Guerilla sewing is a type of sewing that is done mostly by Mommas with young (ish) children. Said children need guidance, attention, meals and care (imagine that) so that Mommy Sewing Time can be limited. In some cases, severely limited. We were talking about how my latest creation had been sewn almost sneakily, one seam at a time, whilst I was “supposed” to be doing other things. Example: cooking dinner while Petunia plays with Daddy or entertains herself. Get part of the dinner started, then tiptoe-ing upstairs to grab whatever I’m working on a whir away on the machine for 30 seconds. Running upstairs to put the laundry away and stealing away to the sewing machine to stitch a seam or two after. Or inserting a short, sneaky, seam-sewing intermission into just about anything that I am doing.

The gist of guerilla sewing is that you are sneaking away or taking a break from something that you are supposed to be doing and instead “fighting” to get your projects done by sewing in very short bursts resulting in significant progress before you know it! And sometimes that is the ONLY way sewing progress is made around here…there are no hours in a row for sewing in my world right now. But preschool starts this week! Even Petunia knows what I will be doing with that time. I did not tell her but she assumed when asked by her teachers this week what Mommy will be doing while she’s in preschool. “Mommy’s going to play with her sewing machine while I’m at preschool.” Yes, Dear Child. Yes, I am…

She is stable today. Her blood sugar is higher than it “should” be but I spent most of the day yesterday trying to keep her stubbornly low blood sugar up so I am comfortable letting it ride. Nothing worked to keep her blood sugar in the normal range for a very long time. Then it worked for a while. Then she threw up again and we started all over. It was a nerve-wracking and dangerous situation. We ended up in the ER and home very, very late.

It is weird to call creating work because I do it, among other times, when I’m stressed out. It calms me and it is therapeutic. But it is work because it is my business. It is something that I am actively putting effort into and nurturing on a daily basis. I am learning, creating and producing and, dare I say it, having something for myself. And, today, I need a little something for myself. So, while she is sleeping, I am getting started on the wonderful ideas generated by a simple question on the Snugglebug Designs FB Fan Page “What do you want to see in the shop?”. And it’s helping.

Here is whipup.net’s take on the sweater-skirt

I love, love, LOVE the ruffley-ness on the bottom!

Crafting a Green World has this take on the sweater-skirt.

Again with the wavy ruffles…love them! And the vibrant colors in her picture gives me all kinds of fun ideas…

The tutorial for the kiddo leggings by way of adult sweater is here .

Well, I’ve done it again…I’m up past my bed time contemplating, writing about, and doing crafty stuff. Going to go get some sleep so as to have the energy to keep up with Petunia as we troll the thrift store for sweaters tomorrow! Happy crafting!:)

Before I go, a little “What I’m Thankful For” list (you didn’t think you’d be able to read a Thanksgiving post without one, did you?):
My miraculous daughter
My marriage
That we have “enough” and that I can adjust my expectations of what is enough not based on what others have but based on what I need.

My extended family–my sisters and brother, Mom and Dad. They are my foundation.

The ability to adapt and choose to be happy. My hobbies and my family help me tremendously with that but I know people who are miserable and who don’t know how to not be. I am grateful that I can always find a way to be happy.

Pretty basic stuff, I know and kind of off the top of my head (I’m being told it’s time to disconnect and get on with it! LOL) but there you have it. I am very grateful this year. Life is good.

Although I could barely see straight the two weeks before the Open House, I really enjoyed being that focused and getting so much done. And, not only was it good for business/creative productivity, it leaked over into domestic productivity as well. Nobody went without clean underwear, the “floor food” under Petunia’s booster seat was cleared on a regular basis and the house was generally in a good state. Is it that I feel a kind of masochistic joy in pushing myself that hard? Or my flaming perfectionism manifesting itself? Not sure. But what I do know is that I can’t keep it up for long so, for now, I’ll be enjoying some snack foods and contemplating my next move.

Add to the above that in 13 days my baby will start preschool and I have hope that I might feel human again soon! Last year’s summer schedule was much the same as this one with The Daddy gone just as much but somehow this year it is much harder. Maybe it’s that she’s 3 now and has behaviors that are more challenging. Maybe it’s that diabetes is now a constant part of our lives, messing with any plans that we might make and adding work to things that could be so fun. Maybe it’s the 3 year itch that I always seem to get at any phase of my life. I suspect that it’s a little bit of all of these. But in just a short two weeks, I will have more time to sort it all out because The Daddy who is a wonderful Daddy who loves to spend time with his daughter and give his wife a break after work will be returning to his regularly scheduled programming.  And my sweet baby will become a preschooler.

Can I get a “Hallelujah”?

I know that she didn’t mean “homemade” in the way of preschool macaroni jewelry and art projects that your kids bring home but it just kinda hit me that way. And, apparently it stuck with me that way, too because it’s been a couple of months and I’m writing a blog post about it. She is a lovely woman that rarely, if ever, has a bad thing to say about anyone so I know that she was not disparaging my work. And I really like this woman. She is a good mother and a good person. But, the truth is, I wouldn’t have chosen the word “homemade”. Maybe she just had a moment like I know I do (too often) where your brain just doesn’t “grab” the word that you meant or wanted to use. Or maybe I’ve spent too much time in/on/around sites for people who hand make things for sale. I’m not bitter or anything, it just got me to thinking about the difference between homemade and handmade or whether there is a difference between them. What do you think? In your mind, is there a difference? Please comment and let me know!