The Joy is in the Journey

I wish I could remember the name of the author, or the name of the book I read a few years ago.  It was about the life of the Amish. One passage that really resonated with me was how they slowly and purposely enjoy and work at each task, as if it were the most important job that day.  They didn't rush through the chores looking ahead to the end of the day.  The chores were their day, and they were accomplished with grace and gratitude.  I think of that now and then as I am trying to get something done.  I am not really paying much attention to what I am doing - I am thinking about the end result. 
As I read some year-end blog posts, I find that some writers reflect upon a word or phrase that will be their inspiration point for the New Year.  One blogger, again, I am being very bad about sources here, said that a necklace from Origami Owl was the start of her word for 2014: Joy.  The necklace tag says:

Oh, my goodness!  There is that sentiment again.  I started to look around my still-decorated-for-Christmas-house-that-needed-to-be-undecorated-for-Christmas and stopped.  I took a breath and looked around at the red and the sparkle and the cheer and realized that it was still fun to take in.  It can stay festive a bit longer.

 I also spied some other things:

This sign is over the desk area in the studio.  Notice the "twinkle lights" (as I called them - they don't flash, they just light up and make me smile) - Carl painstakingly installed cup hooks around the entire room, vaults and all, and hung up lights for me. They will stay up year round.

This ceramic sign hangs in our bedroom, and I need to look at it a bit more often.  How many oh-no's! in life opened the way to many wonderful things? 

Then, I spied some coffee cups in the kitchen:

I collected those letter cups, inspired by the find of the vintage "J" cup on Etsy.  I realized that I had a word and a phrase all along that I should take to heart in 2014.  Life isn't going to start when I lose 10 (20, 30?) pounds.  I won't be all that more creative when I clean and organize my storage closet.  Lake beauty doesn't start when the lake thaws and the trees get their leaves again.  My extra padding is perfect for soothing a baby.  I find that I am at my most productive when things are a bit messy.  The scenery out my window right now is breathtaking...a scene right out of Doctor Zhivago.  The Joy is in the Journey.  What a trip it is!   Jerilynn

Pillow Talk

Wow, it just seems like a few months ago that I was enjoying the snowy view from the studio, and here I am again!  Well, it was just a few months ago that we had the big May snowstorm.  I guess Northern Wisconsin is always full of surprises!  It has been a busy few weeks - some family arrived November 22, and then other assorted children/grandchildren/family have been taking up bed space since that date.  It has been fun, and I did get the Christmas decorations out, but not much sewing has happened.  I have been working on some Christmas knitting at night, which is good.  Today is a sewing day, and I am trying not to get too nervous looking at the list of things that need to get done.  It all magically happens, though, doesn't it?  It's as if there are little elves that somehow pick up the slack while I am sleeping.  Before the arrival of all the peeps, I finished a garter stitch knit pillow and some bluejean pillows for the new porch room.  I think I need to think of another name to call that room, because, as the last couple weeks have shown, it has become a much-used room for all sorts of gatherings.  We even put up a big table out there when we had 19 for Thanksgiving dinner.  We have a couple heaters that keep the room very toasty and comfy.  Yesterday Carl put in 30+ cup hooks and hung white lights all around the vaulted ceiling.  Now I love it even more!  My list is glaring at me, knowing that I should be getting busy.  Hope wherever you are, you are warm and cozy, too, with lots of projects to keep you from being bored.  Jerilynn

Swiss Army Knitted Pillow

Been doing some knervous knitting these past couple of nights.  I wasn't sure if I could do intarsia knitting using a garter stitch, but, after a little internet search, found it it was quite easy to do.  Someday I may have enough money to buy, or enough luck to find a bargain priced Swiss Army Blanket.  Until then, I will continue to make blanket inspired projects.  So, I knervously knitted a couple of big squares using cotton yarn, inserting a red cross in one of the sides.  I made a squishy pillow form for inside, and whip stitched closed.  This was a pretty quick knit - 50 cast-on stitches on size 6 needles, 50 garter stitch ridges (100 rows).  Another good idea would be an intarsia tree on a red background.  I have a request from oldest granddaughter for some new felted wool mittens, so I may knervously knit those for a while.  During the day, the studio is in full holiday speed ahead, but in the evening, a comfy chair, a little tv, and some knitting is what I need.  Jerilynn

Posy Penney Table Runners

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The bottom shot is the "up north" coloration of my Posy Penny Table Runner.  A Florida friend was visiting a friend up here in Cumberland and saw her runner and loved it!  The colors, however, were too "cabiny" for the Sunshine State.  One Christmas gift request later, and a change of colors to a tropical palette, and the Sunny Posy Penny Table Runner was complete.  It was fun making something in colors that I don't normally use.  I think we all have colors that we just naturally gravitate towards; certainly red is my anchor color!  I hadn't made one of these runners in a while and I was pleased to discover that I could follow my pattern instructions quite easily.  Like a past note to a future me on what to do.  Jerilynn

