. . . distractions . . .

. . . my fresh new sewing room 

won't always look so fresh 

and/or so new . . .

. . . that's because 

there are two tables 

worth of stuff 

that i cleaned off the counters 

before the extreme makeover 

happened . . .

. . . and i am determined 

to avoid such pileups

in the future . . .

. . . but that means 

i've got to clean out 

all those cupboards 

to make room for the stuff 

i really want to keep . . .

. . . and cleaning out cupboards 

can be a sentimental journey . . .

. . . especially when 

i rediscover the pleating machine 

i used to put to really good use . . .

. . . back in the day . . .

. . . this handy gadget 

is used to mark tiny even pleats 

across a width of fabric 

in preparation 

for the art of english smocking . . .

{this one isn't mine, but mine does look just like this}

. . . something of which i used to do 

quite a bit . . .

. . . when i was dressing 

three little girls . . .

. . . it seems, though, 

that not all projects started

ever got finished . . .

. . . maybe because 

what in the world was i thinking? . ..

. . . turtles in baseball caps 

with roses in their teeth? . . .

{in fairness, i'm sure i was attracted to the pink and green color scheme. 

it was my favorite. i mean look at that cute fabric.}

. . . but this one is so pretty . . . 

. . . i remember it was supposed

 to be for amber . . .

. . . it's a little girl's size six . . . 

. . . amber is turning thirty-three 

this year . . .

. . . that window of opportunity

may have closed by now . . .

. . . it's still hard to let it go . . .