Little moments

It's the little moments I want to hold on to.

Seeing Luke in a distance -- so earnest it makes me burst into laughter -- flailing at imaginary butterflies with a blue butterfly net, running so fast in the grass in bare feet, his fine hair blowing in the wind. Catching nothing but the wind. 

Seeing the other one dissolve into giggles the second his feet find their balance in the bounce house. Taking three wobbly steps before a face-plant, which he finds hysterical, cracking up into the red plastic, smearing it with wet baby slobber.

The way J.J. holds his mouth wide open for five seconds before bobbing his head down around a tiny plastic straw, wanting to be sure it makes it in there.

The way Luke grumbles at J.J. when he's frustrated with him, crowding him and grabbing him loosely around the head or body. But never, ever hurting him. 

The way J.J. calls everything Mama. The fridge. A banana. Other people. But mostly, the way he says it to me.

The way Luke falls asleep in the car, one leg tossed over the side of the car seat, his head tucked down onto his shoulder, quiet snores sneaking out from his mouth.  And then the way he denies it so vehemently, "No, Mama, I did NOT sleep in the car. No, no, no." Luke never sleeps in the car. (Except when he does.)

The march upstairs to go wake up Dada around 9 a.m., one following after another, both wearing dinosaur pajamas, me singing a marching song with glee: "Let's go wake up DADA! Let's go wake up DADA!" The way they fall all over him in the bed, and the way he grabs onto them to make sure they don't fall off the bed as they roll over him. Sunlight coming in the windows.

Hold onto the little moments. Aren't they so beautiful?

If you're game, share one in the comments. And Happy Mother's Day to all you moms.

A sewing nook makeover

Earlier this year, I took a little break from sewing. I needed a step away to focus on other things. I've only maybe half-stepped back into making sewing a priority, mainly out of obligation to the other things in my life. The kids and my job and keeping the house from being condemned are all pretty much non-negotiable duties.

But another thing holding me back? The mess that is my sewing nook. How can you feel creative and inspired and excited about spending time on your favorite hobby when the place you do it looks like...(prepare yourself!).... this?

Please, don't call Hoarders. Or Child Protective Services. This is really the only corner that is in total mayhem in my house. I'm not a neat-freak in any sense, but this the place that for some reason gets really out of control and messy. Which leads to total sewing shutdown.

My sewing nook is in a small, L-shaped, ugly corner of my basement. It's lit by a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, and it shares real estate with the water shut-off thingy. The only electrical outlet is located in the base of the light-bulb, so my extension cord for my sewing machine, table light and iron hangs in the middle of the space. The third picture down shows the opening in the back left of the corner that goes into my laundry room. I had a bookcase shoved into the opening to close it off and hold all my fabric. It's a hard shape to make cute. But I was also not using the space well. I wasn't making a point to keep things neat. I needed way more organization. The smaller the space, the more important being really organized becomes.




So on Saturday, everything came out of the space. Things were sorted, fabrics were refolded, stuff that didn't belong there was sent to the get-outta-here pile. And then everything went back in.

In progress....

It has to get worse before it gets better, right?

After a few hours of working on it throughout the day, I finally had it reassembled and looking better.

I like to see some of my fabric, so for now, I'm storing a bunch of it here on this bookcase. Along with some notions like fusible fleece and interfacing, and on the bottom shelf, a small box of works-in-progress.

 Here's looking into the nook. I have had the striped rug for about 10 years, since I lived in an apartment. Haven't found a use for it in my house until now! I also bought the painting almost 10 years ago at a coffee shop. It too hasn't had a home in my house for some time. I like how they brighten the corner up!

The table itself is from the 1950s. My mother-in-law wanted to get rid of it a few years ago, and I love it dearly. The chair is from my childhood, so my vintage factor is not bad here, eh?

I'd like to get my threads mounted on the wall. Other than that, I'm happy!

 We bought a new storage unit for inside the laundry room, and it's doing wonders not just for that room, but for creating a nice barrier here. Eventually, when we add more storage options to that room, I might use some of the shelf space there for fabric.

