And Charlie Danced

(Topic: Grief, stories, pregnancy, music)

Hi Friends,

Recently I was looking for ways to mother Charlie (I'm feeling the need, since Charlie's birthday is coming up next week on the 19th), and my therapist helped me brainstorm several things - and one of them that caught my fancy was to try writing again. But not writing to Charlie (which I don't like the feel of), or directly about him - instead, I would try writing stories like I would have told to him. And since children like stories about themselves, here is the first story I wrote for Charlie:

And Charlie Danced

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Charlie. When he was very little, and was still in Mommy’s tummy, Mommy and Daddy went to a concert.

It was a special concert, with a very famous violinist playing. His name was Joshua Bell, and he played the violin so well that people came from all over to hear him play.

This concert had an orchestra, and Joshua Bell was going to play the violin solos. Mommy was very excited because she liked the big tympani drums and the way she could feel them inside her bones. Daddy liked all the different pieces that they were going to play. Charlie didn’t know what he would like, because he hadn’t been to a concert before!

When the music started, Charlie waited. He heard the whole orchestra playing. He heard the tympani drums and felt them in his bones. He heard the cellos and the basses playing. He heard high notes and low notes, fast notes and slow notes.

Charlie liked all the instruments, but he still waited to see if there was one he liked best.

Then Joshua Bell stepped forward and began to play, and the orchestra hushed. Beautiful notes sailed through the air and sang to Charlie, and Charlie began to dance. He turned and leapt, and danced with the beautiful singing notes, who trailed gold and red and orange all around him. Joshua Bell danced with his violin, and Charlie danced with the singing notes until the last one faded away.

Charlie had found the music he loved. Charlie loved violin music, all alone and by itself, clear and golden like honey, in so many glistening shades and scales.

Yours,

Sarah

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Resource list: Visit my spreadsheet at www.tinyurl.com/infantloss

Music Stand Case

 (Topic: Sewing)

Intro

Friends, although this is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and this is a blog that is largely about life after a loss, this is also where I post about my hobbies - but only on Saturdays! So even for this month, I'll be sticking to my usual format of grief/loss content on Wednesdays and sewing/knitting/etc on Saturdays.

Below are pictures of a project I completed last year. Enjoy!

The Music Stand Case project

I am on of many siblings in a very musical family. I suppose it was inevitable that I would someday be asked to make something related to that!!! As it turns out, I was asked to make a case for the music stand my violin-sister uses. She'd had a bag for it, but it wore out and the folded music stand would poke out. It got to the point where it could even fall out, so I got to make the replacement.

It needed to be sturdy, so I dug through my stash for some durable fabrics, and came up with several pieces of canvas that would hold up to use. I had different weights and colors and types, including a boring beige which was rejected! I ended up using a nice sky blue.

Instead of just seaming, I used a binding like her original bag had had. But not boring black! I found a woven band (again, in my deep and varied stash!). I was even able to find one that coordinated with the colors. And I used some scrap fabric to make a handle.

Back of bag, closed. The woven trim has a blue background, with a repeating floral and some metallic. Handle purposely has slack to be grab-able even when the bag is full.

Back side, open. The piece of trim is to cover and decorate the stitching for the velcro closure.

Front/top open. Trim also protects the edge of the opening.

Front top, closed.

As far as I know, this bag is still in active use! It was a fun project, especially since I knew it was practical but would also be enjoyed, and would be distinctive in an orchestra room with all the black bags and cases!


Yours,

Sarah

To subscribe, find the "subscribe by email" note in the left column and enter your email there. Posts will be emailed directly to you whenever I post them!

Resource list: Visit my spreadsheet at www.tinyurl.com/infantloss