In My Haven: November 17
This week in my haven I'm thinking about how to make the most of my sewing time. And by this I don't mean sewing faster or sewing more. Instead, I'm asking myself how I can savor the creative process more fully. I think it's so common to focus on being productive and making sure every minute of the day is dedicated to a useful task. This drive can be helpful in many contexts, but it is easy for it to go too far and seep into areas of life where it's actually not that beneficial. Right now, the main focus of my sewing time is not to make as many items as possible. I need to retrain my brain to focus less on how much I sewed each week, but rather how much I enjoyed sewing each week. With a productivity mindset, it would seem that I had a pretty miserable week because I didn't fully complete a single project. However, when I think about how sewing brought joy into my life this week, I suddenly feel much better. Keep reading to see what I've been working on!
In Progress
Winter Cardinal
After sharing my next design candidates both here and on Instagram, it was clear that this Winter Cardinal design was the favorite for me to sew up next. It's such a pretty little design, right? I had to make a few tweaks to the pattern after trying it out (the feet were so little that they were almost impossible to sew nicely). I need to retest it once more before I am ready to share the pattern. Do you think this design would look better on a pillow or wall hanging?
Perfectly Fitting Pants
If you've been reading consistently, you might remember that I've been working on sewing pants that fit well. It's been quite a journey thus far. I almost gave up until I went shopping and was even more frustrated by how that went. I don't know if this pair will be “perfect", but they will definitely fit better than anything I tried on at the store! This week I was able to get the front and pockets sewn up, as well as the zip fly constructed.
Chicago Sews Meet Up
Last Saturday I went to the open sew meet up hosted by Chicago Sews and Sew on Central in Evanston. I brought along a blouse I'm working on sewing and I got the front and back completed. This pattern is the Thelma Blouse by Anna Rose Patterns. This pattern is only available in French, which is a language I am not proficient in, so I've had to figure out the construction without using the written instructions. So far, that hasn't been a problem though. I'm really excited about how it's looking and it's a style that I can see myself sewing multiple times.
Links & Things
Next week is Thanksgiving break and there's no school, so I've promised Joanna we'd do a sewing project together. She wants to sew sweatshirts together. I also have some cooking and baking projects to do for our various Thanksgiving gatherings. I'm looking forward to a cozy week spent doing some of my favorite things! What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
For my sweatshirt, I'm planning to sew the Sibiu Top by Itch to Stitch. I haven't picked out a good pattern for Joanna yet.
I'm planning to bring this Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake to my family's Thanksgiving celebration. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin or pecan pie, so this will be a nice alternative that still fits into the traditional Thanksgiving meal theme.
Cranberry sauce is the other dish I've been asked to bring, and I'm thinking of making this recipe for Cranberry Jelly.
What's happening in your haven this week?
Warmly,
Beth
Disclosure: The links in this post are not affiliate links. I do not receive any compensation for the recommendations I make in my journal. It's just a place where I can write about what I like and think you might too.
