Cutting Out Doll Clothes

 Yesterday was a cloudy warm day with a high of 7C. This morning it is cloudy, windy, and 6C. Today is suppose to be cloudy and damp with a high of 8C. 

Lifestyle

I had a busy morning yesterday. I washed the last wall, trim, and heater in my bedroom. I also swept some of the floor. It is ready to paint. 

Once that was done, I hauled out the central vacuum hose and started to vacuum rooms. As I finished each room, I mopped the floors. The spare bedroom, hall, bathroom and kitchen were done. I also cleaned the kitchen counters. The dining room was tidied up, table wiped clean, and the floor vacuumed. At that point, I had to stop. I was too sore to do any more. 

The bed linens were laundered and the bed remade in the late afternoon. At that point, I stood and admired all I had done upstairs in a three hours. 

I figure I was sore as I had spent two days painting. I also had osteopathy and am trying to stand evenly on both feet for longer periods of time. The combination of it all made me sore and tired. Tylenol was my best friend last night. 

Sewing

I spent time in the sewing room cutting out doll patterns. The blue outfit was cut out first and bagged. This goes with the white sweater I knit. 

Next up was to cut out the Barbie outfit. The top is a lovely cotton that will be nice to sew. 

The capris (known as pedal pushers back in the 1960's) was cut from a piece of dark chambray. I may end up having to starch the fabric lightly as I sew as it has a lot of drape to it. 

I followed through with my plan and put the left over fabrics into the bin for the quilter's group. Total cut and donated yesterday was 1.3 meters. 

The last job in the sewing room was to wash the closet floor and put the bins back in. I am pleased with the end result. Two of the tubs on the floor is fabric and the third one holds the doll quilts I made. 

I think I can handle what is in the closet if I follow the rules I have set to use it up and donate what I don't use or what is left over.  

Knitting

I dug out the buttons and sewed them onto the sweater. 

I set up the socks but am not happy with the results. I will take it apart and do them on smaller needles. 

I am figuring out how to knit socks with this brand of yarn. It is lovely to work with -- very soft on the hands. 

Thoughts

    I am happy with the sewing room closet. I feel like it is within my clutter threshold. I look in there and feel happy with what I have and the plan on how it will be used. I feel like I have found a balance of what I need to sew doll clothes in that space. 

    As I cleaned upstairs, I allowed myself to think about how much is too much. I wondered if I am letting go of too much. There is a balance and I am struggling to find mine. Getting rid of too much makes some of my spaces feel cold and sterile and some spaces feel so cluttered that I feel anxiety when I enter them. I am working on this bit by bit eliminating items that I have stored and will never use and keeping those items I love and use all the time. It will come as I work through my thoughts and this house. It does keep me busy both mentally and physically. 

    I have to start packing a box to ship to daughter. It will have to go by a private courier service as it seems as if the postal strike will be ongoing for a while. A bit of a nuisance but something everyone is having to adjust to.

Today

I hope to paint the last bedroom wall this morning. It means I will be sleeping in the spare bedroom for a few nights. This afternoon I need to be out and if I have time, I will start cleaning the desk area in the sewing room. Tonight I will knit on the socks. 

Until the next time.................................................................