The Only Way Out is Through

 In dealing with grief, pretending it doesn't exist won't work. I just have to get through it, and the only way out is through. 

My pal Julie suggested I take a trip to Quilted Threads and surround myself with fabric. So I did. It was a great suggestion. I needed to get out of my head and my house, and I needed to be surrounded with things that could inspire me. After all, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

I ended up buying 20 yards of fabric, and - gasp - I actually bought 7 yards of something for which I have no plan!!! I bought some beautiful fabrics and they can work in three or four different combinations.

Making birds really soothes me, so I decided to make a pink bird. While I was making it I got the idea to make an entire quilt of PINK birds!! That made me really happy. I always think of pink as Millie's and my favorite color, so that got me excited too. I have a lot of fabric to clean up and organize, so while I clean that, I can take breaks whenever I see some exciting pinks and make a bird or two.

This gives me a good way to work my way through cleaning the studio that doesn't seem too much like work or drudgery.

This is another pinkish bird I made last month that I will add to my pink bird collection.

This is my ironing table, and while it doesn't look special, what it is is clean. In keeping with my goal this year of cleaning through every shelf, bin, drawer and box, I removed everything from the table, dusted and cleaned the tops of all the plastic bins, I dusted the shelf, and tightened all the screws. Then I moved it away from the wall and vacuumed underneath (it was a favorite warm weather napping spot of Millie's so the area was covered with her furs.) While at it I cleaned the walls behind it, and got rid of some junk I found hiding back there.

You too can make birds. Get my tutorial here at my Etsy shop. It's an instant download, so you can get started right away.