So, I Like to Sew

My mom started teaching me to sew when I was 8 years old. Once I got over the initial frustration curve, I have been glad I know how to sew ever since. Among the things I have made are dresses, shirts, pajama pants, skirts, water bottle holders, window coverings, decorative pillows, and quilts. Here are a few things I've made:

Dia de los Muertos Skirt

fall skirt

Woven fabric table runner

Banners for my sister when her twins were born

name banner for  the daughter of my dear friend. Ryan was in the hospital battling cancer.

A soft quilt and pillow case for Ryan in the hospital so it her room would be brighter, more comfy and hopefully a little cheerier.

name banner for a baby gift for my dear friends in Indiana

Arizona Centennial quilt (2012); each block represents something about Arizona

Jewelry-making tool holder; it rolls up (see next photo) to keep all your tools in one place. I made this one for my friend who moved to NYC as a going away gift

Jewelry tool kit rolled up

This is a second one I made for my very dearest friend, Janet, with whom I create jewelry. Maybe I will post about that sometime...

Jewelry tools snug as a bug in a rug. Ha!

a space pillow case for my "space case"

a quilt intended for hanging on the wall. Janet and I each made one of these and worked on them together. As soon as I get it quilted, I will hang it at christmas time. This has many pieces in a 40" x 40" quilt!

king-sized quilt for our "new" bedroom furniture; this quilt is about 115" x 115", so the pieces are much larger than the previous quilt! Plus, it will be used daily so will get worn much more quickly. More piecing means it takes more time to make. I didn't want to spend 100s of hours only to have it wear out in a (relatively) short time!

I have lots of other stuff, too. But, I won't bore you. What I really want to talk about is my very dearest friend, Janet.

Janet is a remarkable quilter. She taught me everything I know about quilting. As I said, I sew clothes, home dec, other stuff and have since I was young. But, I was never really any good at quilting until Janet came along. She and her best friend, Laurene Sinema, opened the first quilt shop in Phoenix, AZ in the 1980s (I believe). Laurene was nationally recognized for her appliqúe work and published several books. Janet published several books on quilting and wool rug hooking and penny rugs. Their were quite the dynamic duo! 

This is the second (and final) location of The Quilted Apple. It was on 24th St, just south of Indian School Rd

The store was called The Quilted Apple; sometime after Laurene passed away, the family sold the store in early 2004. Unfortunately, the store did not last long after that. It closed probably 5 to 7 years later. I wish I could remember the date, but I don't. Sorry. 

Janet and I used to get together at least once a week to create some sort of mischief. Now that I am in school, I am lucky if I see her once a month. It is so difficult to balance so many things; of course my family and friends are the most important things in my life. But, when I have a project due for my internship and homework and tests and responsibilities as a research assistant- there just is not enough hours in the day. We did get together in January before school started for me again.

Janet is finishing her Christmas charm necklace (I finished mine already). I am working on a "table topper" for the night stands in my bedroom; I want them to coordinate with the quilt. 

We each work on a project- often we are working on the same thing. We have made jewelry together, a really, really fabulous Christmas advent calendar mini-book (maybe I will post that sometime- of course, that'd be like 27 photos...); we did the Arizona Centennial quilt together and the red and green 40 stars quilt together... We have been best mates for close to 10 years; we have made many things together! This is the work in progress from that day in January we got together:

piecing in progress: the night stand topper

I pretty much just made up this quilt pattern based on the king size quilt. So, it took a little playing around with it to make it the right dimensions. I laid it out to see the size before I finished sewing it all together.

I was hoping to have these done by February 25- that's my husband's birthday. Unfortunately, it isn't going to happen. Presently, nothing gets done except school work, internship assignments and my responsibilities as a research assistant. Maybe when school is out in May...?!

PS I miss my Janet time!

Good Morning! And in case I don't see ya- Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night.

I am Mamie Coffey. I am in my 20th year of marriage to this guy:

Geoff and Mamie Coffey
January 1, 2014

I have two daughters. Usually, they get along like this:

Sisterly Love

But, sometimes it is more like this:

Sibling Rivalry

I am a returning student from being a stay-at-home mother for 16 years. My first semester back to school was Fall 2013. This semester, Spring 2014, I will apply to the Accelerated MPA program at ASU Downtown.

Several years ago, a couple of books I read with my book club impacted me like very little else has.

Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

&

SHANTARAM, by Gregory David Roberts

 As I researched and read more on the topic of modern-slavery, exploitation, rape as a weapon of war in many conflict countries and violence against women, I learned how prevalent these forms of exploitation and other types of human trafficking are worldwide. It is rampant in developing nations; these places are homes to the most vulnerable populations on the globe. But, it doesn't stop there; it is a problem everywhere. I know what you are thinking; "Except America. We abolished slavery in the 1800s." Well, yes. Slavery was abolished in the 1800s. In fact, slavery is illegal in all countries on earth. Yet, slavery exists in every single country on this planet. 

I came to the conclusion that I could not know about the vile exploitation of others in this way and not do something to help. I felt compelled to return to school to get a degree that I can use to help advocate for victims of modern-day slavery. After much consideration, I decided the best direction for me was to work at the "macro" level- working to change public awareness, public policy and legislation. This lead me to the School of Public Affairs- Public Service and Public Policy.

This semester, I am very grateful to have an internship working with a coordinating and collaborative anti-trafficking non-profit organization. TRUST AZ- Training and Resources United to Stop Trafficking has the mission to unify and coordinate efforts among all stakeholders in the anti-trafficking movement. Among TRUST's partners are law enforcement, research (STIR here at ASU), other non-profit organizations, government, victim care and service providers and interfaith organizations. The goal is to reduce overlap and make efforts and resources go as far as possible to further the anti-trafficking movement.

My 3 goals for my internship this semester are:

1) Expand my knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the anti-trafficking movement.

2) To make meaningful contributions to raise awareness of this issue.

3) To expand my network in the anti-trafficking community so that I will be positioned to make the most impact once I have finished my studies.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, so I will have lots to share with you over the next couple of weeks!