Intentional slowing in a crockpot life...

Every Sunday I add a list of things I'd like to do before the next weekend in my diary. Over time I have learned that it's best to get the big household jobs done on Monday and Tuesday mornings, then my own Elefantz work in the afternoons. I usually have a quiet day on Wednesday, with perhaps some baking and sewing. Thursdays are for grocery shopping, with more Elefantz work after lunch, and Fridays are pretty much 'do whatever still needs to be done'. 

Now this isn't all carved in stone, because life rarely runs to plan, and I never turn down a spontaneous invtiation to visit Blossom, or a morning tea with Rosie, butI like having a simple structure to the week. In fact I just enjoy structure in general as it gives me a starting point and a direction to take as each week progresses. Over time I see progress, and I find that wonderfully satisfying. 

Last week I finally quilted last year's free BOM, Joy in the Ordinary, and hung it near my desk...

...and it wasn't in my diary that week, but one afternoon I just felt like doing it. That's the kind of flexibility which makes sense to me, and brings joy. In the ordinary of course! :-)

The pattern is still free to download HERE, but only until March 1st, when it will be listed in my Etsy Shop, so if you have missed any month of this BOM just pop over there and download it soon.  

Over the past twelve months especially, I've slowed down more, and I think its fair to say that I'm pretty much going at half the pace of perhaps five years ago, quite intentionally, but also because at my age it's taking a bit longer to do things. I also take more care with the things I do now, as a slower life allows me leniency in completing projects or tasks.

It ocurred to me recently that this life had similarities with a crockpot (slow cooker). Food left to slowly simmer for eight hours in a crockpot almost always tastes better than the same meal cooked for 30 minutes in a pan on the stovetop. There's a richness, a comforting pleasure, when sitting down to a meal that's taken all day to satisfy our tastebuds...and that's like my life these days. Things are slower paced, intentionally, and I'm not concerned if something which used to take me two days to stitch and sew, is spread out over two weeks, or whether this kitchen deep clean I am in the middle of at the moment flows along all week and into next week, instead of the one day superclean (my daughters used to call me Wonder Woman) of years past. What I feel now is a deeper personal satisfaction and delight (!) in the fruit of my labours, without neeeding or wanting praise, or approval. It's simply joyful to accomplish everyday tasks, and to sew with a refreshed heart for our home and for others - there is indeed a new richness in my slower life. 

With my husband doing a course this year, most of his home time is spent studying, so after we have our hour catch up when he arrives home, he goes off to his office to study, and I am free to play in the sewing room, read a book, or write. And that's given me time to try new things, or am I just learning new aspects of sewing because there's no hurry? Hmmm. I doubt I would ever have made those tiny dolls and clothing for Rafaella a year ago, but now I look at a pattern and think, "I have time, so just make a start". Instead of balking at trying something new, especially on the sewing machine, now I simply make a start. Now most of you probably make tons of different things on your machine, but I've not been very drawn to that, focusing solely on hand embroidery, with the occasional simple quilt or some other 'simple' display for my completed designs. What a relief to begin making other things! Learning to work with thick compressed foam was a real learning curve, but I persisted (with THIS writing compendium) and now I want to make more things from it. Actually, I'm excited to do so.

Last blog post I told you about the kitchen items I had plans to make this month, and on the weekend a start was made with this oven mitt. In the past the only oven mitt I'd made was a simple square, no fuss at all, but I really balked at sewing a 'proper' mitt...and yet, now I have done it. 

Following Olesya's tutorial, and using four layers - outer fabric, Insul-Bright, cotton quilt wadding/batting, and lining fabric - I was thrilled that it actually came together so well! It took me about two hours on Saturday afternoon, and I did not rush. Some binding and a hanging tag were added, before giving it a trial in the kitchen whilst baking the next day. That's when I realised I needed two of them, so perhaps next weekend a partner will be sewn. :-)

My baking, as you see beside the mitt, was one of Olesya's pastry recipes that we've had twice before, and the men in this family love them. I filled them with the last of my homemade plum jam, but as it's plum season now I'll restock the pantry when I do quite a lot of jars later this month - Cully May can eat a jar on her own in days as its her favourite jam. Mine too, btw. 

I also made soft inserts for my ceramic cookware with that white towelling you saw in the previous blog post. When I checked my bias binding supplies I remembered that Blossom had given me twenty metres of white - perfect for sewing around the towelling!

I made three large and two medium size, and they fit the pans perfectly. I think it took me about 20 minutes to make them. 

Something interesting I tried whilst cleaning the bedroom last week was to vacuum the walls. Now I know that sounds very odd, but we live in what is known as a block house. When we lived in cooler climates everyone had brick or wooden houses, but where we are now it is rare to see an actual brick home. Instead of brick they have blocks, which are much larger and have lots of holes and ridges and indents. If they are exposed inside the house, which they are in most of our rooms, their roughness collects an enormous amount of dust over time, and are painstaking to clean by hand. So I thought last week, would vacuuming them be an efficient way to clean the block walls? It was. Truly, I was amazed at how easy it was, and how lovely and clean the walls were in just minutes!

In the garden things don't do very well at this time of the year due to the high temperatures, humity and wet season rains and storms, but for the first time, my sage has not died off, but has taken over one of the raised garden beds, and as I love sage, this is very exciting. I'll be cutting a lot tomorrow and will hang it to dry out in the kitchen...I love seeing herbs drying in peoples homes.

On Friday I shall show you what's been made behind the scenes for the launch of Tilda's new fabric collection, Sunday Brunch. I've made four projects so far (I am sent the fabrics to design with by Two Green Zebras a few months before the release date each year), and I showed you one back HERE, with a free pattern. 

In the meantime, I have a lovely little idea that you could stitch along with if you were so inclined, as I want to use up all the tiny offcuts of Sunday Brunch, plus some older Tilda tinies, but you could use small scraps of any fabrics you have. Tonight I'll begin with 3/4" hexagons...

God bless you for reading this far. I hope you're doing well, and for my readers in the USA, I pray you are not affected by those horrific fires over the ocean in California...we need to pray for those who have lost their homes, as well as the people still homeless in North Carolina. May God provide for them, refresh them, comfort them, and carry them as they face the future. 

Till Friday, my dear ones...

hugs

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