Packing

The other night, I had a couple of friends round for cake and a bit of sewing. As it happened, barely any sewing got done that night, but there was plenty of chat. And cake.

The subject of our house move came up. End of next week, hopefully, I said. Really? So how is the packing going, they asked. I thought I would start next week, I said.

Sharp intake of breath from the pair of them.

I have been de-cluttering, I said. I don't think we have that much stuff. I don't think it's that big a deal, really.

They remained unconvinced. And their faces looked slightly worried for me and my naive approach to moving house.

So, the following day, I set about filling some of the nice big boxes that I had ordered a couple of months back, and that, had been propped up just inside the front door. My thinking had been it would prompt me to move them and get on and pack. It hadn't. Until now, that is.

Here is the progress so far. I got into it and started enjoying it. A bit like buying stationary for a new term at school, I quite liked the order and lists and general neatness of how the boxes look. But I have to admit, although I have filled four big boxes with stuff, I cannot say I am noticing an emptiness about the house. I cannot tell the difference.

Lemon and Raspberry Cake from The Hummingbird Bakery Home Sweet Home

Time to stop for tea and cake. In order to avoid turning into the size of a small house during pregnancy and the lack of running it allows, in the last fortnight I have been trying to limit myself to one slice of cake a day. This seemed like a good time for my daily treat.

And, during that time, I pondered the sewing possibilities that were opening up as a result of packing (in my mind, anyway - anyone else would say this was no better than a student stopping to tidy their room and going out to buy more stationary before embarking on any more revision).

But here's my logic. A few weeks back, I had bought a metre of white towelling, thinking I would make some nice new hooded baby towels for the new arrival, the old ones being horrendously stained and sad looking from having been used on three other babies.

I don't want to be packing that metre of towelling, I thought. It would be much more pleasing and neat for my front of box contents lists to have finished baby towels to put into the box marked `Baby's Stuff'.

I wasn't really into sewing at the time my first was born, and so I didn't make anything in the run up to her birth.

I cannot deny it has given me a lot of pleasure to make these fluffy towels that have pretty home made bias binding round the edges. The idea for bunny ears came to me as I was making them. Hardly original, but cute. And then, having made two hooded baby towels, I realised I had scraps left over that could be used.

And so, I made a couple of square flannels, one of each type of edging to match the towels (because that sort of thing really matters in the scheme of trying not to drop a slippery newborn who is screaming their little lungs out as you try and get them clean and dry).

And then, three little bunny hand mitt flannels for the big sisters.

This all pleases me. One metre (costing about £10) of towelling has gone a long way. Bonus extras that I hadn't bargained for. And no bulky leftovers to find an appropriate box to pack them into.

Although all that towelling did create a heck of a lot of teeny tiny bits of fluff that managed to get just about everywhere in the house (I blame needing to pop to the loo every ten minutes during sewing). The hoovering had to be done (and long overdue, so just as well).

I must resist the urge to work my way through other such similar fabrics from my stash instead of just packing them all into a box only to be opened the other side of the move. Or else my friends will be right. We will not be packed on time. Or ever, for that matter.

Just as well I didn't share with them my intention of making my polka dot dress before the move. I think realistically, that will have to wait. The next box I pack must be one for sewing things. But I can't quite make myself do it yet.

The blinds are done.

I have one more project (for my middle girl's birthday) that must be done before the sewing things get packed away.

Inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee (what will I do with my Tuesday evenings, now?), can you guess what it is going to be?