Sewing through grief

This week I have been sewing up things made from the ribbons that decorated the hall for a dear friend's funeral back in the summer.  We have a party tomorrow night to celebrate/commemorate what should have been her 41st birthday.  As the ribbons are all I have that link to her I have been trying to make some gifts for her 3 children & husband.  They were my husband's best friends at school who then went on to fall in love & get married.  To my mind they were always an item.  It breaks my heart to think that it is just M without Aileen. 

So stitching has been bittersweet this week.  I have enjoyed trying to make things using this ribbon, whilst wishing from the depth of my heart that I didn't have to.  I have spent the week thinking about her.  In my head she is still very vibrantly alive.  She was a real shining star, my friend Aileen.  And I miss that I won't be able to talk to her again.  Although they lived in New York, facebook kept us all in touch.  She used to post funny & cryptic updates on her status which sometimes infuriated me that I didn't know what they meant.  She had lots of friends, would talk to anyone & everyone, got angry with injustice or irritating people.  She had an infectious laugh & smile.  Knew how to apply perfect lipstick.  Showed me how to pluck my eyebrows many years ago.  Loved being a Mum.  Arranged the most outrageous parties & gatherings.  Put people together.  A baby is due this week from her matchmaking another lovely couple.
She is missed by so many.  Damn that driver for not seeing her Vespa.


Husband & Aileen early 1990's. A year before I met him.  He looks like a kid! Wasn't she Beautiful.



Building & Sewing

Today I finally helped with the building work (after stealing some sewing time of course).  Barrowing 1.2 cubic metres of hardcore rubble in our recently aquired hole at the back of the house. 
Obviously I did the hard work loading the barrow & my minion/husband waltzed it round & emptied it. 

We had some help/hinderance as you can see.  They didn't stay long prefering to run around the garden /building site chasing each other.  Its funny, we tried to make the lawn as large as we could given the space available, & yet its only when something is plonked in the middle that they really run around in the garden.

I also managed to make some trousers for Tintin which are almost finished.  They would have sewn up in a trice but I decided to make things harder for myself by creating cuffs & a pocket from an old necktie.  I never appreciated just how much fabric it must take to make one little tie.  I am now off to deconstruct as many as I can find.  I am sure there is a wealth of making possibilities waiting for me.