A CHRISTMAS TALE

            The year I was 15 I was living in Connecticut and not having a very good time. My family life was tense and unhappy and school was not good. At Christmas time my sister came home and when she left I went with her. She was 19 and working at the teenage club in Juneau Alaska. I remember the jet coming in for a landing, seeing the mountains and water so close. I was feeling nervous but exhilarated. In the beginning we were living downtown in the Senate apartments with Mag's two roommates. It was pretty tight quarters and most of the time Mag slept across the hall with her boyfriend and gave me her closet of a bedroom. In the dark I would walk to school along streets where the snow plows had piled 10 foot burms of hard, icy crusted snow. All the while I was telling myself "don't blow it, climb out of your shell and enjoy your new life." There were some trials and tribulations but the gist of the story is that I managed to do that and I have Maggie to thank for it. You couldn't ask for a better sister, she's kind and loving and an extremely fun compadre to go on adventures with!  So Mag, I didn't manage to finish your bag for Christmas,(I had to get the leopard order out of the way) but it's almost done. Robert is finishing up the lining and zipper and then I'll whip stitch it together and it will be all yours. Thank you sister, for taking me under your teenage wing and letting me fly. Merry Christmas to all!

maggie's night ravens bag

robert working on the lining

sisters

FINALLY IN THE MAIL!

I rarely cut it this close on orders but these darn leopards were just taking longer than I thought they would. All those little spots and intricate detail had me working late every night!  But the bag is in the mail and I met my Christmas deadline, whew. At one point I had to take some beadwork out on this piece. In the floral border I used some red in the flowers and it was really bugging me. I could have left it but I didn't think it went with the rest of flowers, so now the red is gone. It's tricky taking beadwork out and I try to avoid it, but sometimes you just have to because your vision for the finished piece is more important than a couple of extra hours. Hopefully all the angst and worrying I did over this one will pay off and it will be just what my patron had in mind.

     She wanted leopard parents on the front and cubs on sides. This is what I came up with...