I recently launched both an instagram account and a newsletter (click here for latest edition, which Tucker wrote) for sharing my latest creations & etsy items.  And I've recently taken to facebook for directly sharing my random thoughts and recommendations.  So what do I still need a blog for?

I guess it's for when I want to share a more lengthy ramble (with photos) with the world beyond just my friends and acquaintances, in the hope that it will add some value to others' lives.  Or just their day.  Or just their hour.  That's actually worth a lot, IMHO.  With the butterfly effect and all, putting a useful or validating thought in someone's head or a smile on someone's face can have a positive effect with ripples that go well beyond one person's momentary experience.

That's the loose theme of this blog post: things that have lately put a useful or validating thought in my head or smile on my face.  Hopefully at least one will do the same for you.

If you're not streaming this show yet, you're missing out. It's actually quite family friendly, if you're the kind of parent who considers finding something you and your children can laugh uproariously at together worth the price of exposing them to sexual references and bad language. Needless to say, I am that parent. I am also the kind of parent who likes being there when they are exposed to those things so I can be the one to answer their questions and explain why certain things are inappropriate. But I digress. Andre Braugher's hilariously deadpan performance is reason enough to watch this show, but every cast member is great and the writing is smart enough to make "stupid-funny" actually funny. This moment had me and my 6-year-old equally ROFL.

I hadn't realized how isolated I felt, and how seriously I considered the possibility that I was crazy and inventing the whole thing, until I met someone else -- a real person, not just the voice of a book author or online commentator -- who has been dealing with overwhelming fatigue and all-over pain that makes it impossible to participate in life in the way most people take for granted.  Like me, she masks how she feels around other people most of the time, feels sad that she can't be more physically active particularly as a parent, and has tried just about everything to help herself heal yet often feels inadequate when receiving well-meaning but incessant advice to just do that one other thing that will definitely help (even while knowing she has already tried it). So thank you, Becky, for coming into my life through our sons' friendship!  Here she is alongside my favorite of her many wry instagram posts:

That is, streaming it the next day.  For me, Colbert is always just what the doctor ordered: a very smart, articulate, and funny person calmly calling out as crazy (in a totally rational, albeit humorous, way) what our president and his team have just tried to pass off as sane.  I also love his respectful and charming demeanor with his guests.

I'll stop there.  Please share, preferably in the comments section of this blog (because not everyone who reads it sees my facebook page), who or what made a seemingly small but actually significant difference in your day lately!

Here's what I think needs to happen.  Someone needs to write a beautiful song affirming the values we want a president to represent... and want to stand up for if and when a president doesn't.  Not a negative or hateful song; the opposite of that.  A rallying cry that any good and patriotic person would be moved and inspired by.  Then, Beyonce needs to give a concert and sing it... on Inauguration Day.  To give Americans something positive to watch on TV that day, and to give someone else (or someone with a different message) a platform to divert attention from someone who could stand to get a little less.

OK, I've come up with the idea.  Now you just need to make it happen.  "You" meaning you.  Reading this. If you know someone, or are someone, who can get this ball rolling.  Fast.  Don't even read the rest of this; time is of the essence.

If you don't and aren't that someone, feel free to keep reading.

Here's some stuff I made since the last post.

several pairs of PJs

So cozy in winter.  Hard to sew but worth the work because it's so fun to imagine the kids wearing them... especially with their initial on the pocket, a touch I love to add!  Also love the soft flannels, and the reminiscences brought back by some of the plaids.  (Red Royal Stewart plaid makes me think of freshman year in college, when we all seemed to have the same L.L. Bean pajamas in that fabric... and sometimes wore them to breakfast!)

some new double glasses cases

I had myself a little online fabric shopping spree a while back and chose some new prints with which to make this case.  People kept ordering the old ones, which was fine, but I was super excited when a couple of orders rolled in for ones made with some of my lovely new fabrics!

a watercolor of a bird

Another poem-and-painting, this one for Emily Dickinson's "'Hope' is the thing with feathers."

