Life is a journey.
Always taking the scenic route--and sewing along the way
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Bula!!
That's the all-purpose greeting, toast, war cry, etc., in Fiji where Randy and I just met for a wonderful 10 days. 10-11 hours from LA and same from Seoul. Perfect! Except for the 10-11 hour flight, ugh, making a total of 20 hours of travel for me and more than that for Randy as he had to spend about 24 hours in Seoul before heading back to Mongolia. Enough whining! It was a glorious time. We snorkeled (and lunched on that itty bitty island that surely must disappear at high tide), we tried the local Kava served in wooden bowls, we para sailed (check out the 92-year-old champ who was with us--he got a standing ovation from our boat :), enjoyed amazing sunsets and sunrises--but mostly we did a lot of mouth breathing by the ocean and pools. ...and, I love palm trees almost as much as I do camels. They have a personality all their own and when they wave in the breeze I am always reminded of Isaiah 55:12
And all the trees of the field
shall clap their hands
Is that Indiana Jones--or Jack Johnson? ;)
My new handbag made by our guide, Paul--he played guitar and sang, too
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Follow my blog with Bloglovin Let's give this blogging thing another go, shall we? I recently listened to podcast #18 at Clothes Making Mavens featuring Barbara Imodi of Sewing on the Edge that was SO encouraging. So on we go with my pretty bad photos featuring real me and my real life. We're back in Mongolia for 90 days with Randy's work. I've been tracking that over on Instagram and Facebook . Anyway, my official sewing enabler, husband Randy, made sure that I immediately acquired a second-hand machine and set up my Happy Place. Our furnished apartment has one picture on the wall and dinnerware for 6, but I have a sewing machine! I do have my priorities right. I have to say I've never been a Singer fan. That said, this little guy has really, really surprised me. There is a Singer store here in UB that is the only game in town. I got this Singer 323...
Last spring I chucked my 20-year-old bathrobe, giving me no choice but to replace it come winter. Granted, I never took it to Mongolia, so it only got worn when I was home in the US. But still. For summer I made several light weight robes, but I knew I liked the style of my old RTW one. When I saw reviews for Vogue 9232--on PR (all 3 of them), I knew I'd found my pattern. Interestingly enough, the pattern is actually for a caftan-type dress; but all 3 reviews were done up as a robe. Sham's review in particular had great tips. On a trip to Colorado Fabrics in early summer I spotted a beeeuuutiful pink sweatshirt type fabric. The outside is more like a thick knit and inside is dreamy soft. And it's baby pink! Which is hard to tell in the pics as we in Colorado have had lots of rain and no sunshine. And OK, I'm no photographer. But seriously, this is like stepping into a pink cloud. ...
Today I went to the grand opening of the New Life Quilting Centre here in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Selenge (in picture #2) began this work 5 years ago in an effort to help Mongolian women find a creative outlet for relaxation as well as create community for them. Selenge, as a single mom herself, has also tried to help other single moms earn income (and self-respect) through the art of quilting. From humble beginnings in a yukky basement apartment (where the toilets above would often overflow into the Centre's space) to this wonderful new location, the Centre is a success in every way. The day drew a good crowd of foreign as well as local women--and TV cameras! I think the pictures speak for themselves! Below is the the Centre's workshop--looks like one of Santa's, eh? A better woman would have left her own stuff out...but not me! It's been so long since I shared my stuff, I cannot resist. Here are just a few of the projects I worked on in the past few months, several ...
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