happy 2023!

Happy new year! I'm ringing in 2023 with my first case of covid! It finally got me. I've been exposed so many times over the last two years I was starting to wonder if I had some kind of weird super-immunity. NOPE. 🥵 Blurg. But this must mean the new year can only get better from here! Right? Yay! Let's toast to all the possibilities! *hoists mug, slurps herbal tea loudly*

Image above: The top nine most-liked posts from my Instagram account for 2022. I was going to write a detailed, reflective review of the past year with nicely articulated thoughts but NOPE I will go downstairs and take more cough medicine.

#mmmcrafts #topnine #happy2023 #stupidvirus #ebenezerornamentseries #twasthenightornaments #twelvedaysornaments

what I'm up to

Hey guys! Happy January. Trying to keep warm in the house is a winter-long project for me. Note my perpetually red (drippy) nose. So charming. I routinely wear scarves and coats inside the house, especially as my fave spots are near windows. I received some much-enjoyed and also ridiculous looking but super warm socks for Christmas. (Thank you, Schmoopie!) And the hot coffee and tea ever floweth over here, of course! We are also in the midst of a dispute with a group of flying squirrels for possession of our attic, and so far they are winning.

I’m busy busy working on the next pattern in the 'Twas the Night series, and I’m excited to show you once I have anything photo worthy. Not yet, though! It's in the very preliminary stages. 

I hope you guys are keeping well? We are passing around the usual winter assortment of viruses and colds. My poor Thing 1 got out of Covid jail at college over the weekend. It snuck right past her vax and whacked her with a headache, body aches, fatigue, and head cold. She's feeling much better now, but says she noticed she can't taste spicy things. Everything else, yes. Spicy stuff, no. That's just bizarre. Sigh. Errbody taking a turn with the new variant, looks like! 

Back to sewing! Y'all stay cozy. Except for my Australian friends – y'all stay cool. :-)

Mr. Scrooge – making steady progress

Just checking in, folks! How are you? Crazy yet? But well, I hope! I'm working through some yucky back problems. Not sure what happened there. I never am. My spine likes to keep me guessing. Part of its charm. I did manage to make these for dinner last night. Holy cow. Highly recommend. And don't be stingy with the homemade queso.

We are still mostly in voluntary isolation, but trying to venture out a bit more with masks, hand santizer, our God-given good sense, and a love for our fellow man.

I'm working hard on Mr. Scrooge, the first pattern in my Ebenezer Ornament Series. The pattern is mostly written and is now in the revision/editing stage. I'm sewing up samples and working on choosing color palettes. Too. Many. Colors. Then will come the real photos.

I'm planning once again to work with Benzie Design to offer color bundles and kits to go alongside my patterns and color guides. Thank you, wonderful Benzie folks! :-)

Remote hugs to all of you! #stupidvirus

what I'm up to

Mask life.

Making this thing took me way longer than it should have.

1. I haven't sewn on my machine in a long while, so I was a wee bit rusty.
2. Somehow during that interim my machine broke. *shrugs* Now it won't switch between types of stitches. Boo.
3. I'm kind of bad at following video tutorials. I watched it once and then got all cocky thinking I know what I'm doing. Had to throw out my first one. (This mask features a nose wire, replaceable elastic, and a filter pocket, so it's a bit more involved than some.)
4. If you are curious what pattern I used, my superhero quilter sister recommended this one. She and a bunch of her sewing friends are making up huge numbers of these for hospitals per their request. And also of course for friends and family, since it's recommended we all wear something to cover our faces while we are out.
5. There are a LOT of free patterns to choose from out there right now, like this one and this one and this one.

The one I made feels pretty comfortable on. Note: The elastic allowed for the ears was too small for my husband's face, so keep that in mind if you are making it for a guy. I added 2 inches or so to the elastic for him.

Let's all look forward to a time when we can put these things in a drawer and forget about 'em. Stupid virus. Die, virus, die.

in which I design a new series while sheltering in place

"There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are." Said guess who?

That is right! You guessed it. This is a fairly tight prototype of Mr Scrooge, the first pattern in a new series called Ebenezer, based on Charles Dickens' Victorian novella, A Christmas Carol. I'm excited about it and I hope you'll enjoy it. It's going to be ornate and a bit spooky.

No worries, I'm also working on the third pattern design for my 'Twas the Night series. It's only in the design stages but I'll update when I can.

Design work is a nice distraction. I'm hanging in there. You? Air hugs to you, folks of the world, as we all hunker down and weather this pandemic. My cloistered family is just trying to get through each day and stay positive. We are now under a Shelter In Place order here in GA, but that is essentially what we've been doing already for weeks. I pray that you are well and staying encouraged, wherever you are in the world. I pray for all those on the frontlines of this nightmare, and also those working hard in the seldom noticed background, doing essential tasks to keep the world running. I'm trying to do my part to minimize the spread and stay informed. I'm going to sew some masks today.

Phil. 4:6-7 is my daily shelter right now. Maybe it will strengthen you too.

these are strange times, y'all

Hello, people of the world! I love you!
From afar though. *blows kiss*

As we all try to navigate this coronavirus crisis, I pray for the renewed health and well-being of everyone around the globe affected by this virus. I pray especially for all those in seats of authority struggling to make tough decisions, and also for our healthcare workers. What a heavy burden they are bearing! We can do this, y'all. Let us love and serve one another.

You may have guessed I'm kind of an introvert, so our voluntary office/school closings and limited forays into society are not bothersome to me yet. HOWEVER, my teens and He Whom My Soul Loves are going kind of stir crazy. As homeschoolers we are already more isolated than most, so the further cancelation of their classes, worship, sports, dances, and social gatherings are a blow for them. BUT – these are small sacrifices to make when we consider current events around the globe.

In my home state of Georgia currently there are just shy of 100 confirmed cases, but I'm sure that means many more that are undiagnosed at this time. We are trying to do our part to keep the bell curve of infections shallow. God willing, we will be on the upside of this in a few weeks.

In the interim, I officially call an isolation single player craft party at my house. I'm feeling well and there's certainly plenty of time for me to sketch, design, and craft new ornaments. Ebenezer is underway. I'm not ready to show photos yet, but I will in due time.

Appropriately distanced air hugs for everyone!
*so many heart emojis here*