Friday, February 20, 2009

On the mend

Have you heard the one about the disappearing blogger?
Tea towel made as a surprise for a friend

When it comes down to it, I really can not do it all. As much as I, and every other mother I know wants to, it's just not possible. So there are choices. And they need to be prioritized. When I began this blog I did so in the hopes that virtually keeping track of my projects would help me finish them, and help me stay in touch with other bloggers who enjoy making things, baking, and taking photos of their accomplishments.
Pants made for Harlan this month. They were not intended to look like M.C. Hammer pants, but they kind of do.

What turns out to be possible, is that I eek out precious bits of time to make things (without keeping track of anything,) I bake things constantly (despite theoretically being on the Weight Watchers points diet,) I sit down to read my favorite bloggers' blogs, and keep in touch with them through commenting on their blogs, and I continue to take photos on a daily basis.

detail of pocket. Train fabric from Leslie.

When it comes down to my own blog, life seems to get in the way most of the time. Since moving to Austin a year and a half ago, I have not gone more then four weeks without any allergy symptoms. I do not mean a few sneezes and watery eyes either. We're talking sore throat, coughing that ends up in loud fits of gagging, partial to total loss of my voice, and completely blocked nasal passages that force me to sleep sitting up like the elephant man did (for some reason the one thing I always remember from the super tragic movie is that he had to sleep sitting up due to his messed up breathing issues). Do I sound like an old kvetcher, ready to move down to Boca yet (I wonder how the allergies are down there)? To add to all this glory, the state of being allergic so often has generally lowered my immune system and made me more vulnerable to infection. Since November, I have been fighting a sinus infection that has given me fever and chills, and body aches and exhaustion. It took me three months of living like this (with two brief periods of feeling well mixed in there) to finally stop and consider that maybe it wasn't just allergies that were bothering me. And now, on a ten-day course of antibiotics, I feel like a new woman. I am also seeing an allergist about taking weekly shots to stave off allergic reactions. I'm telling everyone this because I have basically been spending the last couple of months just going through the motions. There has not been enough time to get work done, let alone blog about what I am stitching while laying on the sofa with my eyes propped open. And now I feel that I am coming out of a tunnel and hopefully rejoining the land of the living.

Truck pants made for Harlan last month, using really expensive black stretch denim that I got in NYC to make a skirt for myself with. I have no idea why I blew it on these pants. I guess I didn't realize that one could not get similar fabric at local fabric chains like Jo-Ann's.

Moving to Austin may have given me massive allergies that will require weekly shots for a very long time, but honestly I fucking love it here. Winter with the sun shining almost every day, and warm enough weather to play outside is really the antidote to a lot of things in my book.




I recently just managed to get some of the vintage pillowcase dresses up in the shop. It was not easy to get fantastic photos of the dresses due to their being white and flowing. I'm working on getting better shots, but for now, click on the photos and check out the detail shots which I think came out quite nicely with my macro lens. Also, check out the new sleeper sets and romper dresses.
Long-sleeved onesies are still available for a couple more months too!

6 comments:

priyabeverlymoon said...

Welcome back to the land of the living! I had heard that allergies can be very serious in Austin. I hope you find a solution to modify your reactions because as you say, you love living there.
Nice to see the little girl in her sundress. Keep up the good work!

Green Kitchen said...

Sounds gnar! We'll take what we can get. Don't feel too much pressure to do everything. I usually can only do one thing well at a time. Right now I'm cooking, baking, and juicing -- trying to keep my family healthy. Haven't sewn anything in weeks. Keep on truckin'

the fabled needle (jen) said...

the vintage pillow case dresses are the cutest things ever, i love them so!

re: allergies - your sinuses might need to be some place dry. i do like moisture in the air but i'm really most comfortable in dry climates (which is one of the reasons why we ended up moving back to one!) but i know that isn't always an option when it comes to jobs and such. i'm sorry, that is annoying to deal with! maybe with more time your body will adjust?

Brook said...

Dont quit blogging I love everything you make!!! those vintage pillowcase dresses are the cutest things EVER!

Anonymous said...

Hope you feel better soon! It sounds like your body has been under siege. Hopefully your allergist will have good news, and your body can heal. After a bad sinus infection, my doctor recommended saline nasal spray every day, which she says has helped many of her patients stay cold-free. And I took that a step further and tried the neti pot. It's weird and kinda gross, and I don't do it as regularly as I probably should, but they have definitely helped me with allergies and dry sinuses.

Take good care of yourself! xo.

ps - love love love the pillowcase dresses!!!

OregonPatchWorks said...

Nice stitching :)