Volume 22: The Fair!
The Kentucky State Fair is officially over and I posted a video yesterday about my experience — what I won (and didn’t win), plus a lot of the other quilts we saw and loved. I had a great experience at the fair this year and am excited to enter a few things next year.
Sewing Simple Clothes from my Stash
I somehow found time to sew 3 garments this past week! I wanted to add some versatile and simple Fall clothes to my wardrobe, so I grabbed some fabrics from my stash. I don’t have a huge garment sewing stash, but I do feel like now that I’m forced to order them online (and pay more than I used to when I could shop JoAnn’s clearance), I’m much more apt to have a project in mind and to make sure I’m ordering fabrics I’m actually going to use.
I made three pieces, a simple skirt from a vintage pattern, an Astoria tee from a very nice knit, and a very basic vest with some leftover railroad denim. I think it’s pretty fun how all these pieces can mix and match, because I didn’t really plan it that way!
My go-to for buying garment fabrics online is Califabrics. You can follow them on IG or YouTube and Ron walks through all the new designer deadstock fabrics he’s putting on the site that week, which is SO helpful.
The Viral Trader Joe’s Tote
I was gifted one of those crazy popular Trader Joe’s totes and decided I could recreate it. I posted the result on Instagram and have never had so many “tutorial please” comments in my life! I’m filming that this week and it will go live on Monday, along with a printable version. I’ll have made three by the time it’s ready and they really are so cute.
Farm Play Set Update
I mentioned in last week’s video about sewing for toddlers that I wanted to make my Nativity play set into a barn bag with farm animals and the response to that idea was very positive so I was inspired to get busy! I have the animals and farmers made, I just have to work on the bag. And then of course, make the whole thing again so I can take the pattern photos, lol. But, it’m excited about it and it should be ready by the end of the month.
Routines and Habits
With Natalie’s wedding being just a few weeks away, I’m really working on sticking to the routines that make my life run smoothly and keep me from stressing out, even when things are in upheaval, or when things are constantly changing. I really thrive on routine, but when normal life gets interrupted, I have a very hard time getting back into the swing of good habits.
I think my first instinct used to be to avoid interruptions, but that is simply not possible. In the past month: we’ve travelled, my husband had some time off work, my son started a new semester, my daughter’s work hours changed, we’ve been planning a wedding, we had company visit, I had a dermatology procedure, and my monthly cycle pretty much knocked me out of commission for a week.
These are mostly good and normal things! But when things are crazy, I find myself saying “oh, well” about the habits that truly keep my life manageable and then things feel out of control.
SO, for the coming month, with the wedding in the middle, I’m already formulating a plan for how things can go during this time. When we have a full house for over a week with out-of-town company, where will I work out those mornings? I will plan all three daily meals for that entire week ahead of time so that I’m not stressing about feeding people (which is the huge stressor for me when having company). I will stick to my skincare routine and do my hair and makeup, and keep flossing every day, even if I feel like I really should get downstairs because people might be waiting for breakfast, because those things make a big difference in how I feel about myself all day. I will take walks after dinner because I love to, and if anyone wants to come along, they’re more than welcome.
None of these things need to be set aside just because of disruptions to the routine. It can be easy to incorporate them and remind myself that I DO have time to take care of myself.
Maybe this has encouraged you if you’re in a season of constant disruption! I’m open to your tips on coping when life keeps changing things up.
For now, cheers and happy sewing!
Nikki
P.S. I took my Camp Snap camera to the fair and got this amazing shot. I posted my affiliate link last week and lots of you clicked and got a discount on one for yourself! If you’re on the fence, this week you get $8 off instead of $5. It’s my new favorite little gadget, it’s so much fun and easy to carry around in my purse. I’ve taken a TON more pictures than I usually do when I only have my phone.