 As part of my cleaning process, I threw away my old sewing cover, which was ugly, stained, misshapen and even cut apart down the middle. Time to make a new one!

 Organized these shelves by getting rid of most everything but the sewing books. I might add some baskets here eventually.

Right now, a lot of my fabric is hiding until the table. It's not ideal, as I worry I'll forget about things if they're so hidden away. And I also won't be as motivated to climb under there to put things away. But it'll do for now.

What do you think? Better?

It's still not a Pinterest-worthy crafting space, that's for sure. And it's not done. But I'm feeling way better about it. Before, just looking over into that corner got my blood boiling. Now, I'm actually drawn in and feeling inspired to go sit and sew.

Does your craft space need some TLC? Go in there and spend 30 minutes tidying up -- it feels so good! 

Deep thoughts while sitting in my quiet dining room all by myself

I am in my house in the middle of the day -- alone! It is the most amazing thing. My kids will be returning here at any moment though, but I thought I'd attempt to steal a moment to share a couple of interesting reading links for you.

 This post on Maybe Matilda said a lot of what I've been fighting internally when it comes to my blog. I know it is a cop out to just point to her post and say, more or less, "Ditto!" But that's what I'm doing. You understand. I think going through a blogging identity-and-time-suck crisis happens to most bloggers at some point. So I really do feel like in this case, she said what I -- and probably a lot of other people -- are thinking. And then the bottom line: just blog you. Write about what you want to write, when you want to write about it. It's your blog. She summed up that realization here -- and also shared a tutorial for a super-easy infinity scarf, which I plan to make the next time I sit down at my machine.

Here's another "deep thoughts" type post that spoke to me. Rachel at Stitched in Color wrote about the issue of "too much inspiration." I suffer from this as well. Can I blame Pinterest? OK? Good. Well, Pinterest as well as the vast internet sea of amazing talent. It's all so much, and while I love reading and soaking it all up... I can spend so much time doing so, that I am then all spent up. I have no time for writing, for sewing, or for thinking. You must give your creativity space. That's a big part of what my hiatus has been about. We all need a break sometimes.  Rachel said all this more eloquently than I, and then there were oodles of comments where the discussion continued. Fine reading (if you have the space and time to read it, of course). :)

Finally: I wrote this article for my day job about three lovely craft rooms. It was a wonderful project and I loved seeing each room. There's a photo gallery, so you can see them as well. As much as I need the mental space to find creativity, my physical space also needs work. Organization, attention, cleanliness, all of that. I need to make getting my space there -- and keeping it there -- a priority if my sewing is ever going to get back on track.

Oh, and one final thing! I have a goal of sharing more interviews for The Sewing Circle Series. There are many bloggers out there I know I'd love to interview. But I'd love to hear your suggestions as well. Who would you like to know more about? And it is OK to nominate yourself. Drop me a comment or an email at tharshesews@gmail.com.

That's all! I am going to go enjoy my last moments of blissful silence before my two sweets come back to tear the place apart with their beautiful noise.

Hiatus

 I've been thinking about taking a bit of a blogging and sewing break. A short hiatus. How short, I'm not sure.

My sewing nook got disassembled a bit for JJ's birthday party. It's all there behind that curtain.

Not too be all deep, but I feel like packing it up and putting it all behind a curtain is what I need at the moment. A refresher, a step away.

Part of it is because: My work schedule is changing for the month of February. I'm adding a fourth day, and I'm switching form afternoon/evenings to very early mornings. Like, I'll have to get up at least two hours earlier than I'm used to. It's going to be a big switch for our family, as my husband will now have the kids alone all morning and then will work all afternoon/evening, and I'll be doing the opposite. For those four days of the week, we really won't see one another or have any time together as a family. I know I'm going to be extra tired and stressed, and I don't want to put too much on my plate and stress about completing sewing project or blogging. This is a fun, inspirational outlet for me, and I don't want to give it up, at all. I just want the pressure off. I want to only go sit and create or sit and write because I feel inspired. And if/when that happens, I will indeed update here!

