I decided to just pick up the pile of stuff on my sewing counter and move it somewhere else. Sounds very responsible of me, doesn’t it?
I had some sewing to do.
I wish this were mine.
But like many of my kids’ creative projects, they are made for their friends. (I’m happy this one was for a little friend named Will who just turned four.)
Ah, the living room. Once a place of no functional space now brightens my day. This corner of our room (where our Christmas tree stood) has always baffled me. Our large painting has always hung here, leaving little options for filling up the space around it: maybe a plant or a chair. It has always frustrated me because there are so many things that should be in this room. Like blocks and my girls’ art and my books and random projects we like to pick up and work on without storing in some other room, etc. This is our family space where we begin our morning and Bobby and I end our night. Shouldn’t this room work better for us??!!
Two enormous changes. One, moving my big blue painting and two, bringing a bookcase downstairs.
Last night the house was still. No entertaining, just clean up from the day. I grabbed a few of the kids’ blankets that were strewn over the floor and got comfortable on the couch to enjoy a book. Something I haven’t done for the past month.
It feels satisfying and needful to take a small break from the basement and its sewing counter. (Although my cold bones have had a January sewing project on my mind, nightly…)
Caroline is known for her well thought-out handmades for Christmas. And usually those well thought-out gifts are made for her Daddy. Her Wes doll from last year was one of the most anticipated gifts under the tree, and, this year, it was the precious Great Dane.
As you saw yesterday, I’m a little obsessed with jars for gift giving. Hopefully you don’t mind, there are more jarred gifts to come. Today–a simple sewing kit in a jar for my up and coming seamstress, Caroline.
I’m always seeking out simple ways we can invite more tradition and meaningfulness in our home. Creating our first homemade fabric Christmas bags has begun something magical under our tree.
Because you choose the fabric, make the bag, use real ribbon (and other things to decorate with), and can change up each wrapped package because of the fabric bag, gift wrapping totally changed for me.
I first missed the crinkle of the wrapping paper I’ve always used, but now that I’ve wrapped many of our gifts with a new approach, I’m falling in love with fabric.
Before 2am this morning:
- Relaxed to Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. The Netfix movie has been burning in my mail slot, waiting for a month for us to watch it. Love Hitchcock. (And cut out fabric while I watched, of course.)
- Made a gathered skirt for Caroline’s first choir concert (tonight!) of black velvet remnants. (I hope it fits this morning when she tries it on–I did what you have to do at midnight: guess.)
- Completed the last pile of homemade fabric Christmas bags. I have wanted to transfer over to fabric instead of wrapping paper and have enjoyed the journey.