"creativity"

Being Present

It must be said, I cannot do it all.

Writing books and articles, quilting, patterns, and teaching. Mothering, being a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Cooking and cleaning. Being here. I cannot do it all. Something, somewhere, always falls to the side in a heap of lack of time or enthusiasm. 

Thankfully I have kids who don't see the mess that I do, who beg to go out for steak even when I do want to cook, and who patiently model for me. Thankfully I have a babysitter willing to put in extra hours and friends who will pour me tea when they see my shoulders hovering somewhere over my ears. And family who send texts and understand why I haven't called. And dear readers here who send notes because I haven't blogged in weeks.

The last few weeks have been a blur of a photo shoot for the latest book, then finishing all the details for that book. There were family visits and trips to the ER, movie nights and snuggles, afternoons enjoying the sun then evenings watching the snow. I had to work and sneak in living my life. Laundry optional.

But the manuscript is in, the photo shoot done, the bathrooms cleaned, and some brisket in the oven. So I can sew for fun again and laugh with the kids over bad knock knock jokes. I can sit down with my husband at the end of the day instead of burrowing into the studio. I can catch up with the world.








Speaking of the photo shoot for the book...

Kate Inglis came out to shoot this book as well. It is an insane collaboration that I am proud to be a part of. She shot A Month of Sundays too. We hit the ground and five days later it feels like we surface into regular light and reality. And along the way we shoot. Well, she shoots the things I tell her too and she translates my obscure thoughts into gorgeous images, capturing the light and the quilts in a way I didn't imagine. In between we eat and drive and talk and fall into dreams.

Now she is home, celebrating her own book, Flight of the Griffons. The universe may explode from her creative powers. 

And I am home, here. Quietly being who I am.

                                                

Teaching at The Workroom


It's been a week since I was in this lovely space known as The Workroom. What a delightfully different  quilt store! For one, it is not located in a strip mall or out in the boonies. No, it is on an urban street filled with hipsters and streetcars and bums and roti and taco shops. And it is filled with light. Oh, the light! I imagine those same windows make it stifling in the Toronto summers, but right now it was dreamy.

Then again, it might be dreamy no matter what. Karyn, the owner, and her employees are soft spoken and kind. They radiate a quiet energy that makes you smile. It was just so peaceful to be there, in addition to a lot of fun.

Besides, what's not to love about a store dog in a quilt shop? Okay, I'm biased on this one - Maisy kind of reminded me of our old girl that we lost at New Year's - but she was wonderful company. (And no, there wasn't dog hair all over the fabric.)


While I was at The Workroom I taught two classes - The Quilted Storage Box from Sunday Morning Quilts and my Values class. If you don't count my mistake (I was going on less than 4 hours of sleep) on the storage box instructions it was perfect. Everyone finished (thank-you to Quilt Sunday folks for your few minutes of patience). And we had such a range of awesome boxes.



One of the things I really liked about teaching at The Workroom - aside from the very dedicated students  - was the space. The tables for students are on one side of the store, with the fabric on the other side. And a giant table in between. It was so nice not to be in a classroom shoved in the back or the basement. Being right there allowed us to take advantage of the light. Have I mentioned the light already? But it also allowed us to be in the thick of things. If someone came in looking for some fabric they saw us and could ask questions. I know some teachers who would hate that, but I loved showing off the students' work to anyone who asked.

The Workroom is also a sewing lounge. You can come in and work on your projects, take advantage of  their walking feet or Berninas, and enjoy a cup of tea. Sometimes it would be so nice to just get out of the house and sew. I would take the interruptions of a curious shopper over a toddler most days.




Thank-you so much for having me, Karyn! I hope to come back again soon.