Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Just a quick shout to say that the computer is on the fritz, and posting is on hold until we can arrange for the fix-it guys to raise it back from the dead.  And this couldn't come at a more inconvenient time because I have completed the first finished object of 2011.  Until the, I'm limited to posting via phone, and the way I write, it takes forever, what with the full words, the complete sentences and proper punctuation.

This Property is Condemned

Well, not actually, but it came really close.  I had planned to use my four-day New Year's weekend to finish up two of my languishing sewing projects, but I'd forgotten that we'd used my sewing room/the guest room as a dumping ground for pretty much everything when we were getting the house cleaned up for our Christmas Eve dinner party.  I went upstairs with great purpose (and the beginning of a sore throat) and was greeted by this:

I know.  Who could sew in that?

To tell the truth, this was about halfway through the cleaning process, but I didn't think to take a picture until I was in the middle of it.  But once I'd started, it became clear that I was in trouble.  It had gotten to the point where I had so many random zippers and buttons and seam tape that I just kept buying more because I couldn't remember what I already had.  So, I ripped everything out of the closet and the cabinet and sorted it all into piles and then made the journey to Ikea for organizational supplies. 

My own little corner, and my own little chair.

The furniture was an Ikea purchase from last year, so that's not new, but at least you can get to it now without breaking your neck.  My little bulletin/magnet board is right next to the sewing machine for inspiration and makes a nifty holder for the pattern instructions.  The closet door on the right is where I keep most of my sewing supplies.  And hanging on the door?  The half-finished Lady Grey which I will be resuming soon.

I used to just keep my fabric stash in the closet in a bunch of plastic tubs, but I thought the space could be better used.  We had this little shelf unit in the basement, and it was a perfect fit.  I got labeled boxes and clear jars for all of my notions and trim, and now, in theory, I'll actually be able to find things rather than just getting frustrated.  I also went through my fabric and pulled out the pieces that I want to work with next and have them ready and waiting on the bottom shelf.

And there's still room for my extra sewing machine, my steamer and my two large thread caddies.  There's also access to the hanging bar for works-in-progress.

Why, hello Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James.

I also cleaned up my pattern collection.  It was all over the floor in an attempt to match patterns with fabric.  That's the small version of the Ikea Aneboda chest that so many other bloggers before me have discovered.  I can't remember who I saw using it first, so I don't know who to thank for the great find.  I don't really have that many patterns, so the smaller chest works just fine.  I'm not even using the third drawer yet.

Yay!  You can get to the ironing board again.  And it's not covered in piles of stuff!

I have to share space with the guest room, but we only have live-in visitors three or four times a year.  Unfortunately, the room is only big enough for either the bed or the sewing paraphernalia, and there's no other place to put the bed when it's not in use, so it gets stacked up against one wall.  It doesn't go to waste as it makes a dandy cat bed.  And I also drape wools on it for pretreating with the steamer.

Oh my!  Mr. Darcy is standing on his head!

Which brings us to the library.  Because of the bed, there are really only two accessible shelves on our bookcase, and I've taken them over to house my collection of sewing/knitting/jewelry books and my personal video collection (i.e. the things Mr. flyskim would rather die than watch).

 

Which brings us back around to where we started, with the Brother and the Juki.  So, now that I'm put back together and once I can manage to shake this unending cold, I'll be hitting it hard.  I just ordered this fun flannel from Fabric.com and see a pair of pyjama pants in my near future.

Dear 2010:

I'll be honest.  You were not my best year.  You will always be the year that I lost my grandmother.  You will always be the year that my father battled lung cancer.  These two things are so huge that I suspect that they will overshadow most of the other wonderful things that happened in the past 12 months when I think back to 2010 in my memory.  And that's not fair because a lot of good things happened in 2010 as well.  So in order to jog my future faulty memory, here are five things that happened during your tenure that made my life a better place to be.

1. My father had his first follow-up PET scan two weeks ago, and he continues to be cancer-free.
2. I got a promotion at work right after I started thinking about how I could actually make that happen.  Also, my professional life continues to be content and satisfying for many, many reasons.
3. I got my first serger, and it was a lot easier to deal with than I had feared.  I am now obsessed with knits and have to make myself work with wovens.  And I learned how to fit patterns to my wonky, three-different-sized body!
4. Mr. flyskim and I had our first out-of-town vacation without family in nearly five years.  New Orleans was definitely a highlight.  Also, we flew in just prior to a big storm with high winds and were safely on the ground and in our hotel when flights started being diverted to Houston.  We heard a few accounts of the nightmare it was trying to land in the middle of the storm (plane just dropping 1000 feet, wind shear, flight attendants crying, etc.), and all I can say is if we had been in the middle of that, we would have stayed in Houston because there is no power on Earth that could have gotten me back in the air.
5. Mr. flyskim.  I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, but I hope to keep it up.

So, nothing earth-shatteringly big (except for the dad's test results).  But if you aren't thankful for the small things, the world will never trust you with the big things.  And while I can't say that I'm sorry to see you go, I'm also not shoving you out the door, hat in hand.  I won't lie.  I have great hopes for your successor, and even if 2011 is uneventful, it will outshine you.  May you live in interesting times is a curse, after all.  But you didn't do such a bad job as years go (2004, I'm looking at you when I say this).  You were just a victim of circumstance, and in the future, I hope to remember you fairly, if not always fondly.