For Aunt Monica

aunt monica

While we were in Wisconsin my Aunt Monica saw the bags I'd make for my sister, niece, daughter, and myself, and decided I'd make her one. So I had to (and wanted to!).

for aunt monica front

Aunt Monica lived in the same town as us when I was little so I have a lot of memories of spending time with her. She was an art teacher and used to come to our school to teach ... it was so cool to have MY Aunt Monica teaching in my classroom ... I always felt so special.

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Later she came to Florida every winter with her sister and we'd visit them on Thanksgiving and Easter. I've told my Mom that I feel lost now not having them down here anymore on Easter ... we haven't yet developed a new tradition.

for aunt monica back

Aunt Monica is actually my Dad's aunt, so my great aunt, I believe. Her sister is my Dad's mother. Both are still living in Wisconsin, and both are in their 90's. Aunt Monica is still pretty fiesty ... didn't like the boy's hair this summer and didn't hesitate to tell me they looked like girls and that their hair was "interesting". It was a fun visit. The top photo is of the kids and her in her garden. The nursing home (I guess that's what it's called ... it's much nicer than what I think of when I hear nursing home though) has a garden and for as long as she's lived there she's had a space of her own. Her assistant, Darlene (a wonderful, wonderful woman) does most of the work in the garden while Aunt Monica gives directions.

for aunt monica inside

I had a hard time feeling confident about making this because Aunt Monica is so artistic. I wasn't sure I could meet her standards. She'd asked for blues, teal, and green, which I really didn't have so I went with the blue/green floral. I debated using the tye-dye fabric for the outside, but I really wasn't sure if it'd be too much for her, so I used it on the inside.... I really like it there, just a bit of wild. Originally I'd planned to have the pocket side be the front, with the backside plain but the bird and flowers idea popped into my head and I had to give it a shot. The pocket and bird fabric is from my dining room chairs.

dining room

I made the straps extra long to work on her wheelchair and left off the top closure, the bag is deep enough that it's not needed.

And off it goes in the mail tomorrow!

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