A friend’s unfinished airplane hanger/barndominium over near the Peach State Aerodrome in Williamson, Georgia
I never in a million years would have thought I’d want to move out of a traditional home with central heating and air conditioning into a metal barndominium with alternate sources of heating and cooling, but that is exactly the direction of our dreams – going from 2400 square feet to between 1200 and 1500 – half of the space we have now, only a much bigger workshop space for our cars, camper, and tractor. We started the journey a year ago, our 2024 full year’s mission to clean out the house, attics, and the barn. We’ve pared down to essentials (except for shoes, plants, and books) and have chosen a floor plan and a spot on the back of the farm. Now the task of actually putting the house on the market…….this is the plan for 2025…..to live in a camper while we build a much simpler home.
I’ve been cleaning out my sewing notions that I’ve collected over the years. When Mom died, I inherited many of her notions and her magical Bernina sewing machine. Mom sewed all the way through high school, making most of her formal gowns (and mine, later). She made us matching dresses when I was young enough to still think that was cool, on the before side of life for being able to appreciate those sweet memories. When I was nine or ten, I made my first pair of bright green Terry cloth shorts, crying in frustration at having to rip seams and all less than perfect stitches in between, and I’m certain that the thread spool that witnessed my fits is among these in the picture. I’m also fairly certain that my crying fits of sewing are the deciding factor that I’m a 1 on the enneagram and not a 3 or 5.
My goal today is to cut my supply of thread by at least half, keeping variations of the shades that I will use for rag quilting and mending and hemming clothes. As I look at this photo, one thing stands out to me that I may not have seen if I hadn’t organized by color. Mom wore bright pinks, reds, and bright blues – and to see this photo is to see her in all her handiwork right here on my kitchen counter. She’s urging me to take some lovely photos of the spools and then share the rest with others who sew so that others can squeeze more life out of items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
On, now, to buttons, rick rack, and other notions. I’m thinking of converting our office into a sewing room……I much prefer being creative to paying bills and sorting paperwork that piles up and has nowhere to live.
Common Threads 