is stitched on a rough 28 count linen that I’ve repeatedly coffee distressed. The Caron Wildflowers floss is in natural earthy colors and the design elements, though Quaker, are used in a primitive way. Cadbury is backed with with a light floral cotton that compliments the folksy, natural style of the stitching. He’s filled with both polyfill and organic lavender.
Eden Grace is named for a contemporary Quaker minister who explores and explains the Quaker faith in a way that really reached me. This graceful bird is inspired by Eden’s Ecumenical essay on Ephesians 1:15-23. I was inspired by everything about this essay, from her choice of subject to the way she explores it and the lessons she draws.
Two other birds are awaiting my attention so they can join the flock. I’m not sure if that’ll happen before or after Eden Grace and Cadbury are added to my etsy store tomorrow. In the future, my intent is to update the shop on the first of every month … otherwise, it’s far too tempting to keep creating more & more birds, while my other stitching projects languish untouched. So after these birds fly to the shop, you’ll have to wait till August 1st for the next flock.
