A Colorful Thread: November 2023
Weaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life.
Best of Stitched in Color {November}
On My Mind
Experimenting:: with templates, templates, templates! My upcoming 2024 club will have a mixture of sampler blocks. Some are traditionally pieced, but many are foundation paper pieced and a few have curves. I’ve been hard at work developing and testing out templates to get them ready as soon as possible for my pattern testers/collaborators.
Reading:: This Life: Why Mortality Makes us Free by Martin Hagglund. I read this a few years ago, and now I am reading it again. It’s a meaty piece of philosophy with constant touch points on Christianity and religion in general. The first time I read it made a big impact on my thoughts about the afterlife. This time I notice myself tuning more in to the ramifications for what it means to love. It is healthy to have a good think now and then.
Celebrating:: This fantastic Pas de Deux quilt top - a recent finish from @Quitling_Julia. I never tire of fresh interpretations of Pas de Deux, which was my 2022 pattern club. I know that Julia is not the only one to have recently finished her quilt. How serendipitous, as we are now gearing up for a new block-of-the-month in 2024. My fingers and toes are crossed that you enjoy Positivities as much as Pas de Deux!
Anticipating:: Winter vacation! Everything builds up to a crescendo at this time of year, doesn’t it? In a few weeks Aria will be visiting with her fiancé, and we’ll be celebrating Christmas together - the kids and I. After the big day, my children go to their father for two weeks; thus, I have two weeks all to myself. Luckily, my boyfriend is in the same boat. We will be going away for two weeks together, somewhere cozy and quiet. It will be a cocoon kind of vacation, which sounds perfectly delightful. I am dreaming about it already.
Featured Freebie
Draft Stopper Pillow
Stitched in Color includes a library of free tutorials, more than 10 years in the making. Each month I’ll feature one to spread the good news.
One of my favorite ways to relax at any time of year is to sew my scraps. If I can sew something for my home, all the better because patchwork = cozy. In the cold weather months, a draft stopper pillow is as practical as it is cheery. Make one on a whim! You won’t regret it.
The holidays are so different post-divorce. Our Thanksgiving was big and unwieldy, definitely not something I will repeat. We’ve also just celebrated Elora’s 7th birthday and soon Aria and her fiancé will be visiting the week before Christmas. The days are full, and that’s not even counting my busy work agenda. Phew!
I have been practicing a mindfulness exercise to help me bring my thoughts, emotions and physical sensations into harmony, so much as possible. It is amazing how much it helps to just stop and feel. I sit somewhere alone and rest my hand on my head, heart or belly as the thoughts, emotions and sensations emerge, speaking each one aloud. There’s something very grounding about it. I find that at first only thoughts emerge, but as I wait and remain open, gradually my feelings come more to the surface. The sheer variety that emerges makes it clear to me why I often feel confused or conflicted these days. Life in transitions is indeed complicated. Here’s to the little things that help us on our journey.
xoxo,
Rachel
