forgetting

got an email yesterday from a member of our little homeschool co-op asking about where we should meet up for thursday's field trip. my immediate thought was, "what?!? what field trip?? what is she talking about?" and then.... a faded memory in the back of my brain emerged. "oh............. i remember now."

and this pretty much sums up my days of late. can't really see a week ahead- not even a few days ahead- just to the next thing. and then the next thing is here. am i prepared for it? not usually. do we make it through? yes. we've made it to wednesday.

in the midst of the crazy, i've been loving some recent sewing projects. nothing too major. but fun. a wedding gift for a friend.





and a commission for another friend. quilts for her daughters' beds. i love the fabrics she chose. it has been such fun to piece these strips together.



it has been nice to work on some projects for specific people. next up is a piece for a dear friend who is pregnant with her first. can't wait to add to her nursery.

hope this lovely mid-october is finding you well. here's hoping i haven't forgotten somewhere i'm supposed to be today.

getting things done

there is much to be done around here. lists. school work. books. fabric waiting. piles. you get it. you know. you have lists too. i am sure. i hope.

i have been conquering things on the list. feeling productive for a few minutes at a time. good stuff.



and then there are days like this past monday. where, there were many things on the lists that needed doing. laundry, for one. two baskets clean and waiting to be folded and organized. so, what do i do? fold the laundry? oh no.

i walk past this chair that my son has just knocked over (as he was inventing some sort of elaborate pulley system of some kind), and notice that is it pretty disgusting.



really disgusting.

so i go hunting for the staple gun, pull out fabric that JUST got put away. and spent some quality laundry-folding time on this:



and i am pleased.

i hope your days are treating you well. i hope all of your laundry gets done in a relatively timely fashion (after i got my chair-recovering urge out of my system, the laundry was, somewhat reluctantly, folded). and that the lists don't overwhelm. those are the wishes at my house these days.

projects.

been working on a few things over here. the first was a much needed pair of curtains for the kid's room. they've had white shutters up until now and the shutters were losing it. one slat at a time.

so-- curtains to the rescue.

i got the tree fabric at ikea, but, of course, didn't buy enough. luckily a friend handed off some fabric she wasn't using and the grey corduroy was just enough.

(i must take this opportunity to brag about samuel's "museum" that he made. it's one of my absolute favorite things.)

okay. sorry. back to projects. the other thing i've been working on is this shirt.

i got a lovely grease spot on it. it is one of my favorite shirts- you know the kind. fits just right- is really soft. it's my go-to. but i couldn't wear it anymore. and then i remembered the magic of heat'n bond.

i ironed some onto two fabrics, drew and cut out a few butterflies.

arranged the butterflies on my shirt (being sure to cover my lovely grease stain)

then ironed those onto the shirt. i stitched them on afterward, for good measure.

and-- ta-da! a new shirt. kinda.

i'm usually too lazy for this kind of salvaging, but, well... i just really loved this shirt.

sewing

i've been doing lots of sewing. lots and lots. sewing, then ripping, then sewing some more. i'm working on a patchwork blanket for someone and... it has been an adventure.

or as my mom keeps reminding me, "a great learning experience."

i know there is a lesson of patience, hard work or something in there. but i don't have much time to stop and think about it. i just have to sew.

drink coffee and sew.

but this project has afforded me some lovely things. afternoons of sewing, wncw, and my one and only lounging on the couch chatting with me. time to talk and be. it has been so nice. open space. time just sitting and resting in the room with us. allowing thoughts to form and conversation to deeply breath.

back soon. have to get back.

thankful

happy thanksgiving!!!!!

what a fabulous idea thanksgiving was. whoever started this fabulous holiday deserves some kind of library in their name or a statue or something. i love it. food, no pressure, gratitude and lovely people. community at one of its finer moments, i think. ours was filled with family, friends and gorgeous food (man i love food) and i will show you that all soon.

Having a huge sale on my etsy site this morning. please check it out. think about buying handmade for Christmas this year- it makes us home crafters SO happy when you do.



have a wonderful weekend. hope your homes are filled to the brim with laughter, community and more food. happy joy-season everyone.

some completion

well i've been getting a few things done over here. actually done. been able to check off some items on, what seems like, an ever growing list. and i'm feeling good. feeling ready. and i am really excited to find that after so many days of spending every spare minute in front of either the ironing board or the sewing machine, i still look forward to those spare minutes. i still enjoy the time spent on these endeavors. i can be so fickle. so glad to still find joy at this table.

coasters.

thank you for your help and input everyone. i decided to make some of both styles. couldn't decide. you all helped me dial down the panic. and you were right. it turned out okay. and i'm done! i had a goal of 10 sets of 6. and i've arrived.

and the log cabin square table runner was completed last night as well. i love it. i want to keep it.

the squares were more time consuming than i thought, but totally worth it and so much fun. really-- an easy project for any small-time seamstress (like me) to tackle.

i did put backing on it and finish the edges, but didn't get pictures of it while it was still light enough to do so. wish i would have.

i know that crafting is a small, sometimes trivial, thing. but God has been faithful to meet me in these times. He cares enough about me and and my small yellow craft space to calm my spirit when it needs it, send little laughter my way to make me join in, and remind me of His beauty in creating. He's so good to us.