a new journal

Call me a relic, dinosaur, anachronism, what have you -- I like to write things down on paper.  And I love upcycling old cereal boxes into journals.  And I adore what Tucker, my 6-year-old, wrote on the first page when I wasn't looking.

a tunic

Not just any tunic: the perfect tunic.  At least for me.  I've seen and sewn so many, and none quite does it for me, so I've been trying to design the goldilocks of tunics: not too boxy, not too shapeless, just right!  I went through a bunch of fails and saved this pretty fabric I bought a while ago for when I had it nailed down.  I think I did!  Notwithstanding the none-too-flattering photos.  Blame it on bad perspective and my lacking the patience to wait for someone besides myself or my 6-year-old to take a picture of it.

That's about it.  Happy New Year & thanks for reading!  Here's hoping we'll all be listening to Beyonce's inspiring live performance next week!

Several times a day, I suddenly remember what happened last Tuesday, and am flooded with fear.  It has much to do with the reality of events, but is also colored by my own family and personal history. ​

The family aspect has to do with my father, who at the age of 10 (my older son’s current age) was rounded up along with all the Dutch Jews and millions of others and sent to be murdered or (if they were lucky) merely tortured for years in a German concentration camp… because the disgruntled masses of a seemingly civilized nation chose to support a leader who promised to restore their lost sense of greatness and power.  I am not saying Trump is Hitler; I am just telling you what parallels come to my mind and fill me with horror.

As for the personal: as I have shared before in this blog, I have struggled for 6+ years with fibromyalgia, a syndrome whose symptoms include chronic fatigue, pain, and depression. Depression did not begin for me with the fibromyalgia, but it is exacerbated by it.  So when recent societal events actually resembled a nightmarish problem with no apparent solution, I naturally zoomed right into a state of hopelessness.  

But, also thanks to my personal and family history (as well as to external realities), I have not stayed in a pit of despair. 

On the external reality front: we do still live in a democracy with a system of checks and balances.  The Bill of Rights has not been repealed.  There has not been a junta. 

On the family history front: my father did survive, and the optimism and sense of gratitude with which he lives his life to this day cannot help but influence me (though not nearly as much as they awe me).
 
On the personal front: in order to cope with the aforementioned symptoms so I can enjoy my life and do right by my children, I have worked extremely hard to find and practice effective tools for easing physical and mental discomfort.  I haven’t discovered any one-size-fits-all solution, or a single tool that always works.  But I have definitely had a lot of success.  More and more frequently overall, I am able to turn around a state of discomfort and experience ease and joy.  And I find I can use this skill in dealing with everything that bothers me, not just symptoms of my illness.
 
With regard to current events, here’s what this means.  Fear still comes up.  But I know that actions prompted by fear (which I believe to include expressions of rage, the easy way out of fear) are not effective for me.  So instead of immersing myself in the alarmist and contemptuous conversations all around me, I am listening for hope, for calm, and for love.  And as soon as I listen for it, I hear it. 
 
Sorry, dear reader, if that sounds hippy dippy and doesn’t offer much.  It’s simply what helps me move towards a sense of well-being, without which (for me) not much else is possible: not activism, not even rational thought.
 
On a lighter note, here are photos of things I am proud to have created since last post.  (Click on photo to buy in my shop, where available.)

for what a summer it was!  On a personal note, I spent hardly a day feeling depressed.  What a gift to be able to enjoy all there is to enjoy in life!  Such as the beauty of nature...

Seeing one's children discover new interests...

Falling more in love than ever with the little people with whom one is sharing a house (and managing to get through the summer without murdering or being murdered by the big ones)...

Time and tools to create to my heart's content...

.And the fulfillment of creating by commission, i.e. making custom art for remuneration.

Hope summer held some restoration, relaxation, and rewards for you too.  Let's hold onto that as we face the other seasons!

Relaxing, connecting, creating... some of my very favorite things to do, and I've had the good fortune of getting to do them all in spades over the last few weeks!  While living with extended family has its challenges, the benefits of freeloading at my parents' beach house are well worth it.  Especially because it's a place with so much built-in entertainment for the kids... great for them and me!

