Sewing Again

I had stopped sewing for several weeks.  Puppy duty combined with extra duty in the barn conspires against my time at the machine.  I had an order for three bags from a goatherd in western NY which got me sewing again.  I realized I missed the hum of my little machine and the constant refilling of my ONE bobbin (the Singer is as old as I am).  I have to start sewing in earnest as Maryland Sheep and Wool is right around the corner.  There is gorgeous, luscious wool roving everywhere you turn, and much of it is raised by shepherds like me (unlike the Wool from Undetermined Origin that I steer clear from).  Nobody, I mean nobody, has Bundaflicka Knitting Totes, however.  I have to make a good showing.  It's been more than ten years since I made the very first tote, a gift for Lisa Palmer, Mia's bestie, who worked as my aide when I taught knitting and quilting at the Morris School District's upscale summer program.  Lisa was getting ready to go on vacation to Mexico and needed a tote.  I said, let's make you one, and here we are.  She said she had to have some kind of closure and I made a red heart button out of the Fimo clay we had in the classroom.  I have a picture of that tote somewhere...I used to make a lot of heart buttons but people had very strong feelings about them.  Some customers would say, I love that bag but hate the heart button - can you change it?  I liked the hearts as they are very Swedish and work well with the fabric closure strap around the fat part of the button.  Once in a while I make hearts to put in the box of Bundaflicka Buttons I keep at the booth now.  If someone doesn't like a button on a bag I offer to sew on another one of their choice right then and there.  Some take advantage and leave happy.  Mia told me she is putting some of the Bundaflicka Bags I've given her over the years on Ebay to sell, and is getting hits on the listings.  I'm happy for her if it gives her tuition money, but sad to see them go.  They never wear out and I like to think of them as being handed down in the family.   I am trying to use up the fabric I have in the house now.   Once again I am shooting for 40 bags or so for Maryland.  It is foolish to expect that I can sew more than five per week.  When I did an analysis of my time on a day when I go to school it goes something like this:

One hour of chores in the morning.
Half hour to make and drink lots of strong coffee, wash, get dressed.
Hour and a half commuting, there and back again.
Six - seven hours in school.
One hour making stops on the way home.
Two hours of chores at night.
One hour human food preparation, eating, washing up dishes (maybe).
Four hours for playtime with dogs & cats, staring at the stars, watching TV, sewing, spinning, sorting through fleeces, Facebook, Yahoo and Blog, doing my laundry, checking the barn, etc.

Let's see does that leave any time for sleeping?  Tally it up...six hours for sleeping.  Sounds about right.  I can't imagine making something that is entirely frivolous, just for me.  Not since I've had sheep.  Do the sheep pay for themselves?  It depends on how hard I work, and I'm not working hard enough to make them pay exclusively.  If I put coats on the sheep and sold raw fleeces, I would do better.  That requires extra hands to help me hold them and catch them while the right size coats are fitted, changed when the wool grows longer, etc.  My yearling lambs from last winter are growing amazingly thick and soft fleeces from my ram, Romeo, who is half Merino and half Bluefaced Leicester.  He is stunning.  Thankfully I have something good to come out of that horrifically miserable winter.  I still have PTSD from last year and still can't talk about it.   Someday I may have to.  Only one more birth this year, from the ewe who was living out back with the boys.  She should come any time now.  Aside from the lamb/s coming from that lovely ewe,  I will have three lovely wethers - Joseph, Gabriel and TJ - and one cute little ewe, Robin.  They are growing very nicely and will leave the maternity pen as soon as I can get them tagged, wormed and another round of vaccinations.   I will have to step up sorting of fleeces, washing, dyeing and shipping to the processor for carding.  I need to call Jim Baldwin and set up a BIG shearing soon.  Fortunately, Loren is around to help and, if I'm lucky, maybe I can get Kimmie Cornerstone and crew to come from Ontario.  I think I should finish with last year's fleeces first.  Yikes, I get tired thinking about it.