WORKING HARD....OR HARDLY WORKING?

When I'm not feeding strays, mothering kittens, or trying to photograph cats at play, I'm making things for a couple fall craft shows. This is the season for pumpkins and I started on mine late in the game as far as sales go. That's not unusual for me. I often underestimate how long a project will take and over-estimate how much time I actually have to devote to it. Right now my livingroom is full of stuffed pumpkins. My sewing table is filled with partially-sewn patchwork wreaths and fiberfil is floating through the air. I'm reminded of why I don't craft much these days. I've been a fabric crafter for well over 30 years and basically trashed my house prior to each show. I hate that part.

It's not that I didn't want to sew and craft. For weeks I've been browsing through my stashes of patterns, books, and fabrics hoping some inspiration would leap out and grab me. That didn't happen. I simply wasn't interested in making things until very recently. Partly, it's that keeping curious kittens out of my sewing area and under control when I'm using sharp scissors is nearly impossible. So I choose to not allow them around anything that might harm them and that includes scissors, pins, needles, thread, buttons, and the like.

I'd like to say I work so well under pressure that I actually planned to make things at the last minute, but it would be more accurate to admit I was so passionate about helping cats and kittens these last few months, that I put crafting on the back burner. It was a choice I made.

I'm not upset with myself for getting a late start on crafting. It was for good reason. I'm doing what I can now and making what I choose, so I'm content with that. All the profits from my crafting this fall will go toward the feeding, spaying, and neutering of stray animals. They certainly need the help and I'll be happy with whatever I'm able to provide for them.