Tuskegee Airmen Richard T. Lee, Purple Heart recipient Brian Bennett and myself at Ventura Stand Down

I volunteered this past weekend at the Ventura Stand Down to sew for the homeless vets. It was truly an amazing experience. Two very special vets I had the pleasure of meeting were probably two of the most different you could possibly imagine. On the right was a Tuskegee Airman! Richard T. Lee attended the event along with his equally adorable wife Madeline who was a volunteer in the clothing area with me. He was so fun to talk to and he sat by me regaling me with stories as I hemmed and repaired clothing at lightning speed! On the left was probably the youngest attendee, Afghanistan vet and Purple Heart recipient Brian Bennett. Another equally charming man who was gracious enough to pose with us and was as thrilled to chat with Tuskegee Airmen Lee as I was!

I was told through out the entire weekend that no one has ever thought to bring a sewing machine to this event and I was so pleased to offer my services to all who came. With just a few stitches new clothing fit properly and beloved garments were back in tip-top shape!
And a very special thank you goes out to Clair Hope (who took a moment for a photo op with me!) for organizing such an amazing event that provides so much to those who served.

I saved all the ends of the pants I hemmed and plan on crafting something special with it to commemorate the event. Stay tuned!

Now onto what my fellow crafty bloggers have to share with you:

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a tutorial on how to make recycled silverware journal handles, a chance to win a copy of 1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes along with a recipe for fondant, an interview with the author of The Urban Biking Handbook and an inspirational quote and art from Camille Kuo.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews the Knook - a kit that teaches you how to knit with a crochet hook!

Mixed Media Artist
Continuing with her clothing obsession, Cyndi has taken out her acrylics to use on a summer dress!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Look at this cute coffee can recycling project. It also uses craft stash scraps, so it’s both eco-nomical and eco-logical!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has some important news about a very popular knitting loom.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi has a Crafter Companion paper fairy idea to show off this week!

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers you a re post of her Chunky Canvas Bird Cage Tutorial.

About Family Crafts
Now is the perfect time to get a jump start on your holiday crafting and Sherri will help you get a jump start on making your holiday gifts.

How to make fallen soldier uniform pendants

It is important to always remember the soldiers who give their lives for us every day but we do dedicate a very special day to them. So it is this weekend that I bring you my second fallen soldier project. Last year I posted about the tote bags I made for two Gold Star Moms out of their son's uniforms. This year I have to share with you a pendant that I made with scraps from one of the fallen soldier's uniforms, SPC Nick Steinbacher.

If you would like to make one here is how I made the uniform pendant:
I made a little square window the size of the Judikins pendant. I then could move the window around to get just the right bit of digital camo to fill the pendant.

Then I placed a bit of double sided Scotch poster tape on the back to stabilize the fabric, prevent it from fraying when cut and to stick it in the pendant.

I cut out the digital camo uniform piece and stuck it in the pendant.

Then I filled the pendant with Gel du Soleil Sunlight Curing Epoxy.

I am so grateful to all who serve and give me the freedom to do what I do.

Thank you.

In Loving Memeory

Liberato nos a malo.

In Loving Memory-Uncle Joe Lesizza

Eulogy

By Cathryn Clark Girard

For those of you gathered here, you probably know this man as Joe, or Mr. Lesizza. From the time I first knew him, really for as long as I can remember; to me he was Uncle Joe, and so today I will tell you about my Uncle Joe.

He was my mother’s youngest brother, married to my Aunt Mary, who hailed from Staten Island, NY, with all the fanciness you might expect to find in a person from NY. They were a special couple to all of us Lesizza cousins, because they had no children of their own and they poured out their largesse of time, talent, interest, and attention on all of us. Now just who do you know who would pile a gaggle of noisy teenagers into guess what -- a convertible – and take them off for a day at the beach? This was beyond cool in the 1950’s.

Just as Uncle Joe’s kindness was outsized, so were his expectations. None of us were ever allowed to whine, quit, or otherwise wimp out. I must admit there were times when I had pitched battles with him about the rules of a game or the technique to best make a shot during our backyard croquet games. I have even been known to stomp off the croquet field in frustration, but he never compromised his standards.

In my first year of high school I was struggling with quadratic equations in Algebra. I was a good student and I felt like I reached some sort of Waterloo, and what was I going to do? I have no memory of exactly how he did it, but Uncle Joe caused some kind of light bulb to go on for me that turned quadratic equations and the rest of Algebra into a breeze. The magic of a teacher, even without the title!

Uncle Joe took me to New York City, to Radio City Music Hall, to Coney Island, places that seemed like magic to me and for sure not common fare for my friends and playmates at the time.

When I grew up and became an adult woman with a husband and children of my own, Uncle Joe was still a part of our life. It wasn’t always easy for him to make the adjustment to me being an adult and to treat me as such -- old habits die hard -- but he continued to bring his special magic into the lives of my two children, Joseph and Stefanie. Many a meal he shared with us, many evenings of card games, board games, backyard sports, and holiday gatherings. There were always laughs and smiles.

Uncle Joe loved the movies, he loved to bowl, and he loved to dance. In his later years, he loved a trip to the gambling boat. He knew how lucky he was to have found Pearl and to share his life with her, brief though it may have been. These are things that many people knew about my Uncle Joe, but only a few of us knew that special magic of having him as an uncle during our crucial growing up years. We will remember him in a special way, and we thank God for his presence in our lives.

In Loving Memory-The Dad of a Crafter

Today I learned of the passing of one of my dearest friend's Dad. Lorelei and I have produced a ton of Knitty Gritty episodes together. Nothing builds a friendship like being in the yarn trenches together. I called her to invite her to this month's Church of Craft meeting. I had been missing her, but I had just figured she was out on tour being a rock star. I was so very sorry to hear the news.

So I asked the gathering if it was OK to dedicate the meeting to him. Catholics say a mass in memory of a loved one, so we crafted in his memory.

In Loving Memory-SPC Nick Steinbacher