Ground to a halt.

Well I was going great guns on the quilt. My sleep cycles may have been suffering and I was kind of losing touch with reality but hey, the quilt was being done. Who cared if dinner was a hastily put together mish mash of whatever we could find in the pantry, or that the amount of snipped cotton on the floor equalled the dog hair that was tumbling through on the breeze like a tumbleweed through the western plains? The quilt was being done! I was on a roll! I was ACTUALLY going to finish a quilt project - and a double bed sized quilt at that!

Until this happened...and sad to say that the quilt has had to be exiled to a plastic roller box until such time that I find a repair person to put the sewing machine back together again.

Roar!!!!!

The bobbin housing has come apart! 

And so the quilt is boxed up, waiting to be finished. I hope it doesn't take too long and be delegated to the Black Hole of Unfinished Business! 

Quilt progress

My rotary cutter is getting a workout. I think it needs a new blade actually.

Here are the squares I have cut to date. I still have 36 more coloured squares to cut, 120 plain calico squares and about 125 padding squares. Definitely the most boring part of the whole process by far!

I've only set it all out on the floor here to see what colours I need to add in. The left side looks pretty balanced but I feel the right side needs more reds, bright greens and brighter blues. Lets see what I have in my stash.

I'm so looking forward to seeing this finished. I better get a wriggle on. It's a birthday present! Ssssshhh!!!

Our days

With letting go of old thoughts and ideals and expectations I've found that our life here has become more peaceful and easygoing.
My days, apart from the days where I'm at work, are no longer scheduled with "have-tos". Oh of course there are appointments to be gone to and responsibilities that must be taken care of but these are undertaken with a sense of peace and purpose, rather than out of obligation.

The running of the house now seems to just flow. People contribute cheerfully and willingly to what needs to be done and although things may not be done to the standard I would complete them, I accept any contribution to the running of the house happily and with thanks, appreciating the effort given in love rather than judging the outcome.

The days I spend at home are so peaceful and fulfilling. I've now settled into just "being". Household tasks are done with a minimum of fuss and I find I concentrate more on other fulfilling things such as working on the quilt, or writing, or reading. The kids and I spend more time "just being" lately - chatting about things, enjoying a movie, discussing hopes and dreams and plans, talking about books we've read. Sometimes we play a board or card game - last night it was Skip-bo. The most interesting conversation arose whilst playing - conversations about people's perceptions of disability, judgements people make and how to respond appropriately and with love towards those who are ignorant. I revel in these times we have together and I feel us all becoming closer as a family and healing from some of the wounds from the past.

Yes, letting go of old things has been healing. Letting go of preconceived ideas and judgements, expectations and ways of thinking has been freeing. Choosing happiness each day has been the best choice to make.

The year of the scrap

Over the past week I've been working on a Fringed Quilt, made up of a myriad of fabrics I've had stashed away in my cupboard doing absolutely nothing for maybe 10 years. This quilt is my attempt at starting to reduce the amount of stuff I have laying around and either turning it into something useful or beautiful or giving it away.

I've been inspired by the quilt my mother and father have on their bed. Before they started out on their travels around Australia they decided to reduce the number of possessions they had, due to the fact they were selling the house, and moving into a Motor Home. Mum, like me, had a lot of fabrics she had accumulated so she decided to put them all together into this beautiful creation that traveled around the country with them and now lays resting on their bed in their new seaside home.

Inspired by Mums quilt I have decided to do the same. Apart from the fact that I have to cut 225 squares of feature fabrics, 225 squares of backing fabric and 225 squares of padding, I am enjoying the process. It's fun watching it all come together.

The scrappy fringed quilt on my parent's bed. This is my inspiration.

New fabrics to add in.

Cutting....cutting....and MORE cutting!

The pile of quilt "sandwiches" is ever-growing!

The kitchen table has been taken over by all things crafty!

2013 - One Word

Simplicity.

This is my theme word for 2013.

I don't know when this word started to resonate with me. I think it came slowly throughout last year as I pledged to adhere to my 2012 theme word - Kindness. Kindness came in the form of being kind to myself - body, soul and spirit. I nurtured myself holistically and in turn felt kindness flowing out to others and the world around me. My mind became less cluttered with chaotic thoughts, my body felt cleansed from eating good, nutritious food and strong through regular exercise.

I found that the simple things in life meant the most to me - spending time with my beautiful family, walking in the fresh air, a good book, hand made things, second hand things, open spaces, calm spaces, music....and silence. Christmas was a very simple affair with small gifts and a simple feast at my sisters place, shared amongst family.

So it just naturally came to me that 2013 needed to be a year of simplicity.

* I intend pursuing things that promote a sense of peace within and without, unity with those I love the most.

* I want to be fully present in each moment, enjoying them for what they are; not mourning the past or thinking about the future but just being.

* I will spend more meaningful time with my children, learning more about them as the adults they are and still exploring the world around us together.

* I plan to declutter my home, going through all my possessions and things and donating them to support agencies so that others may benefit from them.

* I intend living simply and sensibly by asking myself if what I purchase is really needed. Can I live without it? Can I obtain it second hand?

* I want to eat as organically and as simply as possible; nurturing my body and those of my family with good, nutritious, wholesome food.

* I would like to nurture my creative side by making things with my hands - sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, painting, cooking, baking. I'd like to bless others with things I make, pouring love into the gift I make.

I'm excited to be in 2013. I feel that I have journeyed a long way from the person I once was. Every step of the journey to this point has been worth it. Every. Single. Step. I've stopped judging life and experiences and things as good or bad. The just ARE. They are all just life experiences that we can learn from if we choose to. I'm choosing to, and honestly I have been more peaceful ever since I decided to make that choice.

Happy 2013 everyone.