Thursday 12 April 2018

So Much Stuff, So Little TIme

For some years now we have known that we should downsize and find a new home with fewer rooms and a smaller garden. But whenever we start to think about it seriously we can't quite manage to do anything about it. We are lucky to have a beautiful house with lots of space, I have the perfect kitchen, a dedicated studio and the garden is spacious, backing onto open fields. I have lived here for twenty eight years, my children all grew up here and so there feels like a lot of emotional investment has gone into this house. It is the longest I have lived anywhere - almost half my life. Plus we love the village and village life and have many friends here, so we would be loathed to move away from the area. But the time has finally come when we really do need to make the move and so very slowly we are starting to make lists of things we need to do, whilst keeping an eye on any suitable properties that might be coming on the market in our area.

First on the list is a serious declutter. There is twenty eight years worth of stuff in my cupboards! Bit by bit I am going through boxes and wardrobes, clearing shelves and cupboards, wondering why I've hung on to so much. There have been numerous trips to the charity shop and the local dump. Of course this has also turned up half finished projects and things put aside for when I get the time to do something about them. One of those things I have been meaning to do for ages was to make seat covers for a pair of cheap Ikea stools. And in clearing out I also found the perfect bag of left over yarn with which to do it.


And so of course, instead of doing all the things I really should be doing,  I found a a mandala pattern by Annemarie Huijser featured in Mollie Makes  (because I had been sorting and throwing out old magazines) and I set to work. The pattern didn't make a large enough circle so I improvised until it was the right size.


I admit there was some unravelling and rejigging to make it fit properly but I'm happy with the result.


Of course, this is only one stool covered and there isn't enough yarn to make a second matching cover but I'm ignoring that and just enjoying my one pretty stool!

 
Which is just as well as I don't need the distraction of another crochet project when there really is still much to be done in the clearing of this house and I should also be getting on making wedding waistcoats. Although before the wedding there is going to be a mini exhibition of my portraits in a week or so (all will be revealed soon) so I'm also madly stitching these in an effort to have a critical mass to put on show.


So far I have done fourteen little free machined portraits mounted into 5" hoops.

They are quite addictive and as I work each one, I think of another I could do.

 
But as well as all that, I'm also away teaching for the next two weekends so there are bags to be packed and materials to be prepared.


No time at all for writing blogposts really!

21 comments:

  1. Your little portraits are SO brilliant. Make sure to let us know when/where they'll be on show. Let's catch up soon.

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  2. Marilyn is magnificent!
    What fun to turn decluttering into a fresh mandala.

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  3. Amazingly good likenesses. Marilyn's my favourite too.

    Good luck with the decluttering. I have to do mine in bite size chunks because I never want to throw away any of my fabric hoard and, like you, have too many works in progress.

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  4. Love the mandala stool Gina, so cheerful. My you are going to be busy. I can only imagine how you feel with the prospect of a move after so long. Hopefully you will be able to find a lovely new home. Wishing you all well. B x

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  5. Don’t envy you the declutting one bit. Your likenesses are truly amazing. Critical mass is a fab way of describing that feeling of trying to make enough! I know that one!!

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  6. I know just what you are going through with the decluttering, as I had to do the same a year ago. We had lived in our house for 35 years, the longest I had ever lived anywhere, and the amount of 'stuff' was incredible. Keep up the good work, and I hope you find the perfect property soon.
    Those portraits are absolutely stunning and will cause quite a stir at the exhibition. Love the crocheted stool cushion. I am about to try to teach myself to follow a pattern!

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  7. Love those latest portraits (MM gets my vote, too, but they're all brilliant). Good luck with all the sorting and decluttering before downsizing. I'm guessing it will be far from easy and very emotional as you come across particular bits and pieces. I'll be on standby with the box of tissues!

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  8. Fabulous funky stool! Great idea... don't tempt me ;-)

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  9. Fabulous colours used for your new stool cover! Good luck with your de-cluttering and with your exhibition. The portraits are fantastic xx

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  10. Love the stool cover, and the portraits are absolutely brilliant. I hope you have a great weekend teaching, and I'm wishing you luck with the decluttering and finding a new home. CJ xx

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  11. Love your post Gina. We seem to be at similar crossroads with really it should be a time for a sensible downsize. It's the garden that's the killer! However...... we are in the process of doing our bathroom and i'd be loathed to leave the copper bath which is due to go in! I have had a few wobbles and thought do we take the unplumbed bath with us and do a move, and for that matter the seagrass which is still waiting to be fitted 6 months on! (because of the bathroom refit). In the end it's too difficult to contemplate and i'm sure we'll be here for a few years yet with me getting evermore guilty about not giving the garden more time which it SO deserves. Like you I am digging out cupboards- how can kitchen cupboards create so much havoc and recycling?!!! Love all the projects you are getting up to especially the stool. Have lovely weekend lovely Gina x

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  12. Wow I love those portraits. Good luck with your move if you make it.

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  13. Such clever stitched portraits! And lovely colours in your stool cover.

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  14. Lovely colours and pattern for your stool cover. I have been doing a mega declutter thus year and actually have some little bits of empty cupboard space! Good luck with your teaching days.

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    1. Thanks Catriona, good weekend teaching but now getting ready for next weekend away!

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  15. Totally sympathise. I am trying to squeeze two apartments into one with ten years clutter. All the best with yours and may you find the perfect place

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  16. You know the contents of our attic would be enough to make me stay put!!! Good luck with the decluttering.
    I love your mini portraits Gina they really are excellent!!

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  17. I wish you luck in this new endeavour. I simply could not even think of it!

    Love the stool cover - and the portraits of course.

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  18. My gosh Gina, I don't know how you manage to find time to do half the things you do - you are incredible! I love all those portraits too. Notice that I can now reply on your blog!!!! I am using a new software program and it is bliss to be able just to type without trying to work out where I am and get a space inserted.
    Sorry to hear you are having to pack up and move, I hoe you find another place in the same area, your village has always sounded so friendly, but I suppose life has to move on. Our house is probably too big, but Bill says we are only leaving in a casket! Cheers

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