a good read

 

"Let me tell you a story"

- Jorge Bucay

A good read

 

"Everyday blessings - Mindfulness for Parents" 

- Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn

I wish I had read this book before I had children. But it is never too late. 

A good read

Talking about life-changing books and reads, behaviour and becoming the person you

wish to be or have always been... this book has been a real gift

Full Catastrophe living

- by Jon Kabat-Zinn

A Good Read

Another book I really enjoyed reading, which also had an impact on my life. 

Nonviolent communication - a language of life

- by Marshall Rosenberg

. 

A good read

Life has been very busy and full of events for me in the past 12 months and I have made so many valuable experiences. I have read an awful lot and now I find the time to share at least one good read with you!

Arun Ghandi 

The Gift: Ten spiritual lessons for the modern world from my Grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi

.

Two years after the Make and Mend Challenge

From unsplash (Kelly Sikkema)

Another year has passed, the second one after my really strict "Make and Mend" challenge. But why keep track of the things I purchase for myself? 

- Because after publishing the post about the purchases the year after "make and mend" (ie a year ago), I was really shocked, how much I had bought! Lots of fabric for "fun sewing projects" and I counted 21 items I really didn't need at all (the *-things). So that is nearly 2 things a month that I didn't really need. In my defence: I did wear/use most of those clothes/items. But still. The most dispensable items were probably the bracelets I hardly wear. And two bras that don't really fit perfectly. A few other sewing projects with stuff i didn't really need... which puts me in a bit of a conflict - I really like sewing clothes, but there is the point, where all of our wardrobes are saturated...! I didn't even manage to make what I intended to make... that is a bit annoying.

So I decided to collect another year and see, how I am doing... 

What I bought

6 tank tops
2 t-shirts black
4 pair jeans shorts (two different sizes, I went a bit up and down size-wise this year...)
1 pair of Marlene trousers (summer trousers)
1 sports bra

2 eye shadow base
1 mascara
1 pair of glasses (proper ones, not sunglasses)

2 books for work
1 backpack (doubles as work bag)
6 pairs of compression socks for work

(*)7 pairs of ballet slippers (I dance every week, they were on offer so I bought a few more than actually needed right that moment...)
*2 bras (I have a "bra thing" obviously...)
*1 shrug
*2 eye shadow
*1 pair of shoes (that broke 20min after wearing them?! The PU faux leather top came crumbling  off!! that was the price for buying shoes I didn't need... at least I was reimbursed)
*1 book on baking (french pastry...)
*2 pairs of dancing shoes (second hand)
* hotfix stick and black stones for it


fabric for
- 2 pairs black trousers "jeans cut" ( Ginger Jeans, corduroy)
- 1 pair summer trousers (linen viscose mix)
- children comfy pants (christmas presents!)
- comfy pants for myself
- 3 t-shirts
- test fabric for leggings, shirt, a dress
- sequined fabric for 2 dresses

What I made

wool felt ball decoration
3 comfy pants for children (Frida by Milchmonster)
1 comfy pants for myself (Mama Frida by Milchmonster)
Jade skirt (by Paprika Patterns)
2 Sequined black Tango dress (own pattern and adaption of Twister Dress by apfelblüte)

What I mended

6 Tops (ok... I just shortened the straps)

Bikini Top Child No. 2
adjust Marlene trousers
woolen pullover (MOTHS!)

What went out
4 tank top (holes, fabric washed superthin)
7 t-shirts short and long sleeved (weird deodorant bobbles that won't come out in the wash any more  and holes)
2 Shirts I stopped wearing and really won't wear anymore
1 pair of shoes (the ones that basically broke after 20mins of wearing them, first I wanted to cover them in black glitter, but it would have meant to first brush/scrape off the entire surface of faux leather (because it was crumbling off and would not be a good base for anything) and then invest in lots and lots of black glitter and glue... and I just couldn't see myself wearing black glitter loafer sort of shoes... really...)


* marks things I didn't really need...

Mobiles, Software and Batteries

I am so annoyed with technical "Progress" at the moment. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 mobile which works fine, I've had it for years. Apart from a new battery and the eventual restart, it didn't need anything. But now, slowly but surely, Apps don't recognize my mobile anymore. The model is not "supported". Or they are getting slower and slower to the extent, that I can't use them any more. So despite the fact that I don't really want a new mobile and despite the fact that technically it is working ok, it seems after so many years you just can't use them any more without getting annoyed. I mean - I am not trying to get to the moon with it or anything that really required advanced technology. I am just trying to use a wheather app and an online family organizer.

