Lion Love

My Mom told me the other day that I am happiest when I work with my hands. She is right and very kind to have reminded me. :) She is quite good at that. Sometimes you need to be reminded of the qualities that make you, YOU! At least, I do. I tend to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the days and forget to slow down and find my purpose. I don't know if hand sewing and making things for loved ones is my "purpose" but it certainly makes me content and satisfied. In my book, that makes for a valuable past time. A happy Mama makes a happy home, right? :)

Embroidery and hand sewing is a relaxing and highly creative outlet for me. It is easy to start and stop (a must for this busy Mama) and one project seems to lend itself to the next. It is also one of the first hobbies where I have allowed myself to make mistakes and move on (versus stopping in my tracks). I learn as I go and take the imperfections as part of its charm and a step forward. I am learning new stitches and new techniques, all the while developing my particular "style." I just finished my third project. The first was a special piece of art for Cricket's first birthday. The second was an embroidered napkin/towel that will be a Christmas present for Cricket and the third is this lion shirt made for my beautiful niece, Miss G. Do we sense a theme? Yes! Kiddos are the perfect ones to make cutesy gifts for and practice my sewing. They will wear just about anything and don't mind if it has a lot of "charm" (aka imperfections).



Roarrrr! The pocket was a little tricky since I could not use my hoop to sew on the face. The mane is one of Mr. Schalk's old shirts and some lovely, but very hard to work with, goldish brown metallic floss.

All and all it was a fun, easy project and a wonderful expression of love for my sweet niece. I have a few more projects in the works. It's so nice to have an outlet again. Even if it's just for a few minutes a week, it is still a blessing to work with my hands and find myself again.