I've debated whether to post about this at all. I'm so grateful for the little outlet I've built here, and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot. But I'm trying to be honest with myself (and you) and do what's best for everyone here. I hope you understand!

So my posting might be a bit sporadic -- or non-existant -- this month. I hope you'll bear with me and keep checking back, because as soon as things calm down, or my sewing mo-jo returns, I'll be back. Maybe in a week, I don't know. Maybe sooner. Maybe later.

Until then.... happy sewing!

Reporting in from my pre-birthday Pinterest-induced coma

Sorry I've been a bad blogger this week. I'm having some sort of blogging block. I have a few things that have not been blogged about, but I'm not sure I want to blog them because I'm sort of unhappy with how they turned out. Two tutorials I want to write up, but I need to tweak both of them and re-make the item to work out the kinks. Le sigh!

I also have one work-in-progress that I can't show until it's totally done because it's a gift. So next week, hopefully.

While making it, I sewed through my finger nail. OW.

I've also been busy getting ready for JJ's first birthday. Admittedly, I am way behind. I feel like a bad mama. I did an Evite instead of a regular invitation (horror of horrors), and the party so far is relatively unplanned. I went on Pinterest for some inspiration, and of course, found plenty. But is it just me, or is Pinterest and blog-land almost coma-inducing in its creativity and inspiration? It's easy to get caught up in it and think your party just can't go on without a clever theme and coordinating color scheme, 12 different handmade decorations, tons of mouth-watering home-cooked food, of course a perfectly executed and personalized smash cake, a hand-sewn birthday outfit (which you better photograph as you make step-by-step and then write up a tutorial!), a crafty birthday wreath for the front door, a cupcake tower with personalized toppers and cake pops in the shape of your baby's head.... And on and on. And if you don't do all that, you don't really love your baby, do you. DO YOU?!?!?!

I'm trying to sort through what I actually want to do and what is realistic to do and what is just too much.

The party is in nine days.

So far... I'm pretty sure I'm making ham and cheese sliders. And that's all I've got.

Gah.

Anyway, just wanted to check in. Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll be back with something prettier to look at and read about soon!

The saga of the apron. And I do mean saga.

Is there an award for being the last one on Earth to finish a handmade Christmas present? If so, I win! I win!

This is the finished apron I finally gifted by mother-in-law today. Months and months ago, she mentioned that she'd like if I made her a holiday apron. We're always struggling to come up with good gifts to give her, so I was happy to have the inspiration handed to me. I knew from that point on -- maybe sometime in October -- that I'd make her her holiday apron for Christmas.

I started thinking about fabric and patterns. At Jo-Ann's one day, I put this in my cart, 40% off. McCalls 6177.

I thought that third look was it. Cute, right? Then I read the instructions and sort of freaked out. I began to worry that it was too difficult a pattern in the time I had. And then I noticed that I bought sizes 18 wide and larger. Rookie mistake. My mother-in-law is basically the same size as me. So I had to go another route.

At that point, I opened up the book One Yard Wonders for inspiration, and I decided to make the Cottage Apron.

Kind of cute, right? Kind of.... sexy? I liked this a lot, I just felt like.... Is a woman in her 60s really going to like this? It didn't seem like her. I also started questioning having straps made out of ribbons. Is that really going to hold up in the wash?

As you can see, I was second-guessing everything.

On Christmas Eve, at 10:30 p.m., my mind scrambled in a haze of last-minute present wrapping, I decided there was no way I could give her Apron A. So I set out to make another.

I had a yard of fabric in a festive print. I had red linen. I quickly cut out an apron, using another I had as a pattern. I cut straps, including one very wide and long strap to go across the middle. I hemmed all the sides, made some straps, and voila, before you could say Merry Christmas, I had a new apron!

But wait!

So I gave it to her. She said she loved it. It was all fine. Except I put the sash on way too low, so it hit around the hips, and so the sides of the back hung in a sad droopy manner. I had stitched the strap right to the top of the apron, so I told her it would be no biggie for me to take it home and move it up higher. I was disappointed that it wasn't perfect, but hey, I still think I made the right call and made an apron more suited to her. And I could fix it.

