WhichCraft

Now that I can walk for periods up to almost 3 hours, with a few minor breaks (about once an hour; more as the time goes on), we've started to take little local outings (and yes, I lie down in the backseat to go to and fro).

And twice this weekend that meant the craft store. Yesterday we did the bookstore and the craft store. But walking around all those glorious supplies--fabric, cake pans, yarn, stamp pads, DMC floss--made me yearn for my crafting days. I've dabbled in a lot of things--cross stitch, quilting, cake decorating, watercolor, stamping, crocheting, and knitting--and like to make things. But being bound to walking or lying down (I can't stand in one place very long either) has really limited my activities to reading and computers. I ignore the yearning to create on most days (or finagle people to help me, like with baking) but felt the pull intensely in the store yesterday. As it happens, I picked up a small book on redwork, the red-floss embroidery, and was taken with the little projects. Perhaps I could embroider? The kinds of projects I would do take a lot fewer stitches than cross stitch, could be done in brief standings or lying down, and could be used to make all sorts of cute little gifts for people.

As I sat with the idea overnight, I realized what I could do first to test my plan: tooth fairy pillows! Sis has lost two teeth and now Bud has a loose top front right. Which means we have 38 more visits from the tooth fairy coming. And so I decided to make little felt pillows with their names and a simple design--bunny and penguin outlines--on the pocket, all done mostly in chain stitch or back stitch, the two I know best (besides, cross stitch wouldn't look quite right).

So today, after the grocery store run, we went back to the craft store. This time, I was elated, picking up floss, needles, fabric pencil, fabric. It felt exhilarating. As I checked out--all by myself, as Mama had taken the kids to the next store over--I saw one of those reusable bags that companies sell at the cash register. This one said "Create. Craft. Conserve." I liked the sentiment.

But I would amend it slightly: "Create. Craft. Contribute."