Link Love: Navel Gazing & Revelations
I’m feeling decidedly smug with myself at the moment. I’ve been sewing up a storm for what feels like the first time in ages. I feel like my creative spark is coming back and I’m making stuff that I love. On top of that I splurged some of my earnings and bought myself a quilt cupboard. A display cupboard devoted solely to my quilty creations. I built it yesterday and promptly rounded up all the quilts from around the house that weren’t in service and put them in there and I’m in love. As I stood there looking at the cupboard two things struck me; 1. I don’t have nearly as many quilts as I thought I did and B. I do love a good dose of colour. (Oh and a third thing: I need to make more!)
I’ve spent a bit of time this week thinking about the lessons I’ve learned over the past months and years of pursuing my own goals and it’s been illuminating and a little overwhelming. I’m not the person I was 12 months ago. Things are not what they were when I embarked on this adventure. So much has changed and so much needs to change if I want to get where I’m going. I’ve been really kicked around this year and it’s been tough and crap and just horrible, but at the same time it’s been a real gift. I’m learning things about my own resilience, what I will and won’t accept from life and what makes me unique and capable. I know that this year will be a foundational one, and I’ll be grateful for it when it’s helped me evolve to the next level in my creative and personal journey, but right now I’d like a little respite.
I think when I look back on this year I will see that it’s been about teaching me to accept who I am and work within those parameters. I used to think that I could rally against my nature and force change, but I’m coming to realise that I need to be on board with change. I need to want to change. If I’m struggling to make changes then I need to assess whether it’s just natural change related pains or whether it’s because deep down I don’t actually want to change. Acceptance is becoming a strong theme. I’m also being taught that accepting something and resigning myself to something, or making excuses for something, are not the same thing. If I accept something that means I can formulate plans for using it as a strength or finding a way to counteract it instead of spending all this energy fighting against it. Acceptance does not equal weakness.
Dang, that’s all a bit heavy for a Monday morning. I think I need to go fondle some fabric, answer some emails and make sure all my ducks are in a row for kicking off the Tula Pink Butterfly Quilt Sew-along and the Jen Kingwell Gypsy Wife Quilt Sew-along this week. Two big events at the same time – it’s going to be interesting to see how it all goes. I’m nervous and a little excited by it all. Are you? Wishing you a super fabulous week filled with love, laughter and fabric fondling!
If you’re like me and you love a good snoop in someone else’s creative space then you have to click on this link. It’s a round up of 50 of the most amazing craft rooms over on A Girl and a Glue Gun. Click here to read more.
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What do you get when you combine a churn dash with your scrap bucket? You get this scrappy churn dash cushion tutorial from Samelia’s Mum. Click here to read more.
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I love a good cross-body bag and this tutorial from Sew Can She is for a great version. I feel like I’m getting old because I saw it and thought “A teenage girl would love these.” I don’t even know any teenage girls, let-a-lone what a teenage girl would be into these days! Click here to read more.
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I’m currently obsessed with dyeing fabric – not so obsessed that I’ve tried it, but I am thinking a lot about it. Check out this tutorial on Mollie Makes for how to hand dye napkins using natural dyes. Click here to read more.
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Have you got an event, a charity drive, a pattern release, a class schedule or something else that you think my community would be interested in hearing about? Why not drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to share it with my readers. Click here to email me.- Kerry (of Kid Giddy) and Sue (of Moss and Lotus) are running a Christmas in July Mug Club Sew-along at the moment over on Instagram. Last week I shared my kitten themed mug and you can do the same to win some great prizes. Click here to find out more. You can buy the Mug Club Set 1 patterns by clicking here and the Mug Club Set 2 patterns by clicking here.
- Raylee and Barbara (of Sunflower Stitcheries) have kicked off a Quilt-As-You-Go Table Runner Sew-along on July 30. The project includes a number of techniques from embroidery, sewing and quilting – a great skills builder. You can find out more by clicking here.
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