Author: Debra VanDeventer

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Winter Trees

Two Poems by Debra VanDeventer

Sycamore trees across Lake Monroe photo by Debra VanDeventer

When I travel to the Midwest in the winter, I’m always inspired by the winter trees. Here are two poems from my recent trip.

Photo by Debra VanDeventer

Winter Trees

by Debra Van Deventer

ink-penned artist strokes

etched on watercolor skies

strong, still, beautiful

Photo by Debra VanDeventer

Bare Branches

by Debra VanDeventer

Ebony branches pirouette against ashen sky. Trees recently adorned in autumn’s glorious red, bronze and gold, now have nothing to hide.  In winter’s wrath, they reveal their bones, their foundation. Stoic columns rooted deep, stand tall. Limbs, strong and limber, dance in bitter winds. This is the true beauty of trees–not delicate buds of spring, nor luxurious summer foliage and fruits, not astonishing autumn coats −but bare branches unveiling the tree’s secrets.

Morning over Eagle Bay photo by Debra VanDeventer
Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

I used to dread winter, even moved to a warmer climate to avoid it, but on this trip I found beautiful images and words.

Look for somenting beautiful in this season where you live!

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Designing a Blog Header

A Fresh Look for a New Year

Hello Friends,

Seams Like a Story is celebrating its one-year anniversary! My very first post, Creating a Space to Sew and Write, debuted January 4, 2021. http://seamslikeastory.com/creating-a-space-to-sew-and-write/ . Since then, I’ve published 46 posts and have had 4,793 views.

My most popular posts were from the RV trip we took with our granddaughter. http://seamslikeastory.com/the-rv-adventure-begins/

For a blogging newbie, I’m happy with the numbers. More importantly, Seams Like a Story has given me a chance to see the world through the eyes of a storyteller/writer. I love finding little snippets to share with you through my words and photographs each week.

Naming my Blog

Continue reading “Designing a Blog Header” …

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Oh, Christmas Tree

Holiday Traditions Grow and Change

This baby Norfolk pine tree is an unlikely canditate for a Christms tree. Or is it?

Christmas Past (1974)

It was our first Christmas together as a married couple. Our apartment was tiny, but cozy and close enough for us to walk to the campus of Ball State University where we were finishing up our degrees. The balance in our bank account was as small as our apartment and we’d be returning to our hometown to celebrate the holiday with our families that year.  It made little sense to decorate for Christmas. I thought I’d be OK with that, but as we approached the holiday, it just didn’t seem right. I felt like Charlie Brown in the Christmas special when he said “what this place needs is a tree.”

Continue reading “Oh, Christmas Tree” …

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Sewing Holiday Pillowcases

(can be addictive)

Burritos for Christmas

On the first holiday season after retiring from teaching, I got “crafting fever.” I wanted to sew somenting festive. I was browsing through Pinterest when I came across a video with directions for making a simple pillow case, complete with contrasting trim, by using the burrito method.  Yes, the burrito method. NO, not this kind of burrito:

This kind….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAomYjHzUQk Named for the way that you roll the fabric up during sewing

It was the perfect project to help me revive my sewing skills that had been dormant for most of my teaching years. Off to the fabric store I went with the exact measurements in hand eager to get started. I found the perfect holiday themed flannel on sale and bought several different prints. The first pillowcase, a candy-cane print with a snowflake border, stitched together in a flash. I ran to show my husband the finished product, eager to impress him with my talent.

Continue reading “Sewing Holiday Pillowcases” …

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Dress A Girl

Sew-A-Thon

Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, people take time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community. Whether it is donating money to a charitable cause or volunteering, Giving Tuesday is a day set to benefit the community. For me, the opportunity to give back came a bit early this year.

On November 6, 2021, hundreds of people gathered at church in my community to sew dresses for the Dress A Girl Around the World organization. Founder Rachel Eggum Cinader describes the organization this way: “Dedicated volunteers throughout the United States and around the world gather to sew and distribute dresses to girls in need around the world because we believe every girl deserves at least one dress…”  https://dressagirlaroundthe world.com

Continue reading “Dress A Girl” …

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