Feeling Optimistic About October

I can NOT believe it is October already. There is a lot to do this month, in fact for the rest of the year!

First item of note: Some people are really nice.

I may have mentioned that I donated a lot of my fabrics recently, and one of the recipients happened to be a wonderful woman named Vicki.

Vicki lives here in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and she sews quilts for pet shelters. Like so many people in the current economy, she’s recently found herself with a lot of time on her hands. She loves animals and wanted to do something to help all the shelters in the area, so she started crocheting blankets and sewing quilts.

Some cities have charitable groups that coordinate donations and distribution of blankets and towels and such, but after a long search, Vicki learned that there is no one organization here that supplies shelters with bedding. So she’s taken that project on as well.

Currently she’s looking for donations of blankets, sheets, and towels, plus donations of all fabric and supplies (thread and batting can be expensive!) to make quilts, plus volunteers who would also like to make quilts for the shelters. She has asked some of the large fabric stores for donations but they would like her to establish a presence with the shelters before they donate to her. It’s sort of a catch-22 for someone who’s just begun.

Vicki’s starting small and has not yet established a 501c(3) organization with all the attendant filings and tax requirements, so she can’t, as yet, provide donors with tax deductible receipts. She hopes to be able to undertake the paperwork in the near future if she can establish enough of a presence to make it worthwhile.

I dropped off a big box of quilting fabric with her, and afterwards I wished I had more to give her. If you’re anywhere in or around the Phoenix area, please consider donating sewing supplies, fabric, and your old blankets, sheets and towels to Vicki so she can get it to the shelters.

I meet many caring and generous people every day on the Internet, but it’s nice once in a while to meet a genuinely wonderful individual in person!

Speaking of very nice people, on Friday I was presented with this:

A German chocolate cake made by my partner, aka The Piemaker, in thanks for altering his shirts. He was inspired by the mouthwatering photos in this month's Southern Living. It's one of those magazines I don't remember subscribing to, but now I'm glad to see it every month because the recipes are soooo good!

Next, I tried to plant all the winter garden seeds by the end of September as planned, but it was not to be. Can you believe it FINALLY cooled down to 97 or so on Sunday? But at this point I only have the beans, beets, herbs, and the first round of lettuce seeded. The temperatures really need to drop at least another 10 degrees before I can put in the carrots, spinach, and peas.

In sewing news, I’m working on a pair of men’s boxers.

This may appear to be out of character for me since I generally refuse to sew for anyone else, including my partner. However, due to recent events (see above), I am wavering somewhat in my usual stance. Also, this sew-along has several benefits that convinced me to participate: it will use up some of that burgeoning stash that threatens my sanity, it will answer the annual Christmas present dilemma, and I’ll use the first pair (for him) as the practice run so I can make other, more elegant and well-made boxers (for myself)!

I also started sewing something that will break me out of the blue-green dress rut – it’s a purple skirt. I’m going to focus on separates and try to knock out some tops and sweaters in the next month or so. Pants might have to wait.

Next on our agenda is a non-sewing project I’m thinking seriously about: writing another novel! You might be aware that I’ve written three novels, none of which have been published (or even read by more than two people). This is because all the effort involved in dealing with editors, agents, publishers, etc. is exhausting and discouraging, and it undermines my enjoyment of writing. In fact, I haven’t written anything for more than a year because I became so frustrated with the process.

But I’ve had a story in my head for the last several months, and it’s gone from gently prodding at me to furiously screaming to be let out. That’s usually a sign that it’s time to write. Coincidentally, the National Novel Writing Month is starting in four weeks.

If you are not familiar with NaNoWriMo, you should check it out. More on that in the coming weeks!

That’s it for today!

Katrina