A Virtual Baby Shower

Guys, you have no idea what I opened my blog reader to yesterday morning!!  It was the best surprise ever and one that seven rather wonderful people had kept quite since September last year!  I’m staggered that this has happened, never mind been kept so quiet!!

If you haven’t guessed yet, I was thrown a virtual baby shower by my online blogging friends!  I can’t begin to express how surprised and touched I am by the time and effort that has gone into the items they have made for our impending small person.

I knew the instigator, Anne of Annabelle Bumps, was planning on making something for bump but I had no idea that she’d rope so many others into doing the same thing!!  Things like this is one of the reasons I absolutely adore being part of this community; the selfless and generous sprit of so many people who sew and knit seems to know no bounds.

Look at what these gorgeous, spirited, generous people have made for bump!!

Sonja of Ginger Makes took on quilting and has made the most gorgeous hedgehog quilt, in the most beautiful colours! Kat of Modern Vintage Cupcakes and Muse Patterns, despite having a very active toddler and a young baby herself, and being the brains and beauty behind an indie sewing pattern co, has made two pairs of leggings (one of which has snails!!), Dottie Doodle of Dottie Doodle has made the most gorgeous sleep sack with owls and Tabatha (aka Louise) of Thread Carefully has made the cutest pair of fox print trousers for when bump is slightly older!  Bump is going to style Me Made May outta the park!!

So much consideration has gone into the construction too, with comfy knit fabrics, snaps and robust seams.  As well as some serious seam ripper time by the sounds of it!

I absolutely adore the animal theme and colours that have ended up being in bump’s collection too; all creatures we see in our garden or in the fields behind, plus blues and earth tones.  Just perfect.

But if I wasn’t spoilt enough, people have been wonderful enough to hand knit gorgeous items as well!  I can knit (just) but seriously don’t have the patience for it and these items are just works of art!

Anne has made not one but TWO cardigans because we don’t know if bump is a he or a she! 5CurrantBuns who blogs over at Being Frank has made the most amazing spiral blanket in gorgeous, earthy tones and the wonderful Symon Sez has created a beautiful cardigan – look at that detail around the neck and it’s repeated at the cuffs!!  Again, so much care has gone into pattern and material selection so that we’re not worried about using or washing these gorgeous items.

All these wonderful people are so talented, you should go an have a look at what else they get up to!!

I am totally and utterly amazed and grateful for the time and love that has gone into these gifts.  I can’t quite believe that this is all for our imminent arrival!!  You wonderful, amazing, generous people are far more organised than I am – I’ve only just found the changing mat and have no idea where the covers are at the moment…  Who’s going to look after Boy, hospital bags and the car seat are the only things that are properly sorted!

I am so pleased that, with everything else that is going on in the world, Boy and (all being well) Bump are growing up in a world where people do still care, do still cherish friendships and will still go out of their way to bring joy to others.  I am beyond blessed to have you all in my life.

Thank you.  The word doesn’t seem enough, but from the bottom of my hear, thank you.

Gratitude

It’s ‘Sew Grateful‘ week again. A now annual event organised by Debbie over at My Happy Sewing Place. You’ve probably seen posts popping up in your reader all week with giveaways, tutorials and people using patterns they were gifted.

I’m not going to offer you a giveaway (having just held one) and I don’t have a tutorial to offer (I don’t feel qualified!). I haven’t got a pattern that someone gifted me sewn up and ready to share. What I do have is gratitude.

You know me, I’m honest to the point of TMI on this blog sometimes. You all know about the things that have gone right and wrong and some that have floored me and taken a while to pick myself up and dust myself down from. I’ve suffered from depression and the destruction, saddness, alienation and everything that goes with it. To quote the Blogess: “Depression Lies”. Remembering that is hard.

Thankfully I have things mostly on an even keel and have done for a little while now, but every so often I wobble. I’m human. To help combat the wobbles I’ve been keeping a record of things that I’m grateful for.
Now before you get completely weirded out by me (and I accept and love the fact that I’m a little bit weird!) can I ask that you keep reading for a little bit?

This week has been insane and intense for a number of reasons. Work, home, Husband’s business, slamming my hand in the door of the truck (who knew I could swear in multiple languages?!), thinking I was going to have to have my wedding ring cut off as a result of the swelling caused by that damn door… You get the picture. The thing that stopped me starting on a very slippery spiral was just reading back through those gratitudes I’d made a note of.

There were common themes to them which I hadn’t really picked up until I read them back. Family, Boy, Husband were all in there. The fact that I have a nice home and a reasonable income. The one that made me sit and think though was the kindness of people I have never met in real life.

Take Lizzy. I was in a funk on Monday morning but we had a chat on Twitter and she reassured me and virtually held my hand.

Then there’s Maddie. I got completely stuck with a pattern alteration regarding collar roll and reached out to her. In a short amount of time she gave me some starting points on Twitter and is going to provide me with further guidance and advice over the weekend.

Emmie came to my rescue when I was trying to source tailoring supplies and sent some of her own horse hair canvas for me to use. She wanted nothing in return.

Sonja made me laugh about slamming my hand in the truck door.

Some of these people are less than a hundred miles away, others are across the Atlantic or in the other hemisphere. I’ve only met one of them for a brief time in reality. But I’m proud to ‘know’ each and every one of them. I’m proud to ‘know’ each and every person I interact with through Twitter, Instagram and this blog (my social media outlets of choice).

Through sewing, a wonderful range of people and perspectives have entered my life and informed, educated, supported and shared with me not just sewing but their day to day lives. Sweary, I know you’re not into blogs, but you have opened my eyes to so many different things through Twitter.

I can’t think of any other more graphically diverse community that would hold a sewing competition in honour of the marriage of a member of that community. Sew Dolly Clackett is going to be immense? Unreal? I can’t find the right word. And the motivation is not blog views, sponsorship or any form of self gain or promotion. It’s purely because Sarah is across the Atlantic and wanted to do something for Roisin and Nic. Pure and simple.

The blogging, tweeting and instagraming that goes on in our community is so much more than ‘look what I made’. It’s a welcoming group of people with whom you can share life, love, laughter and tears with. That’s pretty damn special.

My gratitude to you guys is immense. I love helping you out when I can, lending an ear, pattern, opinion, support. Just being part of this community has enriched my life immeasurably. Thank you x