Bye bye 2014

It’s been quite a while since I last found the time and energy to write about my sewing projects (it’s half a year actually!). Looking back to the first months of 2014 I realize how everything was too much for me – especially too much work at my day-time-job. Hours and hours of overtime that made me impatient with the boys (which made them uneasy and even more agitated), unnerved by the workload at home and generally too exhausted to enjoy my freetime (which I mostly spent sleeping).

But! Everything is better now. I have a new colleague that took over a large amount of my workload and circumstances made it possible to return to normal schedule at work during October/November.

I made a re-start at running, sewed more often and generally enjoyed my life much more than during the first months of 2014. The boys were easier to handle, more balanced and family life got calmer, too.

There. I thought I’d share these good news with you and I really look forward to enjoying 2015 as much as possible.

But first let’s have a look back at the last months of 2014:

In August, big boy started primary school:

In case you are wondering what he carries in his arms: it’s a “Schultüte”: In Germany the kids get a cardstock cone filled with candy and little gifts to “sweeten up” their first and exciting day at school. Very often the cones are handmade by parents (or parents and kids together). When I asked him, what kind of design he’d like to have (soccer, superheros, etc.) he said that he wanted me to sew him a cone. When I told him that I didn’t know how to sew a cone he simply said: “we’ll look it up online”. Ha. Clever boy he is. He chose a star-y theme and I machine embroidered the date of his first day at school, his name and his class.

In September my sister had her second child – a girl! The first baby girl after 4 baby boys in our family! I was so looking forward to sewing little dresses for girls that I started right away:

  

October, November and December flew by with secret sewing projects.

But the best thing that happened during the last half-year was the visit of Ann for a private sewing retreat in August. She came over from Denmark for an extended weekend and we had lots of fun together. (Some pictures are from our Instagram Accounts: she is kvintaen on IG and I am grapesandhearts)

She taught me how to sew a Sew-together-bag (pattern by SewDemented):

 

And I showed her how to use a Serger to sew t-shirs for her son. We made an entire production:

 

And we visited Zen Chic Owner and Designer Brigitte Heitland. She lives approx. 30 minutes away from me:

 

This was truely my sewing highlight of the entire year. Thanks so much for flying over, Ann! It was so much fun to have you here, you are very welcome to come back at any time!!

So in a nutshell, this was the second and better half of 2014. I made many more things during the last months (christmas gifts, baby quilts, big boy quilts, bags), that I plan to show you during the next days (the kids are visiting grandma so I hope to get some blog post up during the weekend).

Enough for now. I sincerely hope that 2015 will be a good, happy and healthy year for each and every one of you and your beloved ones.

Happy Sewing!
Christine