And then. And THEN.

Do you feel the drama building?

If you're squeamish... Maybe you will want to skip this next photo. Because I am sure I am about to break all sorts of blogger rules in posting this photo.

What happened AND THEN is that I brought the apron home, and when all the holiday fun cooled down, I un-stitched that baby. And then the next morning I laid it out on the floor to pin the sash back on. The clock was ticking. She was coming to babysit soon.

I walked upstairs to get more coffee. And when I came back.... I saw this.

I won't enlarge it more than that, because ew, gross! Ladies and gentlemen, that's what it looks like when your cat decides your unfinished sewing project -- a project for your mother-in-law --  looks like a great place to barf.

My husband was all: "Just wash that spot off!" Oh darling. No. That sucker had to go in the wash. Which meant it wasn't done by 11:30, when she came over to babysit. Which meant it was another week before I'd see her again to have a chance to give her her apron.

So finally finally this week, I finished her up. And presented a fully finished, non-barfy, non-teeny-bopper apron to my mother-in-law. On Jan. 10! Only 16 days after Christmas!

I had to make my husband model after his wipe-the-barf-off-the-corner comment.

 Hahaha.

Here it is on me, looking ladylike in my pajamas.

I

Moral of the story: don't leave your sewing projects near a barfy cat? Don't wait unitl 10:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve to attempt a sewing project that is actually a good fit for your recipient?

That's for you to decide. All I know is this: my mother-in-law seems pleased enough with her new apron (and yes, she knows about its sordid past) and bonus, my friend Evelyn was so taken with my first apron, she bought it from me! I am now contemplating what to make her to thank her. Irony! Whatever I decide, I'll try not to let my cat near it.

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2011 retrospective: A year of sewing

Here's a mini look at just about everything I made in 2011. Not every little thing is on here (including my most recent! Forgot the puppet theatre!) But most of it is there.

Looking at this, I'm kind of impressed with the amount I was able to do in a year. Go me! I suppose if you break it down, this is still less than one finished project per week. But I will so take that.

Let's break it down further, shall we?

I made four bags: a roll-up grocery bag, my Going-on-a-Walk bag, and the 241 Tote and the Go Anywhere bag, both from Noodlehead. Also did a clutch.

I made four pillows: a patchwork pillow, a crochet doily pillow, a monogrammed pillow, and an embroidered pillow for Jack's room.

I made a bunch of kid stuff: bibs, burp clothes, a nursing cover, baby shoes, baby blocks, sun hats and more sun hats, super hero capes, appliqued shirts, a bird mobile, a baby blanket and a taggy blanket.

I made clothes! Four different skirts, two dresses, a button-up shirt for Luke, two Halloween costumes, a bow-tie, a shirt for myself and my scarflette!

I made gifts. A baby's first Christmas ornament, a baby gift set, an apron or two, the puppet theatre, coasters, a quilted sunglass case, a dahlia pin (for myself) and a photo necklace.

I have learned this: I rarely want to make the same thing twice. This is why I could never have an etsy store! I am most content when I am learning something and trying something new. The side effect is that I rarely master any one thing. But that's a tradeoff I'm OK with. Wouldn't it be boring to always make... bibs or little kid clothes?

So, what will 2012 bring? Some of the same. But many new things and projects, I'm sure. Maybe my first quilt? Or a dress I make for myself, start to finish? I'm excited to see.

Mostly, I'm just exciting that I know I will always, always find something to be inspired by -- and another good excuse to buy more pretty fabric.

Here's to a happy 2012 all! Cheers!

What I write about in my new patchwork notebook

I love notebooks. I buy them all the time. Cute notebooks to fill with lists and reminders, quotes I love, prayers, inspirations and in my most well-intentioned moment, actual writing. That rarely happens. But I buy them anyway and proceed to use them very haphazardly and sporadically. They help me be a tiny bit more organized, although that word still doesn't really apply to me. At least not most of the time. But just holding one in my hands makes me feel inspired. So it's worth it.

