Spring and Summer Thoughts

A very springy finish to share! This is Just Nan's Flowering Crown stitched with the recommended threads (except one) on the recommended fabric, 32 ct. Angel Blush. I swapped out the GAST Pine for CC Weeping Willow for a softer look in the greens. This one has been on my to-do list for a long time and I'm glad to finally have it stitched.

At the end of my last post I mentioned being in the unusual frame of mind of looking forward to summer. I'm a fall/winter kinda girl--though spring is growing on me as I get older--and summer is at the bottom of my seasons list. Last December I hit upon my "Summer of Halloween" idea and I've been looking forward to it ever since. I haven't stitched much Halloween in the last few years, but when we moved we discovered that Halloween is a very big deal in our new neighborhood. We were swamped with hoards of adorable trick-or-treaters and it really was a fun evening. It made me want to get out my little pile of Halloween designs and just plunge in. So I decided to have a "Summer of Halloween" this year, and stitch all Halloween all summer. I have my charts in a little basket in my sewing room and every time I see them I feel a little surge of anticipation. 

Years ago, I wrote an essay about the aspects of stitching that I find most valuable for me: looking forward, planning, and work. I've been thinking about that essay for a few days. It's odd to re-read it now, in our current situation, but for me it still holds up. There is a real benefit from being able to think about something enjoyable, and plan for it, and then work on it, even when--perhaps especially when--other aspects of life are so challenging and feel so out of control. 

If you're feeling down, may I recommend getting into your stash and planning a "Summer of..." for yourself? It doesn't have to be Halloween. It can be any subject or theme or holiday you want. It doesn't even have to be that. It could be just that one project that you love but have never started. Make it your Summer of... Christmas. Or flowers. Or sheep. Or that Mirabilia you adore. Do that for yourself.

Indulging yourself with a "Summer of..." isn't going to fix all that's wrong right now. Neither is watching your favorite show, or going for a walk, or baking yourself a treat. It's not supposed to "fix" anything. Those things are there to soothe. They are there to comfort. They're there to get us through to the next day. The moments that seem too big or too serious to allow ourselves to sit down and rest our minds with some needlework are the moments we most need to do just that: allow a cherished hobby to get us a few hours further down the road. 

I'm not starting my Summer of Halloween until the beginning of June, so I'll be stitching spring til then. Or trying to, when I'm not distracted by all these cute freebies that keep appearing. When I finished Flowering Crown, I decided to take a quick detour to stitch one of them up. I was pulling my supplies, and thinking about a fabric color (something cheerful) and I thought, "Yellow. I haven't stitched on yellow in... ever?" So yellow it is!

Stay safe. Be good to yourselves. And happy stitching.