A Colorful Thread: April 2022
Weaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life.
Best of Stitched in Color {April}
On My Mind
Experimenting:: with tulips. I planted tulips everywhere last fall: in the tiny front garden bed, along the fence in the back garden, in pots around the patio area and even in the window boxes at the 2nd story windows of our home.
Those along the back garden fence get the most sun and are the happiest.
Those in the front garden came up later, but now they’re looking quite nice.
However, those I planted in the window boxes didn’t come up at all. I believe they didn’t get enough water, a problem I hadn’t expected given our rainy climate. I am newly aware of the need to amend window box soil with water-retaining elements and to water frequently. I’ll dig up the bulbs to replant in a better location this fall and to try something else in the window boxes later this year. Any advice for a partial sun plant that doesn’t mind getting a bit dry now and then?
Reading:: I have been slowly reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed for book club. I read it years ago in English, but this time I’m reading in Dutch. It’s a challenge for me, but an enjoyable one. If you’ve never read Wild, it is an incredible true story that chronicles a young woman’s solo hike of the PCT trail. You don’t have to be the outdoorsy type to appreciate it, I promise.
Celebrating:: an especially stunning rendition of April’s Pas de Deux blocks. This is the Evening Star patchwork group, as sewn by Ingrid of @Leukgemaakt. Ingrid is a Dutch creative who also crochets and makes/sells sewn bags. I always find her use of color SO inspiring. This combination of mint and denim blue, plus a sprinkling of brighter hues is nothing short of fantastic.
Anticipating:: our upcoming trip to the United States. It will be our first time returning to the states since our move abroad in 2019. We’ll see family and friends, as well as spend several days at Folly Beach, South Carolina. I am SUPER excited to introduce Elora to warm, sunny beach weather. Eee! The beach is my favorite place, especially as a family.
However, our trip to America isn’t first and foremost a vacation. Actually, it is a necessary visit. The lawsuit which my husband and I began in 2015 is finally, at long, long last going to trial.
When our daughter Eleni was born in 2015, she became severely handicapped due to medical negligence during her birth. For legal reasons, I have not written about the medical fault, but you can find my chronicles of Eleni’s life here. We pursued legal action within months of her birth, but the justice system is incredibly slow. The defending lawyers were able to create pointless delays over and over again, a tactic they hoped would convince us to give up.
But we didn’t. And, thankfully, neither did our lawyer.
During the first two weeks of June, my husband and I will be in court. We will both testify and hear the testimony of all those involved, as well as expert opinions about what should have happened differently, what caused Eleni’s severe brain damage and who is at fault. It will be intense. It will be painful. But, it must be done, and I am relieved that it can finally occur.
Between May 25 and June 18, I will be away from home. For the first time ever, I am taking a full vacation from Stitched in Color. I will not prepare posts in advance or during our time in America. Please bear with me as there will be a pause of several weeks. Don’t worry, members of Pas de Deux will still receive their block of the month deliveries! It is possible that I might post here and there, if it feels right, but no promises.
When I come back, I will be eager to get back to sewing and to regular life with Stitched in Color! My thanks in advance to all you kind people who might be thinking of us or praying for us during the trial in June.
xoxo,
Rachel
