Guardians of the Galaxy and the Autism Spectrum

So, the post going around about Drax from Guardians being like an autistic person because he could not get metaphors got me thinking, as a teacher I can see a bit of all the spectrum in the Guardians.

If Drax is verbal autistic,

Groot is non verbal autistic. He has so much to say, but just can't get it out. He is sweet and sensitive.

Rocket is total ADHD. All action all the time. Smart to the point of scary sometimes, he can create elaborate plans quickly that actually work. Can be totally obnoxious often, but you love him anyway.

Gamora is our girl on the spectrum. Smart, socially isolated and with a strong sense of justice, sometimes things go a little over her head but that's OK. Once she found her few good friends, all was well.

Starlord - He's our Aspie. Smart in certain ways, but socially awkward. Totally verbal but sometimes doesn't know when to stop talking. He knows he is different but doesn't quite know why.

and there it is, the Spectrum of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Scraps

Bare walls drive me nuts. However, I am not really great with home decor. I tend to find all of our furniture from craigslist, family members, or the side of the road (seriously, drives my husband nuts). Everything hanging on our walls is either art from my kids, my very talented friends, or family photos. My house will never be in Better Homes and Gardens.

So we have a dining room. I love having a dining room, we found an guy through friends that makes tables and benches out of scrap wood leftover from building homes, a china cabinet for almost nothing, and chairs from Goodwill. It is big enough for our whole family even when extended family visits. It is also where my amazing Girl Scout troop meets, the kids do art projects and general mayhem happens. The walls in the dining room are still bare. Like totally neekid.

At first I thought I would put a dry erase board in there, or cork squares to change things up, but I didn't want it to be too classroom like. So a few months ago my friend Dorothy gave me a bunch of really cool vintage embroidery hoops. All sizes. I knew they had to be in my house somewhere.

So today the kids and I went through my fabric scraps and started loading up the hoops. To keep the edges down, we used Elmer's school glue, just in case we wanted to take the fabric out and use it in another project. If you want yours to be permanent, you can use a glue gun or staples.

This project took us about an hour from hooping to hanging!

I think it fits our dining room really well, and the fabrics remind us of past sewing projects! Bonus, it was FREE.

I know a lot of us don't have the hoops hanging around, but they can often be found in thrift stores or grandma's attic!

Tennessee Row by Row

Many of us are excited for Summer, especially with travels! It gives us the opportunity to visit other quilt shops, and perhaps participate in the Row by Row Experience!

If you are coming through the Memphis area, please stop by Sew Memphis and pick up a copy of our free row by row pattern for the challenge! I love our pattern. The theme this year was water, and of course The Bluff City is right on the Mississippi River!

Our row features local fabric designer Jenean Morrison's latest fabric line, Star Landing. The pattern was inspired by the DeSoto bridge, the Mississippi River, and Memphis as the crossroads between the midwest and the south.

I love Memphis. I have met so many creative, fun people here. I have learned so much as a sewist, and have grown a ton as a quilter and designer.

Happy travels this summer, and don't forget to participate in the row by row experience!

Check out the new issue of GenerationQ Magazine!

July/August 2015 Issue of GenerationQ

Sew big news! I have a project in the current issue of GenerationQ Magazine! I am sew excited! You can find the issue at select bookstores, the coolest quilt shops, or order online!

I have been writing patterns for a while (bag patterns are available on etsy and craftsy), and last year started submitting to Quilt magazines. It has always been my dream to have patterns in print instead of just self publishing, and here is my first! The pattern is a fun, quick easily pieced lap quilt! I hope you check it out!