" I don't believe it!!! "

Winter wool ball flowers...

A while ago I had seen a lovely piece of decoration with some sticks and pompoms on top, which looked like little frozen snowball-flower-thingys. So first I thought I could just also do some pompoms, because I lived under the impression, I had some white felting-wool leftover somewhere. Well, there are either still somewhere - or I haven't got them anymore. Both is possible. Anyhow, I also was given some wool fleece, which I then decided to needle-felt into little woolen balls, then collect some straight sticks with the kids and tadaaa... finished.

It really didn't take much time to make these 5 balls, but I did manage to stab myself about 6 times, and gosh, those felting needles are sharp, it only starts bleeding first and hurst afterwards! I'm impressed. I was not really impressed by the combination of white wool and red blood though... not very winterly peaceful... :) I did manag to make 5 unstained ones in the end, miraculously. :)

I really like them, even if I have to admit, they are a little random and serve no real purpose but it was a fun thing to make. :)

Edit: The felting wool did turn up in the end to I made a few pompons with the kids (all sorts of colours). They are all made from felting wool, the white ones I sort of felted with water and soap and the green one is "as it is".

The return of "stuffocation"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol_of_Chaos

The return of stuffocation. Who would have though... After all my efforts to keep "stuff" out and surfaces empty and my "make and mend challenge" and getting rid of one thing in case a new item finds its way into our house. Yes. I am stuffocating again. Why? Well.... there is one room, that I've not talked about and that's been a "leftover" of the past, despite moving house and all - the cellar. Crypt of the unexpected. Doom of order. Place of no space. Area without visible floor. Yes, that's our cellar.

When we moved into the new flat in 2016, we had really tried to get rid of as many things as possible before - de-stuffi-fy. Does that word exist? If not, it ought to. But, truth is, I am a hoarder. Plus: Having children that grow and march through different development stages, leave traces. I have at least 6 boxes full of old baby clothes. Oh... and fabrics... yes, I know, fabrics mature... but you know another thing? - Some just get old and manky. That's the ones that weren't great in the first place. And then just hang around.

So: Hello 2020 and Heeelloooo, cellar! We are going to spend a lot of time with each other. Whish me luck. I feel the serious danger of disappearing forever between boxes and stuff.

2020 sewing plans

Oh hello 2020, you already here?

So, what became of the 2019 sewing projects?

I have to admit, I didn't do much sewing in 2019. Because of work and family time I didn't have much time left for sewing so I reduced it to what needed to be done. And I also didn't need that much really. And it was good the way it was.

- I made some jeans/trousers (Ginger Jeans Pattern and pattern taken from old linen trousers), also for summer, which was good and useful.
- I made the Mahina Cardigan as part of the Scroop Pattern Pattern test. Which was great.
- I made some Jade Skirts from Paprika Patterns, which was a great quick and easy project.
- And I made another Otari hoodie (Scroop Patterns).
- And my biggest project was a tango dress (which I still need to write about, otherwise nobody will believe it actually exists...)
- Oh, and I managed to make comfy pants for myself, too. I also use them for yoga.

I managed to make some clothes for the kids (comfy suit and comfy pants).

The Satsuki Dress and the Vogue Dress 8728 are STILL waiting to be made.

Initially I had wanted to make a winter coat and t-shirts as well as Jeans shorts and a cardigan, but I happened to be able to buy all of those so I didn't have to make them, which was good because I didn't really have that much time for sewing this year.  I also didn't manage to make a pullover for my natural minimalist. Also the idea of a dress for dancing is still only an idea, because making the actual mock-up is going to be so time consuming, that there is no way at the moment, that I can make it.

My historical sewing ("Project 1908") is still on hold because of lack of time and patience (a lot of research work still needs to be done before I can even start with the foundations...)


My modest Sewing Plans 2020

- Really really using up stash material.

- Pumpkin dress (Heidi and Finn) for the girls

- Satsuki Tunic (Victory patterns)

- Vogue 8728 dress

- 2 ginger jeans (fabric already cut!) (Closet Case Patterns)

- pillow cover from old t-shirt

- maybe yoga trousers (if necessary) (Milchmonster Mama Frida or Lolle Longlegs by Katjuschka)

- Bethioua shirt (Ellepuls)

- another tango dress (already cut!)

- Bronte shirt short sleeved (Jennifer Lauren)


Oh, and I've got sooo many dreams about sewing... but well get to that when these 10 plans have been put into action.