These pix speak for themselves, but I've added captions anyway.

So much for relaxing and connecting; on to creating.  It's hard NOT to be inspired to paint watercolors in these surroundings, and I've completed quite a few already this summer.

As for sewing: I think I'm most proud of this sunhat I made for Scarlett (finally got the sizing right) from an adorable Tula Pink fabric...

...and the portrait pillows I made for my parents' anniversary!  (What they lack in verisimilitude, they make up for in cuteness, I think.)

And then there's the embroidery I did on some plain T-shirts, just to spice up my summer wardrobe a bit.

Don't know what category to put this in, but I also upcycled a cereal box to make a journal for myself.  I used this tutorial and added an elastic pen holder.  Pattern is from a fabric I found online that I love (but can't bring myself to order as it only sells in Europe and with shipping is crazy expensive), just printed on regular paper.

And that's all for now!  Hope you, my small band of regular readers from among my family & friends & acquaintances along with you who randomly happen upon my blog, are getting some sun and perhaps some fun in as well!

WARNING: this post is sentimental and probably of interest to actual relatives only.  There are a few creative projects thrown in but it's mostly just, well, photos I think are adorable of my kids & other people I'm fond of.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

OK, here we go.

Tucker's moving-up ceremony was adorable...

...but his end-of-the-year classroom celebration, a.k.a. Family Fun Day, was truly awesome!  Highlight: hair styling for moms!

Oliver's elementary school graduation was so much fun but super emotional for me, as it meant formally leaving the community which we were so incredibly fortunate to be a part of for the last six years.  It was more than a school: it was a family.  With incredibly caring and talented teachers.  And amazingly warm and involved families.  And... I could go on and on.  I'll just say that, even knowing that the friends both Oliver and I have made there will remain in our lives, and that the future will hold wonderful new things, I am having trouble facing the fact that our years there have come to a close.  Sniff!

Tucker's final playdate of the school year with a bosom buddy was also bittersweet, as they'll spend the summer apart...

But heading out to Fire Island with the parental units (mine) to kick off the summer we plan to spend there was pretty exciting...

...especially for a certain cross-generational duo!

I finished upcycling a couple dresses, such as this one, for my irresistible niece Scarlett (using old shirts of her mom's/my sister's, which actually used to be our mom's!).  Doesn't she wear it well?

Other major creative task completed: pop-art-style family portrait to round out our home's new "gallery wall"! 

Oh, and one more: bag I made out of an oversized T-shirt to take to the beach.  I wanted something much more lightweight than the traditional tote, with a pocket for the little stuff and plenty of room for the big stuff: towels, book for me, sand toys for the kids... you know.  The usual, well, crap.

For our final sewing class, my students shared a sundae... and made me a sweet heart pin embroidered with my name!

I'll end with a blast from the past my dad e-mailed me: 2 photos, 40 years apart.  On the left: my sister and I, who just look like boys.  On the right: our sons, i.e. actual boys (and cousins).  Quite the resemblance, eh?

See, here I am again!  This time with a whole backlog of recommendations.  For shows tostream, books to read, & theater to see.  I have gotten lifts, thrills, and even life lessons from things I turned to simply for distraction.  Hope they prove as valuable to you.  And please, share your own entertainment discoveries in the comments section!

1. Lark Rise to Candleford (available on Amazon Prime)

Alfie.  Queenie.  Minnie.  Twister.  Such memorable, adorable characters.  Oh, and Bates from Downton Abbey.  (Though I'm not such a fan of that actor really, or the character he plays here.)  It's amazing what resonance this story of poor villagers rubbing up against middle class townsfolk in early 19th century Oxfordshire, England could have for a modern gal such as myself.  The main storyline in each episode is usually such a minor incident in old-fashioned country life -- a post-office package gone missing and then recovered, a lost dog adopted -- that it's a true accomplishment how engaging and important it seems while you're watching it.  I really can't recommend this enough, especially for fans of Victorian literature and series/movies based thereon such as myself.  And there are 4 seasons!!!  So satisfying. Here's a little clip to give you the flavor.