I bought this black-white-and-yellow cutie at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair earlier this month from a booth called Hip to Piece Squares. I wanted to buy just about everything on her table. She had a snappy purse that I keep thinking about and it's not in her shop. Lesson learned: when you fall in love with something at a craft show, buy it!

I've been busy not really writing in my notebook but carting it around with me everywhere anyway. One day, my husband and I had a lunch date.  (Metro Detroiters: it was at Due Venti in Clawson. You should go! Northern Italian yumminess.) I had my notebook with me. And we made this list:

A little tough to read. But that's the dream list of everything we want to do to our house, you know, if money was no object. Money IS an object though, so haha, this will never happen. Not all of it anyway. But I do think in 2012, a few of these things might get checked off this list. It's a weird time for homeowners right now. We look at houses online (our friends call this real estate porn, and it's so true!) and swoon at how much house you can get now for the money. But would we ever be able to sell our house, purchased in 2006, just before the floor fell out? Not for a profit, that's for sure.

So we're a little stuck, unless we want to lose a bunch of money, which we don't. So I am trying to focus on gratitude for what I have. And I do have gratitude for my home. There is a lot to love about my place. I want to add a few more from this list though. That's OK, I think.

Long ramble! Not really sewing related. Sorry. But this is what's on my mind these days. I'll leave you with one more house-related thought, this one of the sewn variety. Check out the little detail I added to the puppet theatre house, which is still coming, slowly. (My threading problem has been solved, by the way. Thanks for your advice! I put in a new needle, re-threaded and upped my tension a little bit and that worked.) Can you tell what that thing by the doorstep is?

Leave me your guesses in the comment, and tell me, if you could do one thing to your house in 2012, what would it be? Give me either your money-is-no-object answer or your realistic view. Or both!

Saturday ramblings and more sew alongs

I'm been so focused here on the Henry Shirt sew along that I feel a backlog of things I want to share. So prepare for a very random post!

I'll at least start on topic. There are a few more sew alongs happening in the next few weeks that I want to take part in. And maybe you do, too!

Over at Noode-head, the lovely Anna is hosting a sew along for Simplicity pattern 2226. It's a basic skirt, with a zipper. I am really excited to give it a whirl. Her sew along series begins Monday!

I've been watching from afar the sew along for the book Little Things to Sew over on A Little Gray. I want to jump into the fray this month! The pick for November is this adorable puppet theatre. I want to make it for Luke for Christmas. This is a month-long sew-along, so it's leisurely. Isn't that theatre adorable?

Finally, Marigold over on Hideous, Dreadful, Stinky is doing a sew along this month for colorful coats or cardigans. No specific pattern. The idea is to sew along together but interpret that theme however you choose. Basically, make something to keep you warn this winter that isn't boring grey or black or brown. You can refashion something, too, which is what I think I might do.

All fun ideas, right? I already have my fabric and pattern for Anna's. I'll show you on Monday!

What else have I been up to?

JJ turned 9 months old on Halloween. This is such a wonderful age. Love him.

We went to the cider mill two weeks ago. Old news, I know. But it is one of my favorite things about the fall. I must share. We went to Yates Cider Mill, which we also hit up when Luke was a baby. I am finding it astonishing that three years have passed between those two photos.

The other big thing happening around here is I'm starting my new work schedule tomorrow. I'll be working Sundays from now on. It will be an adjustment, but there are a lot of pros to my new schedule and my new job. Things are looking up.

Other than that.... I miss my friend Kim.

I thought about doing a whole posts about some of this personal stuff, but it's tough. This is a sewing blog, right? I've read some posts recently about what people hate about other people's blogs, and it makes me second guess myself. I don't like it because the truth is this is my space, my creative outlet, and my virtual scrapbook of my sewing life -- but also the rest of it. I shoudln't second guess myself. If you blog, do you struggle with this? How much do you deviate from whatever the "thing' your blog is about and into your personal life? And if you're just a reader, how much do you want to know about my personal life or other bloggers you follow? Do you get annoyed at personal posts and think, can we just talk about sewing/crafting/whatever? Be honest.

