::happiness

Do you ever feel just really really happy for no particular reason? Well, duh, I'm sure you have or maybe you're feeling that way right now. For some reason I woke up today kind of happy, then I got happier. And now I'm sort of in a blissful state. I sometimes think it's just the coffee I drink so much of. It's a Saturday morning, it's quiet, I've had about an hour to pour over my daily blog-feed and I'm listening to some soft music. I really like quiet mornings to myself. I'm not really a morning person, so it's hard for me to want to talk and have a conversation with someone. I tend to keep to myself in the first few hours that I wake up. I don't always get that, so it's nice when I can enjoy some quiet solitude in the morning.

Recently I've been in a bit of a funk. It's been hard to keep up with everything and then I feel overwhelmed with work. But in the last few weeks or maybe even few days, I think I am beginning to get back into my regular ole self. It's been awhile since I've really been me. Sounds weird maybe, but I always blame it on my age. You know that awkward time in life where you are just not sure what the heck you are doing. It feels odd for me to post that here in my blog. (I constantly go back and forth about how personal this blog should be.) But I think I can honestly say life is fine right now. It's not the best it could be nor is it the worst. I've realized a few things in my life. A few things I've been dwelling on that could never be and not concentrating enough on the present. Perhaps it's the spring air that I can almost feel. I get a little antsy when it has been snowing like crazy and am definitely ready for warmer weather. I am actually looking forward to rain, though I am the type who usually hates dreary rainy days. (Or maybe it's that plaid umbrella I picked up at a thrift store that I'm just dying to use...)

Oh how life can be so unpredictable.

I've been purchasing leather for those bags. So far I've purchased one hide that will work and three others that will work for other styles. It's still not exactly like the leather I used on my bag, though. I'm continuing to search for the right leather. I don't know much about the stuff, so it's hard for me to pick the right kind. We really don't have any leather shops around here, unless you would count Tandy Leather, which is NOT my favorite place to go. They always seem to jack up their prices and I know I can get the same quality leather other places for a lot more reasonable prices. I can be a bit of a bargain hunter (though most of my bargain hunting is done in the comfort of my own home, sitting behind a computer screen). The leather I got was in a warehouse in Minneapolis that my sister found while we were fabric hunting a few years back. I'm wondering if I might be able to send a scrap of leather to a supplier and see if they can't find something similar.

On the sewing front, I've been scheming up my spring/summer wardrobe. I'm planning to sew most, if not all of my clothes. The other day I altered a pattern (rather drastically, I might add) for a pair of wide-leg trousers. I'm picky when it comes to wide-leg pants, because I'd rather they don't look like they are from the 1970s. I LOVE the wide leg pants from the 1930s, though, so that is what I'm going for. Mine will have a few pleats on the front and they'll button on either side to give a sort of "sailor pants" look. I have some bone buttons that would look marvelous, though I might save those for a linen version of the same trousers. If I don't go with the bone, I'll probably use the mother of pearl buttons in my stash. I saved a picture I found online of some 1930s clam-diggers that I'm basing my trousers off of. Mine will have tabs at the bottom so I can roll them up and wear them long or short, depending on the weather. I'm really really hoping this will work out. I didn't make a mock-up of the pants before I cut them out, so let's hope I don't screw this up.