I realized that the two major goals of a teenager’s summer are to a) relax and be lazy and b) make lots of money. These are probably the two most conflicting goals a person can have. So I’ve been switching off days… sleeping in and sitting at the computer, or (still sleeping in) sewing, working, going for bike rides, and hanging out with friends.

And I finally did manage to clean the sewing room, if only a bit. I’ve been steadily shipping off a stream of Ebay-ed patterns.. granted, I’m making about 10 cents on each one after the Ebay fees and Paypal fees, which doesn’t even cover my time taking pictures and typing listings.. but at least it’s freeing up some space. And I’ve realized that I am not a skilled cleaner. I get halfway through cleaning, until I can see the surface of the desk or the carpet of the floor, then I get distracted and start a brand new project, leaving all the things that need to be put back in even more of a mess than they started. But yesterday, I cracked down on myself. I actually managed to optimize the clutter on my bookcase, so I have even more room for the unfinished projects that will take longer to fix than they’re worth (like the hoodie that came out 3 sizes too big). And, at the moment, I can see most of the white surface of my sewing table.

Hidden picture! Do you see the whale in the thread? I was just seam ripping and throwing my threads in a pile, I kid you not. And as I was about to throw them all away, I looked at it: whale! It was slightly miraculous and extremely exciting. It seems unreal, but I’m serious when I say that I did not touch that pile of thread.