I don't have the remaining two blocks in my possession yet. I'm at the mercy of the woman who is doing the BOM to supply them to me. She sent a group email the other day saying that the suppliers in Australia are on summer break so their shop has been closed. She ordered them in December but with the Christmas break and now the summer break there may be a delay in getting the patterns for February. Oh well. It will probably be another month before I'm ready for the next one anyway. She's done me a favor by being late because now...thanks to her...I'm caught up on this!
So with that one finished, I was ready to draw out the next stitcheries for the B Block of A Gardner's Journal. This month I'll be stitching the lawnmower,
and the stitchery called "Smelling the Roses".
I love how Anni Downs draws her people. They are so whimsical. I'll start on that tomorrow.
So I read something the other day, and I'm still trying to decide whether it is depressing or something else...compelling, perhaps. I read that each of us is born with about 30,000 days of life ahead of us. If you were to live exactly 30,000 days, you would have lived a little over 82 years. That's a pretty long life, and a lot of us have fewer than 30,000 days. Some of us have significantly fewer days than that. Some of us have more, but who knows? I figured out that as of today, I've lived 21,426 days of my 30,000 allotment. And given that (assuming I get all 30,000 of my days), I have 8,574 days left. Plus or minus a few days, of course. It looks a little scary when you see it that way, doesn't it?
So what's the purpose of this exercise anyway? Well, it's just a reminder that life is short. And the days seem to me to go by faster and faster. It makes me want to live them in the best way possible, which brings me to something new I decided to try today. I don't know if it will work or not, but here goes:
Like most people, I feel somehow compelled to do housework before I allow myself to sew. But today I realized that I spend the morning procrastinating because I don't want to do housework. What I really want to do is sew! And I think I waste a lot of the morning avoiding housework, therefore cutting myself short on time for housework AND sewing. Well. Having always been an "eat dessert first" kind of gal, I decided to switch things around today. I decided to sew first and set an alarm when I needed to quit. Then I would do my housework. And, just so you know, I need the alarm because I get wrapped up in my sewing to the point that hours go by, and I don't realize it. I need something to snap me out of my sewing stupor.
So I set my alarm for 3:00 and then decided today was the day I would try making a little fabric doll. Many thanks to Sharon Vrooman for publishing the tutorial for her adorable little dolls. This is the one she made for me when she and I were partners in the November Doll Quilt Swap.
Isn't she precious? I just love her. By the way, Smitty is very fond of her too. Speaking of Smitty, he was an excellent helper in the sewing room today...as he always is.
Where's Smitty? Where's Smitty? There he is!
So I sewed the little doll together, although I sewed her legs to her body the wrong direction.
Oh well. I don't think it will matter once she puts on her bloomers. She'll just be better able to do the splits this way. And there she is with her little bloomers!
I think I should have gathered the bottoms of her bloomers a little higher up so there would be a little more ruffle. And I'm pretty proud of how her little thumbs turned out.
Her little feet are less well shaped, but they'll be easier to do the next time around. And I worked on this for a couple of hours, but only got this far when my alarm went off. I spent quite a bit of time making the plastic templates, so the next one should go faster. I'll come back to this tomorrow.
As for stopping when the alarm went off, it was very tempting to continue on because I really wanted to finish her. I didn't though. I went and cleaned the kitchen like I told myself I would. It's only one day, but so far, so good.
How did your Wednesday go?
Updated to say that I'll be linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching,
and to:
28 comments:
Really fun pieces and I had someone trying to help me clean today, too, but I chased her out, lol. I cannot get a decent photo of my stitcheries, always makes them look gaudy, maybe the walnut confuses the camera, lol.
Debbie
I'm sure it was Shakespeare who said:"Be true to yourself then you can't be false to any other man!" (Well, not exactly in those words but you get my drift). You will feel better if you do follow through and do what you tell yourself you will do. As for me, crafting always comes before housework -- except laundry which is done by a machine giving me crafting time and then becomes my exercise time and needs to be done in the morning before it's too hot for me to go outside!
As for Christmas/summer breaks here, it is very common for some places to close down for a period over Christmas/January. The academic year finishes in December and kids are on their six week summer break so it makes sense to let parents have time off then too! School resumes the last week of January here (NSW).
Love the stitching on the sewing machine and your upcoming projects to do. The doll is to cute for words.
Good for you re your alarm! I actually have someone come to clean my house, she started when I broke my leg 3 years ago and I am spoiled. She is so nice & we've become friends, we spend about 15 minutes talking about our week, our kids, she admires my quilts and then she gets BUSY! She loves to clean my house and I'm a terrible housekeeper. Before that I used to pay my daughter to do it (she always needed spending $$). I'm bad!
I like the idea of doing something you enjoy first, then doing something you have to do, like housework. I do the unfun stuff first, then do my crafts, if there's time - so I understand what you're saying. I don't think I have the willpower to stop when the alarm goes off! LOL
I love your dessert first attitude. Works for me. By the way, that old lawnmower- I learned to cut grass with one just like it!
