Taking a Break from Sewing to Get Things Done
Michelle Burke
I haven't been writing much recently because I needed a break from sewing for my business to get some other things done. I did do a little selfish sewing recently and some non-sewing business related to-do's, but I also spent a lot of time with my family too. If you want to get to know a little more about me and what I do when I am not designing patterns or sewing, read on.
During the holidays, I spent a lot of time with my family. This year is our youngest daughter, Sarah's last year at home before heading off to college, so my husband and I are enjoying every minute of it that we can. Our oldest daughter, Megan is in her second year of college at an out-of-state school, so the holidays are a very special family time for us.
I guess we didn't get enough time together during the holidays, because recently my husband, Sarah, our dog Chessie, and I took a road trip to visit Megan at school. I love road trips! When I am not driving, one of the things I like to do is crochet. I have been working on crocheting an afghan for Sarah to take to school with her. Sarah picked out the yarn, her favorite colors. Now I just hope I can finish it before this fall.
I have been working on this when I have time for over a year now. It is almost finished!
We had a great time visiting Megan and letting A LOT of college kids pet Chessie, our goldendoodle. I have learned that college kids really miss their pets and love to be around anyone's pet. Fortunately, Chessie loves to be with people, it was very much a win-win!
A picture from our visit with Megan. Megan and Sarah are enjoying some ice cream and Chessie was excited to meet EVERYONE!
I will have to admit, I also bring work with me when we travel. I find that a road trip is a great time to plan for upcoming sewing projects and pattern designs. I take all my file folders, notebooks, sketchbooks, pens, pencils, iPad, and more in my personal Sidekick Tote. It works really well with all the pockets to keep me organized and there is plenty of space for everything I need.
My Sidekick Tote is packed and ready to go on a road trip.
Speaking of work, I spent a lot of time recently making sure I had everything organized for filing taxes, not a fun project, so I am happy to be finished with it. I now have everything set up to be more organized with my business finances for this year - I hope it works and I can stay on top of it!
My daughters laugh at my "retro" calculator. I don't think it is that retro and it still works! :)
I have spent some time sewing too! Our church is putting together School Kits that will be distributed to children whose families don't have the money to buy school supplies and therefore the kids don't go to school. The school supplies are put into a handmade drawstring backpack. I love finding ways that I can sew something to donate that makes it possible for kids to be educated around the globe. I really enjoyed sewing up a few drawstring backpacks for this purpose. I know the Sunday School kids at our church are going to love filling them with the donated school supplies! If you are interested, check out the information on sewing the backpacks for these School Kits and see where they go!
Six drawstring backpacks to be filled with school supplies for kids who need them around the world.
I have to admit that I also did some selfish sewing. We needed new curtains in our bedroom, so I made those as well as some pillows to match. I am always amazed at how new curtains and a few throw pillows can change the look of a room. I feel like our bedroom has a very serene, peaceful look to it now - I love it!
It looks so peaceful, it makes me want to take a nap. ;)
Now you know a little more about me and what I have been up to recently. Currently, I am working on sewing some samples of a new pattern that I designed. Hopefully I will be ready to share some sneak peeks in a couple of weeks and have the pattern ready for purchase next month! Thanks for reading - now back to my sewing room!!!