in the works.

first things first: a few of you asked about The Secret of Heart Bokeh, and i am happy to report that it can be yours too with just a cheapy paper lens hood (see here). hurrah, right? totally hurrah.

and now, let us forge ahead to sewing matters.



i used to cycle through phases of sewing 30+ hours a week for months on end, and then be so sick of hunching over that beastly machine i'd let it sit idle and dusty for a season. feast or famine was the name of the game.

now that i’ve matured into a Balanced Individual (ha), i’m finally finding my groove: enough sewing to keep that excess domestic energy from shorting out my whole electrical system, but not so much that i cannot happily anticipate the projects ahead.



this week's projects colored me downright giddy because of the gals they're headed off to. the softie doll (above) is for the precious, hurting friend of a dear friend, and the teensy kimono dress (below) will soon be shipped to baby lilly.



lilly is scheduled for heart surgery next month. my new and altogether awesome friend lisa is organizing a kimono-sewing for baby lilly, who needs a bunch of wrap-style tops and dresses to wear during her weeks of recovery.


(photo provided by lilly's parents via lisa)

here's a bit more about lilly, written by her parents:

Lilly has a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), as well as an aortic valve leak. A VSD is a hole between the two ventricles which causes oxygenated and unoxygenated blood to mix in the heart. Her heart has to work very hard, which causes it to swell. Because the hole is between the ventricles and so close to the aortic valve, she has to have open heart surgery to repair it. She'll have surgery in March (at 10 1/2 months old) with about a week long hospital stay and 6 weeks recovery.

so here's the part where y'all come in. :) i know a bunch of you sew, and if you could spare an hour this week, i'd love it if you could stitch up a little kimono dress for lilly.

size: 3-6 months
chest: 17 inches
waist: 16 1/4 inches
hip to feet: 12 1/4 inches

online patterns:
habitual kimono
bettsy kingston kimono wrap (note: this one seems to run a bit large)



kimonos should be mailed to the following address:
For Lilly
417 Brazil Drive
Hurst, TX 76054

(if you don't have time to sew, but do have some fabric that would make a sweet little wrap-top, feel free to send that to the address above as well.)



and can i just say? i'm so thankful for every one of you, with your giant hearts and capable hands. you make my insides sing and twirl.

have a beautiful sunday, my friends.