2.  The Last Man on Earth (broadcast on Fox, available on Hulu Plus)

I really don't know who's funnier, Will Forte or Kristen Schaal.  Kristen's a lot more loveable, that's for sure.  This show is hilarious.  Hilarious.  Hilarious.  The first episode is slow, but by the end it gets funny, and the show just gets more and more hilarious with each episode.  Did I mention I find it hilarious?  By the way even though it is kind of inappropriate I do let my 10-year-old watch it with me, and he loves it as much as I do.  Which is fun.

3.  Poldark (available on Amazon Prime)

Swoon!  That's my response to Poldark (the character, as played by the smoldering Aidan Turner).  You can catch up on Season 1 while waiting for Season 2 to begin sometime this year on PBS.  I can't wait.  I've even gotten my mom into it.  The story is replete with passion, resentment, family & class tensions, powerfully conflicted men riding their horses across the starkly beautiful coastal landscape of 1790's Cornwall, England... if that sounds like your kind of thing, get on it!

...or listen to on audiobook, as I do (thank you New York Public Library):

1. Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

Totally vapid.  And totally entertaining.  I especially recommend the audiobook, which (unlike most of the others in the Shopaholic series, which have a different reader for some reason) is read with deadpan understatement by Clare Corbett.  I chortled out loud more than once.  You don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy it.  It's perfect light reading for when you just want to laugh!

2. The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin

I'm not going to lie to you, this one's trashy too.  Despite its trappings of historical fiction -- the story interweaves interesting fictional characters with real aristocrats and royals from 19th century Europe  -- it amounts to not much more than a guilty pleasure.  But the characters are engaging, and the story is just unpredictable enough to help this novel transcend the bodice-ripping genre to which it arguably belongs.  A well-written, light, juicy read!

3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

3. The good thing about having a memory that gets worse and worse is this: I can read great books I have already read and enjoy them as if for the first time, because I have completely forgotten them!  I have done this now with practically everything by my favorite authors.  This book, though, I had omitted to re-read because I vaguely remembered not liking it very much when I first read it.  I don't know if that memory is faulty or if my tastes have changed (probably both), but boy did this exceed my expectations (no pun intended) when I finally got around to re-reading it recently!  So gothic, so epic, so affecting!  I can't think of a more purely endearing character in literature than Joe, nor a more oddly sympathetic one than Pip's convict.  Dickens' narrative voice is as cleverly droll and inimitably trenchant as ever.  The whole thing is just a big, touching treat. 

Full disclosure: my husband gets a free pair of tickets to most Broadway shows because of his professional involvement in musical theater (huge perk for me, when I feel well enough to join him!).  So I am not really judging the shows I see according to the same standards as most, i.e., "Was this worth the hundreds of dollars these seats cost?"  Which is not to detract from the enthusiasm of my recommendations; just to let you know I'm not saying the shows I liked ARE necessarily worth spending a fortune to see.

 1. Bright Star ​(now on Broadway)

Who know Steve Martin was such a talented composer!  I loved his (and lyricist Edie Brickell's) folk/bluegrass score as much as I loved his story, the great performances (especially by hugely talented leading lady Carmen Cusack), the wonderful choreography and costumes, and the clever set.  With a cast of unknowns, this show may not attract enough of an audience to stay open long on Broadway... so catch it while you can!  

2. On Your Feet: The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan​ (now on Broadway)

We were indeed on our feet by the end of the show, dancing and singing along!  Which is saying a lot for both me (endurer of fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue that I am) & Mark (harborer of inhibitions and epitome of propriety that he is).  I really can't believe this show wasn't nominated for any of the major Tony awards, with its super-talented cast and appealing, inspiring story.  If you do go see it, be forewarned... the rhythm is gonna get you!

Well that's the round-up of my latest recs.  Hope it leads to lots of enjoyment!

You may also like:

...is waaaay too long to go without posting!  Instead of being overwhelmed by how much there is to post about and continuing to put it off, I'll just do a slapdash post with photos of highlights.  Kay kay?

