As much as I talk about TV being an absolute waste of time, I can't get all holier-than-thou on everyone because my weakness is the computer.
My blog reader is filled with fabulous blogs:
homeschooling blogs, for ideas and encouragement
recipe blogs, for food!
photography blogs, for ideas and further learning
craft blogs, for projects and tutorials
family/friends blogs, to keep up and to encourage them
and just plain cool blogs, for inspiration and because they made me happy
I have never allowed my reader to count more than 100 (and many, truthfully, are blogs that are updated infrequently) but I realized a few weeks ago that in the time I was taking to "catch up" on all the blogs, albeit inspiring, was becoming cumbersome and....WASTEFUL.
I realized~ I hadn't sewn a lick in a month, hadn't actually FINISHED any of the books that I have started, hadn't cooked anything extraordinary, made any exemplary art projects during school time, hadn't been impressed with any of my own photographs lately, and didn't have time to do things I was planning to do.
In short, I was so busy getting INSPIRED, I wasn't able to actually BE inspiring!
So, while so many blogs were/are edifying, encouraging, inspiring and help me to ASPIRE to be a better woman/mother/teacher/photographer/cook/writer/reader/doer...I realized not only did I *HAVE* to cull most of them, lovely as they are, but that it is going to be a HEALTHY change for me.
I deleted over half of my blog list, with a very big gulp. It has been such a nice change, I might just cull another half.
After that, suddenly, WADDAYAKNOW!?!?, I had time to sew again!
I made this: An Itty Bitty Dress
I had saved the free pattern/tutorial (here) intending to make it so long ago, but never did. Sadly, this one is not for me to keep, but for a friend. I still plan to make a few of these, just in case Smooch is a girl...it was an easy and fast sew. It also takes a surprisingly small amount of fabric to whip up! (The tutorial does take a few shortcuts that I wouldn't suggest-it takes but a minute to do it the right/better way)
I added a yo-yo and flowers to a bouquet embellishment on the skirt and machine blanket-stitching to the bottom.
and made a matching headband with yo-yo embellishment. (I love headbands. Period.)
So there you have it! It felt SO good to start and finish a project within the same day. Here's to much more time to sew!!!
11 comments:
So Cute! I love all the extra bits you added, thats half the fun of sewing!
I find myself wishing I knew someone having a girl, because I keep finding cute girl things to make.
I got 2 yards of lavender gingham at the thrift store, and have some sorta coordinating fabric in the stash, so I'm hoping to make knot dresses for my girls to wear to the shower I'm hosting next week. Maybe I'll start tonight....
SUPER cute dress!! I'm wondering if I could make it a little less "itty bitty" for my not-so-itty-bitty-anymore girl... :)
And, I totally know what you mean about cutting down on the blog reader...My reader is currently hovering around 475...I keep all of my blogs organized in folders, and when I do have time to catch up, I try to catch up by topic (crafts, friends, homeschooling, etc.). It works, but I am still SO far behind I rarely get to participate in the discussions (comments) because by the time I read it the issue/event/whatever is long past!! :) I probably need to go through and clean it out...maybe add a little extra time to my day - maybe I could use it to create something fun, like this little dress!! :)
I love that dress! Omgosh! That makes me want a baby girl a million times more! Awesome job!
I know - I have to give myself a time limit on blog reading - we don't have a TV right now either, but I guess I make up for it on my computer too. But I did knit about a quarter of my daughter's coat yesterday so I was a little profitable. Hey, Thanks for looking at my blog! I had no idea! That's a real compliment I know you're "culling" but stop by again someday, please. I love your blog. I've been reading it daily for about a year and I really only have about 2 others I check daily.
But I think it's profitable in the sense that it encourages one to know that other mothers are enjoying their daily vocations and sharing a little piece of the joy of it!
"Hi, my name is Amy. I'm a blog-a-holic."
Amen. Amen. And again I say AMEN. I've been avoiding the computer like the plague as I was/am too addicted too it! I'm not even sure how many blogs are in my reader...
GOOD. FOR. YOU.
The dress is to DIE FOR! :) Love the details!
Veronica~if you happen to check back here...there is actually a 3T version free download as well. But it is a very simple design and could be mimicked for any size.
Leah O'...For a long time, to keep my self-inflicted bloglines limit, I would often check up on people once a comment on my blog "refreshed my memory" of them. I continue to do it now, even more so. I get sneak peaks without the urge/burden of checking EVERY LITTLE thing. It is actually pretty liberating. Also-very sad because as you said-blogs are very worthwhile in many ways. Congratulations on your knitting. I am jealous. I miss stitches like no ones' business and have pretty much given up on knitting. *sniff*
That is just way too cute.
It's hard to cull blogs. My list is way too long, but many of them are updated rarely. All that to say, good for you for making that tough decision.
Super cute dress!
I am with you on computer time. It literally eats my day. I hate it sometimes. I've considered getting rid of the internet altogether, but haven't been brave enough yet.
For now, I'm setting a timer and then turning it off. That seems to help for the "I have a few minutes, I check ______".
I know what you mean about time and inspiration, about getting ideas and actually doing them.
The dress is adorable!
That is such a cute dress. I love your fabric choices....
I made one of these dresses for a baby gift last year. They do sew up really quick.
You're very gifted Rebecca. If we lived closer I just might have you sew up some cute things for me (if you actually had time). :)
I totally agree that TV is a waste of time (we don't own one), but I'm just as guilty wasting my time on other things.
Post a Comment