International Year of Natural Fibers - 2009

Yes. It's true. This year is dedicated to natural fibres. Who knew? Pretty exciting stuff and their website has lots of interesting things on it for fibre geeks. Given that I just bought a bunch of linen and another bunch of ramie, it was a super find. I had always known that ramie was a bast fibre but hadn't realised it is equally as old as linen and was a relatively common ancient textile. All the cool mummies are wearing it.

The linen and possibly now the ramie will be morphed into my ambitious autumnal sewing spree. After a long summer of strolling around in garb, I've decided it's high time to make some new stuff. The sewing hasn't stopped, but it's all been for other people. For the next few months, unless there is money attached to it, the sewing is for me.

My etsy shop has been woefully neglected. This is primarily because every time I would make something to put up there, it would sell to someone I knew before it even hit the site. Go figure. This fall is dedicated to getting the shop stocked up. I've announced my ambition so now you'll all have to hold me accountable for this commitment. My other commitment is to NSF (gotta love those initials!) and our craft sales. We've signed up for one on 29 Nov. at the Crescentwood CC. This too will take some stocking up to prepare for. Luckily, having planned to be at one in Oct that failed to materialise, we are somewhat closer to prepared. Getting the displays worked out is going to be a tough one. So far that is why my other etsy shop is empty. I have stock, I just can't seem to make it look as good in the pictures. Based on discussions with others, this is a very real problem for the cottage crafter. Staging is everything and a good picture more often than not means sales.

This week I moved around my holidays a little. I had been planning on being busier than I now will be (contact me if you want to hear the story) so this was a great opportunity to have a look at maximising my time off. Thanks to a happy collision of statutory holidays and banked time, I will have 10 days off over the yuletide period. Some of thise might be spent roaming around so if you want a visit, claim your days now! It's plans like these that make me really miss having a cottage - particularly a winterized one. A wood fire, baking, coffee and the stillness of snow, trees and sunshine declare happy winter to me. Nevertheless, it is already feeling like the perfect time to recoonect with myself and possibly rescue my skis from oblivion. All this musing on winter is particularly amusing since it's currently sunny and edging up to 26C today.

Today I'm wishing that those people who are so deeply unhappy in themselves find peace and release.