Comfort sewing

We are now over 2 weeks post-vandalism and I am still dealing with it on a daily basis. We now have living room windows again (instead of plywood boards) but we are waiting on screens. We have ordered new couches (the fabric is called "passion chocolate!") and next week I'll deal with the rug. My car is drivable with new windows, but next week it goes back to the shop for a new mirror and repair of other body damage. I'm sure that the young fellows who did this had no idea of the amount of damage they were inflicting.

Meanwhile, though, life goes on. I've gotten back to work and have gotten a few big projects done, which has felt satisfying. Roger and Caroline are happily back at school. Things are feeling pretty normal again.

When I've had time, I've even managed some sewing time. I'm working on my art group's "muslin challenge" with fun results -- no pictures yet, so as not so spoil the end surprise. And when I've been overwhelmed by the fall-out from the vandalism, I've retreated to my office for some comfort sewing.

This week, I've hauled out my scraps and am putting together another quilt to donate to the Valley of the Moon Children's Shelter. With the vague sense of unease we've had here, I've been thinking of kids uprooted from their homes as the result of tragedy, which is the population served by this shelter. The VOM shelter is an emergency custody shelter, where kids are brought when they're taken out of dire circumstances or on their way to foster homes. I love that each child coming into the shelter gets to choose a quilt from the quilt cupboard (many of which are made by my guild members). The quilts stay on their beds while they're at the shelter, and then they get to take them with them when they leave. For many of the kids, it's the only possession that is absolutely "theirs" which follows them into their new lives.

This time, I've been using scraps that I've cut into strips for various strippy projects. They're sorted into lights and darks and stored in these handy bags. (Don't you love these new humongous ziploc bags?)



I'm using paper foundations (about 7 x 11") to make diagonally striped scrappy blocks. Very fun, mindless sewing.



And here's how it's looking so far.



I'm aiming for something like this wonderful Tiramisu quilt by the Pie in the Sky folks.