sewing days

The week leading up to a market usually sees our dining room table completely taken over by piles of fabric, pins, lace, chalk, measuring tape, books, cups of tea (plural) buttons and any number of odd bits and pieces. Before all this however, the sewing madness starts as ideas, ideas bumping around in my head, I then stand in front of one of my two book, ahem, fabric shelves and see which pieces call out to me. Who wants to become a top, dress, skirt, curtain, cushion, bunting or even a shrug, it is a fun process and a great way to engage with each piece. Not every piece gets their way though because, as is my way, I tend to get over enthusiastic and ambitious in a very limited amount of time. Time that is interspersed with feeding little folk, stopping and playing, getting up and dancing, working through flare ups with said little folk, cleaning, cooking, chatting, tea making and restocking the quickly depleting pantry. 

There are scraps around my feet, piles of finished pieces and handfuls of pleading fabric, wanting, waiting for their dreams to come true. To be frank it is an absolute mess and to add to that I am more often than not in my pyjamas or at times even partially clad as I am often trying things on for fit and sit. And then after the market, they are all swept up and stored away again, clearing the space for everything else and giving my mind a little breather until the creating begins again. The breather will be brief at this time of the year though with an Artisan market coming up, then the Christmas markets and most importantly the Christmas crafting. Crafting with loved and dear ones in our minds and hearts, little handmade pieces that are a small token of love and affection. But more on that and Christmas soon; handmade ideas, ways of giving to those in need and how to hold this time of the year in perspective. Simplifying is a good start.

Next year I am thinking of dropping back on the markets and concentrating instead on my Blue Caravan shop, it feels like a better use of my time and a way of being accessible to a wider reach of people. I have recently added a few new things to my Blue Caravan site, a couple of which have already been nabbed but it feels good to have gotten back into again. Hopefully I can branch out in the caravan and next year include some of my lace curtains, my little sapling range (yes a few little bits and pieces for little folk) and whatever other crazy bits and pieces that my fabric chose to be.