Hazel

My almost 8-year-old niece recently passed away. A car hit her as it was backing out of the driveway. A pressure washer was running nearby so she did not hear the car coming. The car was older and did not have a back-up camera.

In a lot of ways, I’m not sure what to say or what to do. It feels more like we are all existing as we go through the motions. Trying to find the right balance of being helpful and of service, while allowing space for people to be alone and grieve as needed. Our family, the school, and the community have all been great about both. 

Even though I’m feeling unsure of how to process, I know I want to document this. I will want to come back and find these important memories as we become more capable of processing everything.

We arrived in town on Wednesday

On Thursday my oldest daughter and I had the honor of going to the funeral home to make molds of Hazel’s hand. I was able to hold her little hand in mine as I rubbed the oil on her skin to ensure it did not stick to the mold. Since we live out of state, I had not been there with her in the hospital. So this was a very special moment for me to have with her. While we waited for the mold to set; we spoke to her, my daughter read the first few chapters of a book she thought Hazel would have liked (Keeper of the Lost Cities), and I played a song for Hazel that I wished I had sung for her before she passed away in the hospital (Each life that Touches ours for Good).

Her parents put together a beautiful celebration of life funeral service on Friday. Everyone was invited to bring a bunny stuffed animal and wear Hazel’s favorite color, light purple. There were so many people who came, the line wrapped around the building. 

The ward went above and beyond to serve our family in preparing decorations the day before, serving food for a family luncheon after the internment, and hosting another family luncheon the following day for Hazel’s twin sister’s baptism.

On Saturday, My daughter and I prepared a hand cast for Hazel’s parents from the molds we made. I ordered a special box to put the hand cast in, so they can open it up on their time and have a special place to keep it if they are not ready to put it on display.

Here are some of the photos I have of Hazel from the family fun we’ve had together over the years.

Beach trips to Pacific Beach

(including her special stuffed animal Hop Hop)

Cooking together

Watching Football games together

Playing around at Grandma & Grandpa’s House

Celebrating special events together

Cousin Time

We love you Hazel

I've been so focused on my master's degree that I have had little time for projects and sewing. However, I am in a bit of a holding pattern right now waiting for my student teaching placement in the Fall. So when an opportunity arose to give back to the theater program my daughter is a part of I was excited to help.

I made 27 costume peices for my daughter's school musical.

I sewed "seaweed' onto a skirt for Ariel to wear when her fins turn to legs.

Made 4 seaweed costumes (this is the concept drawing) each with a headpiece, top and skirt. It took a very long time to detangle the strips of fabric that were being repurposed from some old costumes. I got help from some of the drama girls to make the work go more quickly. Luckily, I did not need to iron them because the wrinkles added to the seaweed effect.

The headpieces for the girls' seaweed costumes

My son Tobi 3-D printed the eyes for me to create 2 Sebastian hats. He is so clever, I just cut a basic shape out of paper and said "print something like this" and he delivered. Thanks Tobias.

I also made 4 reed/grass costumes. 

It was tricky to find a solution to secure the silk flower grasses to the actors without attaching them to the base layer that needed to be used for multiple costume changes. Ultimately, I ordered some wide elastic the same color as the base layer, attached the grass to elastic bands at the ankle, waist, and a fabric yolk around the neck. The elastics required plastic clasps to enable the quick changes that were required.

The whole thing was fun, rewarding and took up a lot of time. It was very informative for me to be reminded of my capacity, and I was glad I did not take on any more costumes. All in all, I'm happy to be seen as a resource to the director and the head costume lady and I'm looking forward to helping with costumes again next year. I think it could be fun to help from the beginning and make more concept drawings as I brainstorm with the costume designer.