This is my fourth week of sewing for an hour first thing in the morning. While I know an hour is not possible for everyone, I want to really Really REALLY encourage you to spend even ten minutes, first thing before anything else, doing something you love. It provides such a calm, peaceful, nurturing way to begin the day that I can't imagine how I functioned before.
This hour has become time I can't live without even though I'm still fine tuning how it works. There are some things I've already learned NOT to do - like go anywhere near the computer. I forgot to proof the next day's posting one night before going to bed so I thought I'd do it first thing so it could still auto post at the regular time and then I'd sew for an hour. That technical interlude zapped up all the positive energy from those morning minutes. I won't be doing that again.
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The hour is also not for mending or altering. The day after I cleaned out my closet, I spent the time taking apart garments and doing some minor alterations and while the job(s) got done, the hour didn't have the same nurturing-ness that working on a new project provides. And so.... I won't be doing that again either.
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AND... I won't be tracing, sizing, or cutting out patterns if I can help it - which means I recognize that occasionally that's exactly what I will be doing like yesterday morning when I traced and cut out the McCall's pants. Starting a new project is a good second BUT... whenever possible... sewing is the thing that I want to do first thing.
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LOL - I need to get my tripod out. All these mirror images are starting to look like I have a list to the left. Above is Vogue 8691, my all time favourite, sewn it a million times, top. What I find interesting about these pictures is that the top at left made from the grey-ish pink (that needs a camisole underneath) sweater knit is cut from the exact same pattern pieces as the black and white paisley version. Only the neckline is different. I love the paisley. Not so much the other one. It's not the physical fit; it's the emotional fit. The same top turned inside out shows the darker raspberry pink of the wrong side. That variation feels far more like me.
Emotional fit is such an interesting subject, the fine line between looking and feeling good. It's entirely possible to look good and not feel good and it's entirely possible to feel good and not look good and "perfect" fit is the wonderful combination of the two. I'm learning that there has to be some kind of upbeat energy in the fabric for it to work for me and even then, not always.
On Sunday, when I was snoop shopping at the mall, I picked up two cashmere sweaters from the sale table. One was an intense orange and the other a sherbert orange. I asked another shopper for her opinion. and definitely picked the right shopper. She stopped, looked at the intense orange, and said it should look good on you with your coloring but it doesn't. YES YES - I love an honest opinion. The sherbert orange looked good with my coloring but didn't match my personality. It felt far too prissy and polite, way too soft for what might come out of my mouth - VBG.
It strikes me that intense orange and sherbert orange are a bit like the grey-ish pink and the raspberry pink of these examples and yet in this case both colors look good on me, one just feels wrong and the other feels right. This too is like fitting a moving target as we learn more about ourselves and our preferences, learning that changes as we change.
I was asked last week if I've had my colors done. Yes, a million years ago, back in the 80's when the color me beautiful thing began. I was a summer. Back then, a summer could age into a winter and recently I read that there are now new categories of which one is a softer winter. I think I may be there - not quite a summer and not quite a winter. Hmm... and isn't that similar the fine line of emotional and physical fit.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - two colorful scarves to work into my cruise collection
This hour has become time I can't live without even though I'm still fine tuning how it works. There are some things I've already learned NOT to do - like go anywhere near the computer. I forgot to proof the next day's posting one night before going to bed so I thought I'd do it first thing so it could still auto post at the regular time and then I'd sew for an hour. That technical interlude zapped up all the positive energy from those morning minutes. I won't be doing that again.
The hour is also not for mending or altering. The day after I cleaned out my closet, I spent the time taking apart garments and doing some minor alterations and while the job(s) got done, the hour didn't have the same nurturing-ness that working on a new project provides. And so.... I won't be doing that again either.
AND... I won't be tracing, sizing, or cutting out patterns if I can help it - which means I recognize that occasionally that's exactly what I will be doing like yesterday morning when I traced and cut out the McCall's pants. Starting a new project is a good second BUT... whenever possible... sewing is the thing that I want to do first thing.
LOL - I need to get my tripod out. All these mirror images are starting to look like I have a list to the left. Above is Vogue 8691, my all time favourite, sewn it a million times, top. What I find interesting about these pictures is that the top at left made from the grey-ish pink (that needs a camisole underneath) sweater knit is cut from the exact same pattern pieces as the black and white paisley version. Only the neckline is different. I love the paisley. Not so much the other one. It's not the physical fit; it's the emotional fit. The same top turned inside out shows the darker raspberry pink of the wrong side. That variation feels far more like me.
Emotional fit is such an interesting subject, the fine line between looking and feeling good. It's entirely possible to look good and not feel good and it's entirely possible to feel good and not look good and "perfect" fit is the wonderful combination of the two. I'm learning that there has to be some kind of upbeat energy in the fabric for it to work for me and even then, not always.
On Sunday, when I was snoop shopping at the mall, I picked up two cashmere sweaters from the sale table. One was an intense orange and the other a sherbert orange. I asked another shopper for her opinion. and definitely picked the right shopper. She stopped, looked at the intense orange, and said it should look good on you with your coloring but it doesn't. YES YES - I love an honest opinion. The sherbert orange looked good with my coloring but didn't match my personality. It felt far too prissy and polite, way too soft for what might come out of my mouth - VBG.
It strikes me that intense orange and sherbert orange are a bit like the grey-ish pink and the raspberry pink of these examples and yet in this case both colors look good on me, one just feels wrong and the other feels right. This too is like fitting a moving target as we learn more about ourselves and our preferences, learning that changes as we change.
I was asked last week if I've had my colors done. Yes, a million years ago, back in the 80's when the color me beautiful thing began. I was a summer. Back then, a summer could age into a winter and recently I read that there are now new categories of which one is a softer winter. I think I may be there - not quite a summer and not quite a winter. Hmm... and isn't that similar the fine line of emotional and physical fit.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - two colorful scarves to work into my cruise collection
But some emotions don't make a lot of noise. It's hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint - like a heartbeat. And pure love - why, some days it's so quiet you don't even know it's there.
- Erma Bombeck