Gratitude Friday

My little oasis

Is it Friday already? I can't figure out where this summer is going. I've spent some time doing much-needed yard work lately. I can't figure out how some people have such nice yards. I can barely keep mine neat enough that I don't get nasty letters from the town planning department (okay, yes, I have gotten a few of those letters when it rained for two weeks straight and I couldn't mow).
I've definitely been spending more time reading on my back deck lately, trying to stress less about being unemployed, so this week I am grateful for:

• A deck to read on
• My basil plant, the smell of fresh basil, and fresh caprese salads
• Sun tea
• This beautiful weather - it really has been fantastic

Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer too!

Surviving the Heat

I always feel guilty running the dishwasher or turning the oven on while I have the A/C on. So, since I am forced to be A/C-free until Monday, I decided to get some canning done. Peach preserves today, strawberry jam tomorrow.

I've also been cutting out a lot of sewing projects. Why is it that the cutting-out is always the most fun for me? I've been telling myself that I'm just doing the cutting because I don't want to have the iron on in this heat. That may be partly true, but I think part of it is that I just enjoy it so much more than the actual sewing. I suspect this is because I know that no seam rippers will be needed.

This weekend, I've cut out:

• A skirt
• A dress
• An apron
• A half-apron
• Two tops
• Two bags
• Two quilts

I'm going to have a lot of sewing to do once the A/C is back on!

Gratitude Friday

I have really been fighting the poor-me's lately, and have been trying to focus on all the good things. I've read over and over again about keeping a gratitude journal that you update every night. The idea is good, but I can't see keeping up with it. So, I've decided to copycat some of my favorite bloggers and jump on the Gratitude Friday bandwagon. So, this week I am thankful for:

• My gorgeous Hydrangea bush, which is blooming on the top this year instead of on the underside only like it has every year since I bought the house. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers. The first summer after I bought the house, I was thrilled to death when the mystery stick-bush turned into a lush green Hydrangea bush.
• My sweet best friend David, who is going through his own really tough time right now, but who still manages to check up on me every day to make sure that I'm doing OK. Everyone should have a friend like that, and I am trying to remember to be more like that for my friends.
• My health (and COBRA).
• The six pound bag of frozen fruit I bought Tuesday at Sam's Club on impulse. I've been eating it straight out of the bag (did I mention my A/C was broken - it's 88 degrees inside at 10 pm)
• That the Trane man will be here on Monday morning to fix my A/C!

It's Hot!

So, my air conditioner is definitely broken. And it's late June in North Carolina. The thermostat says it's 86 in here, and it's so humid I think it might start raining inside, and I want to sew.

I just dread turning on the iron. Maybe I should sit on the porch and drink mojitos all night instead.

The photo was taken from my parents' porch. On a whim, I flew up Friday to surprise them for Father's Day. I mean literally, I bought my ticket online at 5:15 and boarded at 7:15. My folks were definitely surprised - I got in at 1 am and went to bed. I just sort of showed up downstairs Saturday morning and breakfast time. It was a lot of fun, and it was really good to get home for a few days.

Hmmm... sewing, or mojitos?

Summer Skirt

So I didn't make it back to Wish Upon a Quilt today like I had planned. Life got in the way, but I'm going to make it out there one day within the next week.
I did manage to finish this skirt last night:
The pattern is New Look 6872 (reviewed here) and I thought the pockets gave it the cutest apron-y look. I used Amy Butler Midwest Modern and I love how it came out!

Discovery

Today I managed to make it to a little quilt shop in Raleigh that I've been meaning to check out. If you're in the area, Wish Upon a Quilt is fabulous! They have tons of Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner, and Tina Givens. I couldn't believe that such a small shop could have so much gorgeous quilting fabric. Typically, the shops I see have just a few bolts of the 'designer' stuff.

I popped in 15 minutes before closing time because I didn't expect it to be much. The owners were kind enough not to kick me out right at 2, but I needed much more time so I just browsed and told them I'd be back tomorrow to 'misbehave badly at the cutting counter.'

I couldn't bear to leave without buying something:

This is Neptune by Tula Pink for Moda and it is gorgeous. The folks at Moda sure know how to merchandise. I can't resist their Jelly Rolls and other sets.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Starting Fresh

Ya'll, I cannot believe what I just did.
There's something funny about how being unemployed will drive you to go shopping. I'm not sure what it is, but I witnessed it with my friend Colleen, and I thought she was nuts. Now, I totally get it. Being stuck in the house, all alone, with nothing to do will have you dreaming up reasons to get out like you can't believe. The other day, I drove 20 miles to Old Navy to buy socks. It's 95 degrees here and I've worn nothing but sandals for weeks. But I needed socks and it couldn't wait until the next time I was in that area, I needed them right now.
So I decided it was time to start sewing again. The only problem was, I was completely overwhelmed by the state of my sewing room. Not just the mess, the biggest problem was the massive volume of fabric that I had absolutely no desire to use. Most of my fabric stash was bargain rack and thrift store finds, which meant it was cheap, but I didn't especially like it. Obviously, it's not a bargain if you aren't going to use it. It was completely depressing to find a cute tutorial and then discover that I didn't want to make it after all. Even the Flea Market Fancy I had never got used because it either wasn't a large enough piece, or I didn't have a coordinating fabric.
So, off I went yesterday to the local quilt shop and to Jo-Ann's, armed with the patterns I've bought but never used (because of the ugly fabric). I bought fabric with each pattern in mind, and laid them out together when I got home. Then I got to work cleaning out my sewing room.
I got rid of all my old fabric. Well, almost all. I kept about six yards that I really loved, and boxed about roughly 90 yards of fabric for the thrift shop. Then I FreeCycled the entire contents of my scrap basket. It filled up an entire kitchen trash bag, and I mean stuffed full.
See? That's all that's left. That scrap basket used to be piled all the way to the shelf above it, and the shelf with the large yardage was the same. The only thing that survived unharmed was my fat quarter sized pieces. I can't tell you what a relief I feel, not having to look at those purchases I regret.
From now on, I'm only buying fabric I love, and only with a specific project -that I plan on doing next- in mind. No more fabric regret.