Counting my blessings

With my eldest daughter leaving home recently, I've really felt a feeling of loss and emptiness, but I still managed to keep on going on all though I don't always feel like it..... and then yesterday happened: a customer that I haven't seen for more than a year pitched up. I commented that I haven't seen her for so long and asked her how she was. She she that she had a very rocky road last year: her daughter passed away.... and I felt so lost for words and so unbelievably compassionate towards her.

There is always people carrying heavier burdens than me. Lindie had to go to Varsity: that is a very normal occurrence in most households: it is the circle of life. At least I can keep in contact and so forth.....

Pregnant!

Not me! But my housekeeper is very pregnant and that gave me an opportunity to sew a new quilt! These days I really find it hard to just start a new project with no purpose in sight: I think that I really have enough and I can't just produce more without a purpose. So I'm very inspired to sew and since we don't know whether it is a boy or girl, I had to keep it neutral..... I found a lovely piece of flannel for the backing in blues and pink with teddy bears scattered. Well, the baby is due in March so I thought flannel would make it nice and cosy for winter coming up soon after the birth. (Very difficult to think about winter if we are frying in the heat!)

My photo is not very good, but it is the alphabet in animals! I saw a lovely easy quilting style on blog land the other day( can't remember where) but you use your walking foot and a curvy zig zag and voila: your quilt is quilted in a jiffy! I am still thinking about thread choices.....

Featherweight!!

Since about July last year I started looking out for a Singer Featherweight sewing machine..... WHY ? Simply because they keep on popping up on blogland and it looks so cute! I've never even seen one in real life except on various blogs and on the Singer Featherweight website but I fell in love. So living in South Africa presents it's own challenges in finding one. But perseverance paid off and after months of keeping an eye on online auction sites and classifieds I found one. Actually its the fourth one I found but the first one I bought. The first one was way to expensive, the second one was too far away, the third one slipped through my fingers and voila: the fourth one became mine!

Well, soon to be: it's paid for, but still in transit on its way to Cape Town. I bought it from a gentleman in Pretoria who said it belonged to his grandma. I am so excited! Hopefully I will receive it on Monday.....

Anyway, what happened to blogger? I use to be able to upload a picture from my computer to a post, but that is not an option anymore!?! So frustrating for me, since I'm not really Miss Technology you know....

My first Finish!!

Started and finished within 8 days!! Last Thursday was my one friend's birthday and I had no idea what to give her. Paging through my old quilt magazines for ideas for new projects for my shop, I saw this lovely little wall hanging and light bulbs went on: she is a avid gardener and her sewing room has no pictures on the wall!

So I quickly prepared the applique and did the stitching and luckily I managed to stitch the binding on as well before we went on our trip, so on our way home I hand stitched the binding and the sleeve down. I did a bit of in the ditch quilting and meandering, sewed the buttons on and lastly added the hanger and was ready to surprise her!

From one thing to another: is it only me or are everyone suddenly experiencing a new feature of blogger: I can't upload images from my computer anymore.... luckily I now managed to figure out how to upload to Picasa Web Albums and then I can add the picture. Now I just need to learn to edit the picture on my cellphone before loading it.... so many new technology.....I'd rather sew!!

Changes

So the New Year began for all of us.... and a new season began in our lives. Our eldest daughter passed Matric very well and so she started her new life as a student at varsity. The one she chose is 1300 km  (800 miles) from home and so we drove up to take her and her belongings away.

Leaving a child behind that has been under your wing for 18+ years is not an easy thing to do. We left on the Saturday and boy, was I crying that Sunday morning when I woke up! The tears were just rolling down my cheeks: I had no control! Then my friend Lindi took me and sat me down on the couch and prayed for me: " Lord children is just on loan from You, they are not our possessions and we have to let go. You are in control and You will keep a watchful eye on my child for ever and ever."

That brought complete calmness over me and peace in my heart. God is so incredibly good!

I have been doing some sewing which I will show soon: a little wall hanging for a friend who had a birthday early in January

Holidays

We had such a blessed time together with family and friends at my folks' beach house! Barbeque's, walks along the beach, some sun tanning and off course: lots of food! Christmas Eve we sang Christmas carols accompanied by a guitar: oh so special!

My friend made  this lovely salad: hot chicken and sweet potato on a green salad: Oh so yummy!

What excites me

 

 

The waiting and opening of every new shipment that I receive! The moment I place my orders the excitement starts. Then I wait for the slip from the Post office to say my package arrived or FedEx contacts me and I owe them money for import duty and VAT. I gladly pay as I know delivery gets closer!

The day the package arrive is my excitement! Unpacking everything (quite often something new!) gives me a thrill! If it is new fabrics I get to organise them into my shop ( that way I become familiar which each new piece). That is then also the reason why it is so easy for me sometimes to immediately pull out the "right" fabric for a client. I know exactly what I have....

If new gadgets, books and other notions arrive, I try out the ones that intrigues me and sometimes a new workshop gets born out of it. Books are my favourites; but I never keep anything for myself, I always reorder and wait my turn off..... Just the excitement of seeing something new is enough for me!