Henry Shirt Sew-Along, Day Five -- not quite yet

Oooooo boy. Today is supposed to be my post for Day Five of the Henry Shirt Sew Along... And it's not ready! Halloween mostly is what did me in. I am done with the sewing for Day Five, which includes attaching the yoke and sleeve. But I did have a rather major issue this time. Everything was going so well, and then I misread one diagram and I had to backtrack and undo some stitching. In the end, it all worked out, but it put me behind a bit. But eh, that's life, right??

Check out Leila's blog for her progress, or hey, start at the beginning and catch up and join us! Or check back tonight. I'll be back then with my full report on Day Five!

Changes are coming

I know I've blabbed on more than once here about how much my work set-up since returning to work has, well, worked for me. As moms, we're all looking for that mythical work-life balance, and I had seriously discovered it. Working part-time, almost all from home, doing things I loved to do. I could work hard all morning, yes, in my pajamas, drinking my favorite coffee out of my favorite mug. Then two seconds after my work was done for the day, I could wander downstairs and make my kids lunch. I even staved off most of the chore that is pumping, since I could grab the baby and nurse him while sitting at my computer, and then hand him back to Dada (or whichever other caretaker we had that day). Our childcare was totally free, and I didn't feel like I was asking too much of family, just one afternoon a week for each side, an amount they were happy to accept. I was feeling oh-so-lucky. I kept reminding myself to enjoy it why it lasted.

I'm glad I did.

Because it will be over by the end of this month.

Forces out of my control have led to me being reassigned at work. The job I was fulfilling is no longer needed, and it was the ONLY position for which my company offered the kind of flexibility I enjoyed. So by the end of the month, it will be back to commuting and being out of the house. As for what my job will actually be and whether it will be something I will enjoy, I don't know. I'm hopeful, but I don't know.

All of this is stressful. I am happy to be employed. It could be worse. But I'm also mourning the balance we've enjoyed. It's been wonderful in a way I couldn't have imagined. I feel seriously grief that it will be a memory come November.

I hope whatever comes, I'll still find time for sewing and creating, because it does feed my soul in a way I've decided I must have. It's funny, but this recent job news has made me more aware of how stress-reducing sewing is for me, and I wonder if that explains why it's become so important to me at this juncture of my life. Besides the stress of becoming a parent, we've had lots of job-related angst -- our company has had job cuts, furloughs, pay freezes, pay reductions, and heightened workloads for the last few years. The morale is bad. Good news has been minimal, and the outlook for the future is no better. It's been scary, negative, and stressful conditions for work. People sometimes ask how I can find time to sew, and thinking about it in this light makes me think the right response is really, How can I afford not to? Sewing -- and writing -- are my happy places, the things that keep my soul buoyed. Those things are essential, especially when stress creeps in.

I've said before that I will keep sewing and blogging despite schedule changes that make it tough. I suppose I'm saying that once again. I really probably don't need to. If you sew or create, you get it, right? Leave me a comment and tell me, I'd love to hear you take.

Up, up and away

See this? Little guy is pulling up his own a bit. Oh yes.



Oh. And he's crawling some, too.

And he's not even seven months until tomorrow. He's an over-achiever if you ask. I wouldn't mind if he just slowed down a bit and stayed my little baby a while longer.

We first saw him do those thing on Saturday night, when we drove about an hour away to go to a balloon festival. I need these sorts of diversions in my life -- little adventures like that, where you hop in the car and go somewhere and see something you normally wouldn't. 

It was a beautiful Michigan summer evening. There aren't too many left. I am trying to soak up as much of them as I can.

We ate dinner on a blanket in the grass. Luke played on a playground and ran to catch marshmellows thrown from a fire truck.

It was serene.

And soon, the balloons started to fill the sky.

A lot of photos, I know. Aren't they pretty, though?

It was a really lovely night in what has been a really lovely summer and an even lovelier year. I know this is filled to the brim with cheese, this post. But I want to be thankful and notice these days. They're amazing.

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