Tucker's class project for the school auction... doesn't it look like a Jim Dine?
​

A commission I got last summer and finally completed... a gorgeous old Saltaire house!
​

My sewing class with the mobile we made as a group project, and donated to Room to Grow!

"Tea wallet" I made for a friend who always serves me the best teas
​

My first stitchalong effort, for Craftster's "Mythical Creatures" hoopla-along.  I called it "Kawaii Kraken."
​

I was definitely obsessive about sewing myself the perfect compact iPhone wallet since joining the 21st century and getting a smartphone (or, rather, inheriting it from my sister when she upgraded)... replete with little nooks for keys, earbuds, cash, and cards!  I am so inordinately thrilled with it, and with my ability to go out and about with just this tiny clutch & have everything I need!  (Instead of my old heavy filofax, my separate music player, my wallet, etc. etc....)
​

Thanks to my readers for caring to keep up with what I've been making, etc.  I'll aim for more frequent, shorter posts going forward!  Happy summer, and remember: do whatever makes you feel giddy (in a good way) as often as possible!  It sure does help me to do so.

I'll sign off with the aphorism I just thought of:

MAKERS GONNA MAKE.

Yours in connection & creativity,

​Jilly

We are often told that worrying is a pointless waste of time.  That when we have a problem and cannot find a solution, if we worry, it only diverts our energy away from potentially productive avenues of thought and effort.  In the case of worry about our own problems, I agree with the wisdom of this practical perspective (though I am not, unfortunately, able to live accordingly at all times).  But I am not so sure when it comes to worrying about others.
 
As soon as I learn that someone I care about has a problem, I start worrying, and become almost completely incapable of focusing on anything else.  And perhaps it is ineffective, in the most practical sense.  Yet it is my way of being loyal and caring, and is often truly appreciated as such.
 
Here’s what brings this to mind.  A young person I care deeply about shared with me yesterday that he had a long school assignment to complete in a short time and was very worried that he wouldn’t do a good enough job.  Of course it worried me to see him so worried.  At the same time, I was sure that the expectations he feared he couldn’t meet were his own brainchild.  But I didn’t tell him that, since I knew from experience that it would only make him feel invalidated, alone, and uncared about.
 
Instead, I conveyed my empathy with his sense of being in a pickle.  I offered to stay close by so he could ask for help, or a hug, if he wanted to.  He accepted.  And I think that just knowing I was there, worrying his worry with him, helped calm him and enable him to work steadily. 
 
When he was ready to stop and go to bed, he asked for some “love,” by which I knew he meant snuggling him until he fell asleep.  What a contrast to times when I had responded to similar problems with immediate practical suggestions and/or logical arguments as to why his worry was baseless.  All that had produced was tears, anger, and a much more protracted and miserable night... throughout which my presence, not to mention my affection, was seriously unwelcome.
 
We all want to do what’s best for our children.  We all try to do what’s best.  And we all fail, despite our best efforts, with distressing frequency.  My parenting scorecard, if I kept one, would be as full of marks in the “failure” column as anyone else’s.  But last night was a parenting victory, as I see it.  Why?  Because I worried.  And did nothing practical, or productive, instead of worrying.  And my worry made the person about whom I was worried feel a little less alone and therefore a little less worried.
 
As the British say: Result!

I've got a new FREE tutorial over at sewmamasew.com.  For fleece mittens.  With hearts.  For Valentine's Day... or for whenever you want to wear your heart on your sleeve or closest winter accessory thereto.

I think they're kind of cool because:

(a) they have 2 layers of fleece, for extra warmth and coziness;
(b) the pattern is one I show you how to make yourself, customized to snugly fit your (or the intended wearer's) hand;
(c) They were inspired by my sewing students... who did an amazing job of sewing their own versions BY HAND!

I also had a tutorial posted back in November on thestitch.com that I forgot to link to, for whimsical window valances like the ones I blogged about making for my nephew's room about a year ago (see post).  Here are the ones I made for the tutorial, in Oliver's room:

Plus, to those of you who said in response to my post a few days ago that I sure had a gem of a sister... you are right!  As this photo I found yesterday shows, she has always been there for me.