Challenge of the Day

I’m lyin’! From the looks of things, it will be the challenge of the month. I love Folk Wear patterns! Some like this are crazy hard but much too diverting and enjoyable not to try! (I decided I was using ‘fun’ too much so I went to my favorite – Thesaurus.com.  Nerd to the core!)

For the fun of it, I’m keeping track of the present hours spent on sewing the tunic. I can’t count the hours it took me earlier because I had already started some of the easy stuff of cutting the material and machine embroidering one cuff before we moved. Then my machine couldn’t be repaired. Then I got a new machine. Then I had to cut one new cuff since the new machine has different embroidery stitches. Then I got busy with other crafts. But I actually finished most of them – Yay me!

So then today, I decided to get back to sewing. It felt good to be back to doing something I love. I am putting my goals for the rest of the year here in writing. Maybe that way, I’ll complete them!

I, Kara Beth, the procrastinator of all times, promise to try to sew one angel costume and one outfit for myself each month between now and the new year. 

Perhaps that will empty some of the boxes in the garage and some of the wonderfully crazy supplies I use to make fascinators for the angels. Then I have to find a church up here that actually would use some angel outfits as wild as I make. Wild or creative – take your pick. I think I still have material for a shepherd’s outfit or two and maybe a magi costume. Who knows what I’ll come up with?

I would be sewing right now, but two things keep me from doing so. Because it is storming like crazy, I have unplugged most everything in my house. I learned my lesson last month with the lightning strike! Thankfully I can write even if I am unplugged as long as the WiFi doesn’t go out again.

The other thing is a lesson I learned long ago. Machine sewing is a project for the daytime when my store of patience is not running on low. I do my cross stitch at night, but tearing out a few wrong threads is doable. Taking out rows of stitchery that I have done at 90 miles an hour with the machine takes much longer to do. Especially when one is using matching thread. It is Not fun! The old eyes don’t work that well any more. And again, the patience supply thing. You can see the light basting stitch and the one row of matching stitchery. I’ve only got 14 contrasting rows left to sew on the front panel and 25 with the green thread. Like I said, a challenge requiring LOTS of patience.

Of course, I have this written on my to-do lists as well. I’ve already crossed off three small sewing projects since last week. Setting goals and actually accomplishing them are two different things, but this is a start in the right direction.

I am working on other goals health-wise and learning and re-memorizing some Scriptures. I’m excited to start making milk kefir again as soon as the new grains come in. The pastor wrote out a whole page of verses to reference to meet various life challenges. Truthfully, the ones I started working on were exactly the words I needed to meditate on, to use for prayer starters, and to heal my soul.

Philippians 2:14.  ‘For Christ Himself is our way of peace.’

Philippians 4 sets a very important challenge and goal for me. I pray I can ‘lovingly follow the Truth at all time – speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly – and so become more and more in every way like Christ … healthy, and growing, and full of love.’

Blessings

Kara Beth