Pleased with that

Tags

carrier bag holder, rest, work

Tonight I fancied doing a bit of sewing. I had thought to make a present in advance for a friend’s birthday, but as I got put my fabric and thought of various other ideas, I decided to make a gift for work.   Here it is. To store those pesky carrier bags in the work kitchen, so vulnerable people who take away free food have something to put it in. – Or more to the point, the bags will be easier to store and locate.

I’d used this tutorial before. I realised the length of elastic is a tad generous- I ended up snipping off at least half an inch. & I folded over the strap so it makes for a more comfortable fit… I basically folded it under the fabric, so there was more material (another layer) to sew through, but it hangs more easily.

Pleased with that and had better make a move for an early night before work tomorrow.

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Another eye mask

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eye mask, lavender, rest

And here’s the eye mask I have made for myself!  I really like the fabric… Thanks Georgia, part of the Japanese fabric package from the other year.  I wanted to have something lavender in colour, as lavender encourages rest.  (Obviously not the colour itself, but the plant does, so it’s a bit symbolic.  Plus I love the colour anyway.)

Only this time the elastic must have slipped as I took the pin out and sewed it, so one side is a bit higher than desired.  Hopefully it will still do the job & enhance sleep at night!

Lavender harvesting

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lavender, out to dry, rest

Last year, I wasn’t really with it. I saw the lavender bush in my garden grow, flower and wither somewhat.  Only then did I decide to ‘harvest’ the lavender, but it was certainly past its best for turning into lavender bags. I chucked the dried, unused, unfragrant stems away a few days ago… As I hung my fresh crop to dry. 

I love the beauty of the colours and look forward to turning it into something special. Meantime there’s still more on the bush. Maybe I’ll harvest that later, unless I’m already leaving it too late. But still, there’s only a certain number of lavender bags you can make, right? 

As you can see, it’s not the most arty of photos- drying in the same place as my clothes go when it’s too cold or rainy to put them outside!

Lavender, rest. 

Rest revisited

Tags

blogs, creativity, fear, play, rest

I’ve been getting into my bad old habits of saying ‘yes’ to things, forgetting I can say ‘no’; instigating things and not taking care of myself quite as much as I should do.  I came across a couple of articles people had posted on facebook recently.  On similar lines.  This one on play, and this one on being busy/ cramming in too much.  They both kind of resonate.

In the first one, I thought that for me, sometimes the danger of chilling out (and this is going to sound stupid), is that when I do, the creative juices flow and I come up with various ideas.  I sometimes don’t like getting new ideas, if I haven’t got time to do anything with them!  The trick seems to be to create enough space in life, to be able to have time for these ideas; linked with the ability to have them but not feel bound to do every single one!!  Especially not immediately.

And with the second article, I too have enjoyed ‘facebook fasts’ and often learnt unexpected things about myself or with my interaction with that site.  I think I’ve gone past (or am currently not in) the place of feeling I am missing out on something all the time – kind of wondering what friends / others are up to and why I’m not included!  Rather, feel content with who I am and what I’ve got going on.  And being kind to myself and allowing myself space and time to just chill out- might be on my own, but that is fine.  Particularly as an introvert, I need my alone time to re-energise and rest.

I’m looking forward to a quiet, chilled out weekend, on the whole.  Y’never know, I might even do a bit of crafty creations if I’m in the mood!

Benji Bear

Tags

benji bear, rest, sleep, teddy

I made this little mock -teddy bear for a little boy called Benji & stuffed it with wadding and a little lavender to encourage rest and sleep for a little newborn.

And here it was as I was making it (next time I’ll try and make him a bit fatter – he’s a little on the skinny side!).

Go Diane Louise!

Tags

busy, pace of life, peace, rest, rush, slow down, slow living, stressed, tortoise & hare

Here is the script from Diane Louise Jordan’s excellent BBC Radio 2 ‘Pause for Thought’ on Tuesday morning this week:

I was listening to a radio programme the other day where someone was expressing how much they like being rushed and busy because it makes them feel as if they really matter.

On the same programme a mother described how from the minute the alarm goes off to the moment her head hits the pillow, she’s constantly on the go: and that her 10 year old son gets up 1/2 an hour earlier than his sisters in order to eat his breakfast in peace before the daily rush of getting ready for school and mum rushing out to work.

This caught my attention – particularly the actions of her son – as when I was 10 I never felt rushed (even on school days) and my long, languishing summer holidays felt like they’d happily never end….

But as a reported 3/4 of parents claim to have no time to themselves, maybe it’s effecting children too…

So has Time dramatically changed, or are we living more demanding, jam-packed, but perhaps more exciting days?

Well according to a growing campaign for slower living it would seem that however exciting our days are, rushing and busyness isn’t necessarily good for us. It’s argued that our increasing obsession with speed means we race through life instead of actually living it, but that we’d be better off if we created moments of slowness to connect with our “inner-tortoise.”

Well I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m over-ventilating with things to do, and I actually remember to take a break, I never fail to achieve more, using less time! So maybe there is something in that old adage about less haste creating more speed.

It may well feel counter-intuitive, but perhaps if we slowed down we might combat the virus of hurry and instead live happier, healthier and certainly more productive lives – which I think is exactly what we’re trying to achieve with all our rushing busyness!….

Making space

Tags

chris evans breakfast show, making space, rest, ruth scott, stop

As I was sitting still (well no, to be honest, threading some ties for my GW bags!) this morning before work, my ears pricked up as I listened to Rev Ruth Scott’s ‘Pause for Thought’ on the BBC Radio 2 Chris Evans Breakfast Show.

You can tune in here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0383wzz and slide across to 2:54.17 or scroll down to her script which has been transcribed at the bottom of the same page.

One quote I wrote down shortly after she uttered the words are “We need to do less to achieve more” . In fact, here’s the bit when I started tuning in,

I’ve also learnt the critical importance of making space for something new to emerge. In the silence of Quaker meetings, or in other situations of stillness, ideas have come to me that have made a huge difference to my life. In those moments I feel that what’s unfolding is driven by something more than what I can or can’t do. Some people call this dynamic energy, God. Past experience has taught me that whatever it is, I need to trust it. It may be counter-intuitive, but creating space can often be a more effective catalyst for change than charging around. An American priest friend recently described this as drawing ‘finite action out of infinite spaciousness’. I like the sound of that. Sometimes, Chris, we need to do less in order to achieve more!

Life in the slow lane

Tags

busy life, fast paced, gentleness, hare and tortoise, relaxed, rest, slowing down

I’ve recently slowed down in my life.  Days that were spent racing around are now at a more leisurely pace.

Rather than using my Kenwood dough hook to make bread, I now knead by hand.

No more microwaved porridge in the mornings.  Now it’s stirred gently on the hob (well, vigorously when the bubbles form).

Rather than buying a racing bike, I’m gonna hang a laundry rail where a bike rack would have sat.

No more early morning Bible study before heading to work.  Now it’s a lie in and a flick through some passages in a more gentle fashion.

Gone are the days when I have to factor in an afternoon nap on a Sunday and schedule in an hour to unwind before bed every night.  I’m now more chilled during the day and week to render these things occasional occurences rather than regular must-haves.

I’ve taken up needlework and am making my house a home.

Check out details of my exploits here as I ‘stop look and listen’ and enjoy life in the slow lane.

After all, it’s the tortoise that wins the race, not the hare.