I'd love for someone to come clean my house, but they would drop of a heart attack - 21 rooms and ALL those windows! Hey, dollies legs are hidden so no worries. Great start. Love Smittie - mine have been beasts being stuck inside too long.
I like to do my fun things (sewing) first. I find I get the drudge (house work) done faster it I an rushed!
Smitty is a typical cat! Loves boxes!
The doll is cute! She looks like a fun project!
I pin-basted a flimsy today on my friend's hardwood living room floor and I am uncharacteristically and seriously sore in about four places-upper back, knee, wrist, lower back. I cannot do this each time I need to do a quilt--I'll hate it and won't keep it up. There has got to be an easier way than the floor.
Love your embroidery of the rotary mower. I used one of those for lots of yards in my days of grass cutting. They work so well when the blade is sharp.
Is it really cold up there, Barbara ?~! We are really feeling it here for the first time in 13 winters. Brutal they are calling it on the news.
Your sewing machine stitchery looks wonderful. The design is so detailed. I was fascinated by your number of days story. Strangely 30 000 days sounds less than 82 years. I worked out a plan for keeping the house clean a few years back. It works well for me. I used to have just a page with my routine now I have a blog as well. I usually sew early in the morning and do some housework after that. Your dolly looks great. The little thumbs are perfect.
I usually get up very early - about 5:00 AM - and I do my blogging and then get busy sewing. When it gets light outside I go for a walk if it isn't too cold. I love sewing early in the morning. When I wake up, I start thinking about what I'm going to do and I love to get busy on my projects. I'm afraid housework takes a back seat, but I'm planning to give the house a good cleaning when we return home (we're on a trip right now and will get home next week). BTW, our oldest son lives in Dayton, OR and my DIL used to work for an architect in Newberg, until he closed his office a couple years ago. We love Oregon!
A timer, why didn't I think of that? I started doing the same thing since I would spend an entire day in avoidance, but next thing I know, David's home and the house looks like a sweatshop. A timer, you're a genius!
You had a GREAT idea! I do the same thing you do, except I don't have an alarm. Lots of days super is late because I've sewn toooo long!
Oh Barbara, your little sewing machine stitchery is really quite darling ... nicely done! Is the Gardner's Journal another BOM you're doing? Your dolly is darling! Great job! Aren't dolls fun to make?!?!? I'm at 18,361 ... which, if I go with the average, leaves me with 11,639. I'm determined to make the most of them ... *Sew First* is now my new motto! LOL!! :)
I do that, too....I say I'll just sew a little, and then I sit there happily for hours! LOL Love your dolly and Smitty is adorable, too. :D
Love that doll. She is definitely on my list for 2013. I ALWAYS set a timer when I go to sew or I am sucked in for good :-). Me, I am FORCED (ahem!) to sew first. I get up early, the rest of them get up a little later...wouldn't want to wake them or anything :-)LOL...
Great job on your doll! Looks like Smitty was a great help with that =^..^=
I think trying to number the days I have left would be really depressing. I have enough trouble thinking about the years I have left (hopefully)! Especially when I think of how many of my days and years were spent in less than valuable ways. "If I only knew then what I know now...."
I'm definitely a "dessert first" kind of girl too - actually I'm famous for eating my dessert WITH my meal LOL!!! I tend to sew first and then rush through the housework at the last minute. Most of the time it works... until we have company coming and then I have to deep clean like crazy to get it in shape :*D
I think I've been doing sort of the same avoidance thing, except I end up doing laundry in the middle of the night...!
Great plan. I do something similar. Between working all week and Drama Teen's crazy schedule, some weekends I decide what absolutely has to get done and decide to worry about the rest later. If I didn't there would rarely be any sewing time. Thankfully, my guy is pretty understanding about that approach.
The doll is looking really cute! I'm taking a break from cleaning house. I HAVE to clean, since the deacons, their wives and the ministry staff are all coming over for a meeting and dinner tomorrow afternoon. My doggies keep trying to help by spreading fur all over the hardwood floors. They mean well.
Very cute doll! I hate housework so I tend to reward myself with sewing. Do one thing (clean up the kitchen) and then sew, dust and then sew, etc. I find I tend to get more things done that way....! I usually start with the sewing part too!
Your stitchery looks wonderful! I always have to have a clean sewing room and chores caught up to enjoy any stitching.
I love Anni Downs patterns too...I must look for the pattern book I have. Your Little Dorrit block is amazing!
Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!
Funny cat in in the box. Cute. I really like your machine block. That quilt with all 12 will be sew nice.
Housework? what is that? This is how I structure my time. I set my alarm for 15 min. I run around like crazy and do all the housework I can for those 15 mins. Then I set my alarm for 45 mins during this 45 mins I relax and sew. It works for me. XX Kathleen
Little Dorrit is adorable. I can't believe you have 10 of these finished already!
I love your vintage sewing machine blocks, and your doll is so sweet legs awry or not!
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