Fall Back Fun

Happy Fall Back Day!  This is probably my favorite day of the year.  Usually, sometime during this day, I will think that is it an hour later, realize I was looking at a clock that has not been set back, and....I have an extra hour!!!  A gift of time.  It is a nice day here, finally, after a week of clouds and a bit of rain.  I helped Carl rake a little until the neighbor came over with his gigantic leaf vacuum and helped Carl finish the job.  Another gift of time for me!!  I decided to take that found time and finish a quilt-as-you-go Big Bottom Bonnie Bag that I had started a few days ago.  I increased the size of the bag until it was about 9"x12", a good size to hold a lot of stuff.  The method I used was the one I learned in a Craftsy class taught by Tara Rebman (I highly recommend that class).  It is a quilting style that can be applied to all sorts of projects and is a good one to use up snippets of fabrics.  I love all the colors of fabrics that I used...I just pulled out my bin of tiny fabric scraps and mostly picked from there.  I think my hour is up, but I do still have that found don't-have-to-help-rake time, so maybe I can find something else quick and fun to tackle.  I have a pretty good list of things that need to be done, but I think Fall Back Day is for kicking back, relaxing, settling in for those early dark evenings and starting the lake freeze watch.  What did you spend your extra hour on today?  Jerilynn

A Cute Bag and A Cute Grandson

Finished a bag I have been working on.  It is A Cute Bag by Ginnie Kelly of Wonder Woman Quilts.  It is A Much Cuter Bag in person.  Color is off in the photo and I had a hard time getting it corrected.  Anyway, the fabric is a heavier home-dec fabric.  The stripey side is one side of the fabric, and the little square dots is the other side.  The reverse of the bag looks just like this side with the rounded pocket.  The two big outer pockets are closed with magnets, then there are two outside zipped pockets, one inside pocket for the cell phone, and one inside zipped pocket for treasures.  I added a zipper to close the top instead of the magnet in the instructions.  I also made the strap different.  I ran out of fabric - I used almost every bit of the fabric I had on hand - and didn't have enough for the wider strap which is supposed to attach to the top of the rounded pocket.  The fabric I used was just a bit too thick, but I managed to sew through all of the millions of layers just fine.  Trick is to use a very heavy needle - in this case it was a 110 topstitch needle, the kind I use to hem jeans.  I have been upstairs in the studio most of the day, while the electric stuff is being finished in the porch.  Our oldest grandson, Nick, has been working with his father, a commercial electrician, all summer.  Carl called Nick a couple of days ago and asked for help with finishing the electrical stuff.  Carl couldn't do it with his current finger mishap, but knew that Nick could do it.  Lucky us, Nick was able to come up today to help.  We now have working plugs, an outdoor light, a ceiling fan/light, and a hanging lantern light for over a table.  Carl is working on finishing the window and door trim before we put in the modular carpet.  It will be a race to see if it can be finished in time to use it a couple of times before the long winter freeze.  Happy hour will be under the lights on the screen porch tonight!  Woo hoo! Jerilynn

These Shoes Are Made For Storing

The picture in the middle is from ShelleyGerber.com, and it is a shot of part of her studio.  She is a multi-talented knitter, sewer, jewelry-maker, graphic designer, and so on and so on.  Her studio was shown in the Spring 2012 issue of Studios by Cloth.Paper.Scissors.  My friend Bonnie, of the Big Bottom Bonnie Bag fame, came up for a lesson on her new sewing machine.  She needed a little one-on-one instruction and I was happy to help.  She picked up this Studios issue and thumbed through and spied the pink shoes on the wall in Shelley's studio and said that is something I should do.  I agreed!  I was in the shoe business for many years and had some fun shoes that were just being stored in a box.  I couldn't get rid of them...they were just too cute.  I remembered the Zalo needlepoint ladybug flats that I purchased in New York for a ridiculous amount of money.  I wore them a few times, but, though cute, were a bit uncomfortable, and maybe just a tad quirky.  They remind me of my career days, and, because of the ladybugs, I just cannot send them to another home.  Carl, with his finger still bandaged, helped me pound in hangers in the heels, and the shoes now hang on my studio wall, in the "ladybug" corner.  I don't know what they are going to hold yet, but they look pretty darn perfect.  Much better than being in the box in the storage room.   Then I spied my old ladybug rain boots that haven't been used in quite a while.  They wanted to be part of the party, too, so now they are holding  yardsticks.  When we moved from our condo to the lake, I got rid of tons of stuff, but there were a few things that were just too dear or sentimental that I couldn't part with.  I wonder what else I could rescue from a box and give it new purpose?  Jerilynn  P.S.  We saw Carl's finger for the first time yesterday at the doctor's office.  Somewhat shocking.  He is back to his building project today, of course, not letting a shorter finger slow him down much.