Happy New Year!

I hope that the New Year is finding you all healthy and happy and looking forward to the blank slate of possibilities that is 2017!!

Baby Boy - #7 Timbits Initiation 

I've not had time for much blogging for quite awhile now.  Life seems to have a way of getting increasingly busier every time I turn around.

Hockey seems to have taken up a lot of the spare time this fall.  Not that I'm complaining.  The boys love it and it's been great for them!  Little Man has finally started coming out of his shell at the rink and the day he was giggling with one of his team mates in the dressing room was a great day!  I love seeing him making friends on the team and gaining confidence on and off the ice!  However, it is a time consuming sport.  I'm at the rink three days a week with the boys for practices and then we had games every weekend, often a game in one town in the morning for one boy and another town and another game a few hours later for the other.  I had commented that I should just send out change of address cards listing the arena as my new home since I was there so often.

Funny story about that was when we bought our new truck last month every time we turned on the maps in the Car Play function it would reference a weird address as "home".  I couldn't figure out why or even where the address was originating.  That is until the day I was looking up the hours for public skating at the arena and realized Siri was using the arena's address as home.   LOL! I really must spend as much time as I feel like I do there.  Ah... the life of a "hockey mom".  Could be worse. I know some families are juggling around practices and games for four kiddos and their spouse.  I've only got two to manage and every second year they should nicely end up in the same division.  PHEW!

Little Man - #7 Novice 

In other news, tomorrow, I'll be heading back to work full time.  I'll be trading my sewing shears for work boots and a hard hat as I've taken a term position in a parts department!  I'm both excited and terrified all at the same time.  It'll be totally different for me, but I'm looking forward to a new challenge!

I'm not sure what time that will leave me for sewing, knitting and spinning, but I'm hoping I can still manage to squeak out a bit of time every now and again to enjoy my crafts.  I know I used to manage it.  I know that many people do manage it every day.  I just need to wrap my head around the whole time management thing that is working outside of the home again.  It's been nearly seven years, so I think I've just forgotten how to do it!

It's timely that Rochelle of Lucky Lucille has started her #2017MakeNine.  Inspired by the challenge and all the sewists taking part over on Instagram I've decided to jump on board.  Going back to work doesn't change my personal goal of having a self sewn wardrobe, so this feels like a great way to keep it going in a more manageable way.

For my patterns I've chosen the following:

By Hand London : Anna 
Closet Case Files : Ginger Jeans and Morgan Boyfriend Jeans
Colette Patterns : Myrtle Dress
Paprika Patterns : Jade Sweater and Dress
Sew Over It :  Anderson Blouse, Betty, Molly Top and Vintage Shirt Dress

I've already dived head first into my fabric bins and come up with some fabrics for my Make Nine projects!

The top fabric with the balls of yarn is for Betty.  It was supposed to be made last summer, then in the early fall, and then for Christmas and well... you know how it goes.  I already  knit a cardi to match it a few months ago (more on that in a future blog post - how am I so behind on blogging about my projects?!?).  The second from the top is a slinky, silky poly fabric that I bought ages ago for an Anderson Blouse or Pussy Bow Blouse and this is going to be THE YEAR that I get it sewn up.  I'm thinking of using a gelatine treatment to tame that fabric into submission for cutting and sewing.  Third in the stack is the denim I bought well over a year ago to make another pair of Liana jeans after I did the test for Itch to Stitch.  Obviously they never got made, so hello Ginger Jeans!  (another pattern I've had forever.  It's even been printed out and assembled for probably a good year and a half...).  The bottom fabric is another long time stash dweller.  I've got to take a better look at it, but if I think it'll drape nicely, it's going to become Myrtle for next spring/summer.

So those are my upcoming plans for sewing.  I'll have to catch up later with my annual round up of holiday crafting post and my plans for knitting and spinning, because I think I've prattled on far too long as is here today! (Thanks and congratulations if you're still reading!)

Happy New Year!