Thursday, July 23, 2015

What I did when the power went out...

My wonderfully warm tropical winter day began with a relaxing fresh fruit breakfast with Mr E...

 We chatted about Matthew chapter 8 and the calming of the storm, discussed our work schedules for the day, pondered when he should take a holiday break and where we might go, and then a hug, "I love you", and he was out the door. 

Two hours later, and well immersed in the process of choosing and formatting suitable photos for the 5 day Hussif tutorial next week, the power went out. 
The street quickly filled with electricity workers and machinery so I was fairly certain it wouldn't be coming back on in the near future.

What to do?
Without coffee, I might add.

Cleaning the sewing room seemed like a fun taxing task so I headed in there with dusting cloths and half a bottle of dry ginger ale retrieved from the fridge after a quick glance at what I could grab quickly so as not to let the cold air escape.

Okay, so it wasn't really  a taxing job to clean my sewing room, but if you're going to clean because you can't sew, iron, wash, cook, make coffee, or work on your laptop, then choosing a room that has the added advantage of eye candy, crafting toys and constant distractions is just plain smart.

I began with my special threads box.
It has four compartments and a glass fold down lid and makes me smile...

But it's not the best place for storing threads as the bright sun through the full length sewing room window tends to fade fabrics and thread over time if they're not stored in shade or inside dark containers...

So I sorted through the threads and carefully packed them into small pink boxes out of the sunlight, before gathering all my vintage and pretty buttons and refilling the four compartments with them instead...

This took two hours - remember, I told you this room has distractions - and by now my tummy was rumbling, so I grabbed my keys and headed down to the beach for a pineapple & coconut smoothie and a watermelon salad. After an hour relaxing with good food, the cool ocean breeze and an English decorating magazine, I headed back home.
 Still no power. 

I gave my desk a tidy, and gathered together all my remaining Shabby Chic, Cabbages & Roses and French General fabrics in a wire basket for inspiration. I do that when I'm in need of an idea - just walking back and forth by a stack of pretties for a few days sends my creative mojo into overdrive...

Getting pretty desperate for a coffee by mid afternoon it was time to put some serious distractions in my path.
Last month Lecien Fabrics sent me a few layer cakes of their new fabric lines to be released during the Northern Hemisphere spring, and as I've wanted to sew a second Hussif so you can see an alternate version without embroidery you can guess what I spent the next two hours on, right?

I chose to use prints from Lecien's "Antique Rose" collection, and even though the fabrics are a bit darker and more wintry than I personally like, they will be perfect for showing the same Hussif pattern in a completely different colour-way...

 Thankfully the layer cake was lovely and flat so even though I couldn't use my iron it was still possible to choose the prints I wanted and to cut some of the pieces needed for sewing later...
 
Another hour and I had my notes written and a plan prepared for a day on the sewing machine this coming Friday.

And then - the power came on! 

Which meant coffee...

...and an hour to recover from all my cleaning and to sit back and enjoy a book I've had for two years, but only ever gotten four chapters into. 

I decided to start from the beginning again whilst relaxing at the kitchen table in the late afternoon sun, with a jug of fresh pink roses to create a delightful country garden atmosphere, and my second-favourite mug of jolly good coffee because I always feel so grown up when I sip the dark and milky brew...

I think I could handle regular days like this, just not in summer. 

Enjoy your day, sweet gals!



14 comments:

Love Bears All Things said...

I really enjoyed reading this post and seeing the photos.
Mama Bear

Julie said...

Hi Jenny, its really interesting to decide what you actually can do when the power goes off as we seem to need power for so many things these days. Sometimes I light a ring on the barbeque & boil a pot of water if I am desperate for a hot cuppa. You have some lovely things in your sewing room that captured my eye ... your pink & blue wire baskets are very lovely. I look forward to seeing the new hussif in the other colourway. I also will be most interested to see what you think of that book as I have read it myself & am not sure whether I enjoyed it or not to be honest. Happy Thursday to you Jenny x0x

Createology said...

I would say you really made the most of a day without power. That is why we women are flexible and can adapt to most any situation. I am looking forward to your newest hussif in those lovely floral fabrics. High on Life July...

Baa. xxx said...

What a fun day! Love 'Antique Rose '. Such pretty colours.

Ondrea said...

I always get distracted when tidying up my sewing room but it is rather fun really. I finally get everything tidy and then I start more projects and the room seems to get messy again in no time. I love that box with the glass lid, rather special. LOve the fabrics you have chosen and am rather interested in the the book you are reading. I am glad you took the time to smell the roses and relax.

Sharon - creativity and family said...

A really interesting post. We really don't think much about our conveniences until they go do we? We were without water for two days earlier this year and it really made us think how favoured we are! Sorting the sewing room sounds like the best type of tidying to me :-) Mine is in desperate need of a sort, maybe the children will help me over the hols!! x

Brenda said...

Thank you Jenny for sharing your day and all of the beautiful photos! Your special box is wonderful, especially having the glass top and being able to see what is stored inside. My hubby, several years ago, bought a gas stove for when we go camping. It is kept handy year round for the specific purpose of making coffee when the power goes out. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful creative day!

Anonymous said...

It sounds a lovely day to me, Jenny! I wouldn't even miss the coffee since I never drink it. =) I love those Lecien fabrics and hope that a release happens in a shop near me. =) I'm looking forward to next week and the hussif. All that fruit looks so good, and here I am without any in the house. And pouring rain outside. And the closest beach about 12 hours away. =)

Tammy said...

It seems like We ever only loose power after dark around here anymore....So nothing really to do but read on the E reader till the battery dies or go to sleep early. I need to try and be more productive next time.

Tammy said...

It seems like We ever only loose power after dark around here anymore....So nothing really to do but read on the E reader till the battery dies or go to sleep early. I need to try and be more productive next time.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I usually sew on hand cranks or treadles, so, I don't need electricity to stitch. I have a wallpaper seam roller that makes a great iron for my seams.

Christine M said...

It's amazing how much you can get done when there's no electricity to run technology. Maybe I need a power free day! xx

Lin said...

Sounds like a very pleasant day Jenny. xx

RoseMary Baty-Willcox said...

I could live in a room of nothing but French General fabrics.
I have mine laying out so a idea will jump at me and tell me
what to make with it.
My dream is to have a dress form with a wire skirt dressed
in French General Fabrics.