I was supposed to write a blog last week – but I was just getting home from the “Sewing & Stitchery EXPO” in Puyallup, Washington – and then my son Elliott and his wife Emily had our FIRST GRANDCHILD – a beautiful baby girl named Lillian Claire.

One of life’s biggest moments, that’s for sure!  And the first thing I thought about was the quilt my own mother embroidered for Elliott when he was born.  I know exactly where that quilt is and I’m washing it today.

For me – that’s the best thing about sewing.  Because nothing says love better than a gift you make for somebody.  When I wrote my book, “Dress Your Dream Bed” – it was right after my mother died.  I inherited a whole trunk full of linens – including two unopened boxes of beautiful cotton percale top sheets and pillowcases she received as wedding gifts.  I remember sitting on the floor, thinking that my Mom was saving these beautiful bed linens for some special occasion…and 50 years later – she died.

That was my “AH HA” moment.  I decided to live in the moment – and use my best stuff, every single day.  My whole criteria changed.  I started to use Aunt Rozella’s silver for any meal both boys came to.  Even if we were just eating pizza – that was the new rule.

Making the family beds became an act of love.  I bought beautiful cotton sheets and embroidered the hem.  Then I would hang them outside – because the smell of line-dried cotton was also a gift from my own mother – and that wonderful smell always snaps me right back to my childhood.

My plan for Lillian Claire is that she’ll have her own bed here at Grandma Rita’s house.  I’ll cover her with the quilt my mother embroidered for her father…and I’ll remember the most important thing is to enjoy THIS moment…

Here at home in Minnesota, the ground is white and the sky is gray, so once again it's great to have Orlando and my trip to Florida to think about. I did get a break from winter when I traveled to the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup WA last weekend.

Rita and I were both there and we did some talking about our upcoming Midwest YaYa Sisters appearance with all of you who are attending Community Circle. The attendees and vendors in Puyallup were excited about sewing and embroidery so it was terrific to be there in that inspiring atmosphere. We plan to bring that to Florida with us.

I made a red dress for the "Go Red" style show in Puyallup. It benefited the American Heart Association and I was one of about 40 participants. There were many elegant dresses worn by tall thin models. Then there was me, and my dress wasn't in the elegant category. I think "different" would be a good description. I'm not going to give you all the details, because I'll wear the dress in Orlando, but the large collar is an unusual, striking feature, along with the unique hemming feature of the skirt hem. Believe it or not, my dress will fit into the category of one of my seminars.

As you might remember, I've become a big apron fan and I enjoy adding machine embroidery accents to apron fronts and pockets. Of course, my aprons are all reversible so there's double the opportunity to embellish them with embroidery. Most of my embroidery is applique so you'll see several examples of that. Oh, and I'll have two brand new apron patterns too. The Apple Cobbler and Chatterbox aprons had their debut in Puyallup and were well received.

I can't wait to leave the snowbanks behind and join you for this celebration of sewing and laughing and meeting new sewing enthusiasts. I know we'll have a terrific time!

Mary Mulari

Mary and I are so excited about coming to Florida for the Community Circle Event the last weekend in March!!  What perfect timing.  It's been a bitter cold winter here in Iowa -- and I am really looking forward to FLORIDA.

It is always a joy for me to present my seminar, "Life Is Not A Dress Size".  I wrote the book because I wanted my life to be about something more important than my weight.  Even though I have been overweight for most of my adult life -- I never wanted that to be the major focus of my day.  But the challenge was to wear clothes that were comfortable, but still reflected my own personal style. 

For example -- as I write this, I'm working on a new outfit for a GO RED Style Show charity event about to take place in Puyallup, Washington.  I'll be emceeing the event -- and I wanted something dramatic.  I'm sewing a long six-gore red skirt -- decorated with old t-shirts -- all of them black & white.  I LOVE words -- and shopping for the t-shirts at Goodwill stores this winter has been a very entertaining pastime.  Although I bought about 100 slogan T-shirts -- I really only needed six or so.  Here are some of my favorite "words" from t-shirts:

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME (Federal Witness Protection Program)"
"NOT GUILTY"
"I'M MOM'S FAVORITE"
"THIS IS WHAT COOL LOOKS LIKE"
"CHUBBY & DANGEROUS"

and......my favorite.......

"IT'S ONLY FUNNY UNTIL SOMEBODY GETS HURT.  THEN IT'S FREAKING HILARIOUS."

I've named this outfit "Grafitti Glam".  And you'll be able to see the whole thing, finished, if you come to the Community Circle Event.  Although it sounds kind of wild -- you will be happy to know I toned it down with some black and white zebra stripes.  And -- oh yes --  there will also be a wrap made out of red sequins fabric.

Subtle?  Not so much...

My message is always about using your sewing to live your best life.  For me -- that means altering patterns or garments so they really FIT ME.  And -- even more importantly -- reflect my own personal style and attitude about life!  It also means making gifts for the most important people in my life.  My niece, Kelcy, is getting married in April -- and in my next blog entry -- I'll write about what I'm making her for a wedding gift.

Mary Mulari and I are big believers in hand-made gifts.  There is no better way to show somebody you care than MAKING A GIFT FOR THEM.  But it's a mistake to think you must spend 40 hours on a big fancy project or quilt for a gift to be appreciated.  Some of the best gifts are practical items that the recipient uses every day.  In our Friday night event -- we are bringing our "BEST IDEAS".  For the first time -- we've been allowed to put together the "best of the best".  Our favorites.  And WE HOPE YOU LOVE THEM!!

See you soon!

Rita Farro

Join us - learn more about Community Circle 2009

Greetings to the Community Circle participants and those of you who are still thinking about attending!

Rita and I, the Midwest YaYa Sisters, are eager to come to Florida for this event. Both of us are looking out our windows at lots of snow. Here in northern Minnesota we've set some records for frigid weather and winter is becoming a long season. We both know we'll have a warm reception and lots of fun as the Community Circle gathers in March.

I look forward to sharing lots of project ideas that are great to embellish with machine embroidery. My favorite is what I call "automatic applique" which is letting the embroidery machine add perfect stitches around the edges of attached fabric. No more perfecting your skill of hand guiding the machine needle around fabric shapes...just let the machine do all the hard work, and make it look professional too. I've been using cotton threads for many designs lately. I like the non-shiny appearance for some of my stitched designs.

The month of January did speed by and I'm excited to say that I was able to attend the inauguration! Thanks to the hospitality of a friend's sister, I had a place to stay and experienced the excitement of the pre-inaugural concert and the District of Columbia and all those two million people. My town of Aurora, Minnesota boasts a population of 1850, so this is a very big change to be in such large crowds.

You'll hear from Rita soon. She's hard at work on another deadline. It seems to be how we work now, balancing and prioritizing deadlines. Maybe that's your life too. It's great to think we'll have a break from that in March!

I'll write again soon and give a preview of what will be new when I come to Florida and what I'm working on with my deadlines.

Cheers!
Mary Mulari