When Skies Are Grey

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You’ll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don’t take my sunshine away

Raised half way across the country from each other both Elizabeth and I grew up singing this song.

I learned the lyrics at a young age from my grandparents who sang it to me often…and giggled for years over how I would belt out the word “guh-ray” when I was the one singing.

My grandparents have always been my cheerleaders and my support team.  From swimming lessons to driving lessons and everything in between…they have always been there for me…with their song…you are my sunshine my only sunshine…

So with the birth of each of my children how tender it has been for me to hear them sing the same song to them…you make me happy when skies are grey…

Which means that every time I sing this song to my children I am not only filled with the love I have for my children but with love curated by years and years of devotion from my grandparents…you’ll never know dear, how much I love you…

This fall my grandpa passed away.  He was 89 and, among many other things, a retired mail man.  At his funeral I slipped one final letter into his casket with him.  Inside the letter I included some hearts cut from this fabric that had just been released and that he was so proud of….please don’t take my sunshine away…

Every line that we create is special to us.  But this one…this one will always be dear to my heart.  It reminds me of all that is good and kind and sweet and sacred about families.

This line was never intended to be made.  In fact, Elizabeth and I were in the middle of working on another line (that we thought was pretty awesome) and she came over one afternoon to my house to finish it up.

But then I showed her a sign I bought that said, “You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Grey”.  She said she loved that song…I said so do I…she said we should make a whole fabric line inspired by that song…I agreed…and by the time she went home that is exactly what we had done.

It was meant to be.

 

Today starts our “When Skies Are Grey” fabric tour and now you know where the inspiration came from.  Over the next few days we are excited to share with you items made by some of our dearest blogging friends and we hope you enjoy their projects and our fabric as much as we do.

-liZ