Reflect & Recharge

Hey Loves!

I haven't written much in a while.  I've been kinda ghost on all my social media accounts.  I've needed this time to be private...to just be quiet.  I've spent a lot of days admiring the work of other sewcialists.  Honey, this may be a group of some of the most talented and inspiring people I've ever encountered.  I'm so serious.  I mean they really rock.

While I stalked all this awesomeness, I had time to reflect on 2018.  This year my struggle with anxiety got the best of me.  It almost completely broke me.  I rarely talk about it because I don't want to give it life, but this year, I struggled.  That overwhelmed feeling never went away.  It actually got worse as the year went on.  I couldn't get out of the hole.  The small victories that seemed to keep me together we my sewing projects:

Erin Pouch (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/03/pattern-review-erin-pouch-by-lejanarob.html)
Ankara & Tulle Ball Gown  (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/03/three-of-my-favorite-things-him-hbcus.html)
Black Prom Dress (http://http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/03/red-carpet-with-m6886.html)
Easter Dress  (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/04/m6754-keep-trying-til-you-get-out-right.html)
Maxi Dress  (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/04/s8291-maxed-out.html)
Formal Jumpsuit (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/05/s4070-nl6533-sewing-review-bargainista.html)
Pretty Top (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/06/nl-6519-i-knew-it-from-start.html)
First Fashion Show (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/09/hey-loves-dont-let-fear-or-insecurity.html)
Maid of Honor Dress (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/09/cold-shoulder.html)
Wedding Guest Dress (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/10/getting-dressed.html)
Birthday Jumper (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/10/one-time-for-birthday-chic.html)
Boutique Pants (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/11/diy-boutique-pants.html)
My Sister's Shirt (http://heheheplusshe.blogspot.com/2018/12/nl6481-diy-bell-sleeves.html)

I bought the shirt in the picture above from a fellow sewcialist a few months back.  I had these grand plans to write a post about the meaning of the shirt to me.  Truth be told, I couldn't.  I could not tell anyone what it meant to me because I was so broken.  I couldn't truthfully tell anyone how sewing made me feel because of all the crazy going on.  But when I reflected on these makes, though small to some, these were huge to me.  They gave me an opportunity to win.  They gave an opportunity to say I completed something.  They gave me an opportunity to focus on something other than the never ending list of things that I struggled to get out of my head.  So yea, Tabitha had it right.  Sewing does heal!

I'm taking all the sadness, frustration, and anxiety of 2018 and using it to fuel my ambitions for 2019.  I made it.  I didn't succumb to my anxiety.  I found a way to cope.  I'm here in 2019 recharged and ready for whatever.  I may not be the best at sewing but I won't stop because it's my secret place...my safe place. In the basement with my fabric, patterns, and Brothers, I can leave all my worries and find inner peace if only for a little while.

Thank you all for coming a long my journey.  Thank you for your patience when I wasn't here. Thank you for your support.  I hope you'll stay with me in 2019.  I'll try not to disappoint.

Until next time, SMOOCHES!

DJ