I couldn't sleep at all last night

But look what came out of it!

I spent a good part of the holiday weekend, off and on, cleaning the room.  Sorting patterns.  Taking every single piece of fabric off the shelves, rolling it neatly and putting it back.  It doesn't take up that much less room, but it does make the whole structure less susceptible to avalanche. 

Next, I cleaned the floor.  I vacuumed for the first time in recent memory and caused the Dyson to choke.  I cleaned the table, and I sorted all the rubble that's in bags and boxes under the table.  I filled 2 trashbags with remnants too small to use, assorted junk and just plain trash, and a brown bag with paper recycling.  I filled 2 bags to take to the sit-and-sew next weekend in the hope that it will get a new home, and another bag for the thrift store.

Last night I worked in there from 9:00 to nearly midnight.  I was tired, but since I'm nursing a cold, I was tired and antsy (that non-drowsy formula certainly is non-drowsy).  We went to bed around 12:30, and at 1:30 I was still wide awake, with visions of fabric swirling in my head like sugarplums. 

I gave in.  I got up.  No point in lying there, resenting others who sleep like logs while I'm awake and obsessing.  Back into the room I went, with the idea that I would work for another half hour or so, until I got tired.

Hah!  Know what time I finally gave up and went to bed?  3:45 a.m. 

And the chicken alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. so I could go out back and feed and water the girls and then go back to bed.  Which didn't work either, because then Mario's phone rang and it was his contractor who needed to stop by at 8:00, and . . .

You see where this is going.  I have a clean sewing room and I didn't get to use it until 8:00 tonight.  But use it I did, and damn, but it felt good. 

My Sewing Space

Happy Thanksgiving to all - I'm shortly to family dinner, but I wanted to note that Denise of the Blue Gardenia blog has posted my sewing space, for anyone who is curious about the messy world where all my projects come from.

And yes, I got what I wanted when I wanted it. The new machine is happily installed where the old machine was, and it's very happy to be among friends. No learning curve with buying the exact same machine, but I didn't realize how beat mine was - everything on the new one is still nice and firm, the foot pedal isn't mushy at all, and there are no dust bunnies in the interior.

Long weekend ahead, and much sewing planned. Happy Thanksgiving, and happy sewing, to all,

A conversation about sewing

"Isn't she going to regret giving you that pattern?" he asked, looking away from the combined allure of the television and his iPhone.

"It's not a pattern," she explained, thinking that the phone's bluish glow was not all that flattering. "I just took a picture of her skirt and drew out the design. I'm using my own pattern."

His brow crinkles, he looks confused. "But I thought you sewed because you didn't want to dress like anyone else?"

Hmm. Proof of listening, at least on some level. Perhaps she will allow him possession of the remote for another hour, though that will sentence her to time alone in the sewing room.

Patiently, she said, "Well, that's true. But the other reason I sew is when I see something I want - that I can't have - I can come home and spend a weekend making one for myself."

"I don't understand." He changes the channel while simultaneously reading his email.

The conversation does not so much end as it is drowned out by the other voices in their heads. His voices sound a lot like Steven Colbert; hers are muttering very quietly about future projects.

She leaves, so she can listen to the voices in peace.

As you can see, I finished the skirt Sunday night. When I woke up this morning, it was chilly, rainy and I didn't want to get out from under the covers. Since I had to, I decided to wear my new skirt to cheer myself up.

Not much changed since yesterday. I got the skirt put together, I debated adding centers to the yo-yo flowers (and decided not to), searched the trim stash for something that would replicate the original crocheted trim, didn't find anything and decided against it anyway because at my height, I don't think anything that might end up looking like a ruffle is a good idea.

Unless of course it's my good idea, and I'm adding 2 layers of ruffles to an entire skirt.

But that's a different thing entirely.

And in other news, Denise of the Blue Gardenia blog has asked me to participate in her Sewing Spaces series. Yikes. I've enjoyed the series and loved peeking into the creative spaces (and the minds) of my fellow sewists, but allowing you all into my messy world?

Let's just say I did some really fast organizing. When Denise posts my space, please don't look too carefully at the floor or in the corners.