It Was Always There

I think we can all say that it has been quite the summer. Mine began with my friend dying, and me having to completely clean out her house. But, with a lot of hard work, and very long days, I had the house on the market and sold in 5 weeks. I have been told that I should be hired to take care of estates. My answer is, "No Way!!!" Way too much work, and way too much stress to do that on an ongoing basis. My primary goal was to get the house sold as quickly as possible as it worried me having it sit empty. I ended up missing out on being able to work in my garden. But, I am not super woman, and I had to choose a priority. The garden will be here next summer :)

When I initially walked into the house, I felt a little overwhelmed, where do I begin? I decided that the easiest place to start was with her clothes. Get the closets cleaned out, and get the clothes and shoes packed for charity. That in and of itself was quite the endeavor. I thought I had a lot of clothes. One thing I learned is that she really didn't throw anything out. So, there were bags upon bags of clothes and shoes. 

A few years ago, I made this denim cape for a Sew News sew along. It's the Cape Super Express from Islander Sewing. I had a lot of fun with this piece. I lined the hood with a burnt orange velvet. The body is lined with a piece of home dec fabric. And, to finish it off, I used purse snaps for the closure. Sadly, those clamp style purse snaps are no longer available.     

I made 2 of these capes, 1 for the Sew News magazine, and another for the sew along. The cape that I made for the magazine has a lovely silk lining, and is made with 2 coordinating pieces of faux fur. You can see pictures of that cape HERE. 

My friend saw the capes in the Haute Couture Club of Chicago's fashion show that year and raved over them. So, I decided to give her the denim cape. She was thrilled!!!

After going through all of my friend's clothes, the cape was no where to be found. I thought that maybe she had given it away. But then, that was so unlike her. 

Once the house sold, I began working on clearing out the furniture that I had used to stage the house, and clean for the new owner. The furniture in the 1st floor bedroom had been moved out, and I went in to vacuum and mop the floors. While vacuuming, I closed the door to clean behind it, and low and behold, there, hanging behind the door was the cape. I couldn't believe it, it was there all along.

It was obvious that she had placed it there so that she could quickly throw it on.

The process of closing out one's life is one that I have said that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. It has made me look at objects and possessions in a very different manner. At one point, I was so tired that I told my husband that I wanted to sell everything we have, buy a tee pee, and just sit on the floor of that tee pee, no furniture, no stuff!!! Trust me, I am over that ;)

Along the way, I have also learned so many life lessons. With the cape, I learned that it can be so very easy to overlook things that are right in front of me. In this case, all I had to do was move the door. Just move something that was in the way. 

The cape is back in my possession. The temps are beginning to fall. Mornings are crisp and cool, perfect cape wearing weather. I think that each time I wear the cape, I will be reminded that in order to find what I want, sometimes all it takes is to move a door. Sometimes a physical door, and sometimes a door that I have created.     

Back In The Saddle Again

Over the last 5 weeks, I have learned that what may seem the simplest of things, can mean the most. A friend picked me up for lunch. I was struggling with getting my utensils out of the napkin. The waiter saw my struggle, came over, said nothing, but simply took the roll from my hand and opened it for me. During the meal, I managed to spill sauce on the table, and basically made an absolute mess. Once again, he came over and made a joke about what I had done, a sweet joke that let me know he understood, and made me laugh. Earlier that morning, I had managed to make my breakfast, berries with yogurt and granola. As I went to pick up the bowl, I somehow hit the spoon and yogurt went everywhere, all over the cabinet, the floor, and me. I burst into tears. But, my husband calmly said, "don't worry, I'll clean it up." Then Berkley seized the moment and began "cleaning up" the mess. That dog is not going to miss an opportunity for food!

There are so many who have come to my aide, the hairdresser who washed my hair, dried it, took the time to add curls, and then cut her rate in half. She said that it was her gift to me :) A friend who knows how much I love a bowl of soup, and brought me a pot. Friends who brought me the loveliest yellow roses. Another friend who came to "pick up my mail," which was really just an excuse to come spend a little time with me. And then I would be remiss to not include all of the heartfelt messages that so many of you have sent. They have warmed my heart, and made me feel loved.

There have been some hard lessons learned as well, but in the end, good lessons, especially about where and how I want to spend my time. No, I am not ending the blog :) While breaking my wrist, especially my right wrist is not something I would want to repeat, I am grateful. I have been able to rest, contemplate, dream, and make decisions that otherwise would not have happened. A gift.

Earlier this winter, a friend came to visit. A new tradition that I have started is to take my guests to the fabric store and have them choose fabric for a set of pillowcases. They are so easy to make, and it gives them a little something from me to take home and hopefully, fondly remember their visit. 

I have tried to sew, but my hand would quickly begin to hurt. The therapist had told me that if I begin to feel pain, stop. So, I did. But, I kept trying. I did manage to hem a pair of pants last week. I was so proud that I immediately wore them! Reminded me of being a teenager and being so very excited to have made something new to wear ;) Again, a simple pleasure. 

Yesterday I sat down and actually made the 2 sets of pillowcases for my friend. I felt as though I had made a major accomplishment! I know that pillowcases are hardly something to get excited about, much less inspire, but I thought I would share them nonetheless.

I always let my guests pick out their own fabric. I wasn't so sure about the combination of fabrics, but in the end, I loved how the batiks worked with this set.      

She also chose the flannel for a set of winter cases. Super simple, but I think they will be quite cozy. A little side note, my friend lives in Seattle. I had gone to visit her a few years ago. The first night I was there, I thought I would freeze to death!!! That wet, cold air goes right through your bones! The next morning she got up and saw that I had put on insulated pants, a sweater, and was even wearing a knitted hat! From that point, until I left, she kept the wood stove stoked. I was so grateful!

I managed to cut out a simple knit dress. That's next on the agenda. To rediscover the joy of something I have taken for granted, a wonderful gift :)

Rhonda