Sunday, 8 December 2024

"Dress a Girl Around the World" and other sewing plans for 2025

 This is a shortened version of my last post (click here for full version) - just a note of what I'll be doing in 2025 without all the rationale and story!

Dress a girl around the world.


I like to try to do some good when I can.  I’m not altruistic. I won't get into a debate here about whether pute altruism exists, but I can only speak for myself when I say that doing some good for someone else makes me feel good too.  As far as I can, I sponsor friends when they are raising funds by doing a race and I donate here and there to worthy causes.

Recently I came across the charity, Dress a Girl Around the World UK. (registered charitable organisation 501(c)3) Their mission is to send clothes to children in countries such as Zimbabwe, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Gambia and Syria. However, instead of collecting used items, their aim is  to provide the very best new dresses and shorts made especially for children living in poverty around the world There is a UK coordinator who takes / sends the items periodically to where they are needed. 


There are a variety of pattern styles and there are various criteria for the clothes.  For example, they need to be long enough to preserve modesty, the fabric needs to be sturdy as it may be washed in a river, no buttons or zips as they would have no facility to repair them if they broke

These dresses and shorts are made by volunteers in this country who make as many or as few items as they wish.

This is RIGHT UP MY STREET!  A perfect fit!  I can be creative, work with different lovely fabrics, have no time pressure, not worry about whether I’ll sell anything and I’ll be doing some good and getting a warm fuzzy feeling. Win-Win

You can check out the Dress a Girl Around the World Facebook page here.

 

So this is my plan for sewing.

  • Do some good – “Dress a girl around the world.
  • Do a few alterations for family and friends –  I’m choosy about what I do though because my skills in this area are limited.  I won’t work on anything very expensive!
  • Make things for family and friends – but check it’s something they want!
  • Make clothes for myself – to this end I’ve signed up for a pattern blocking course to learn how to fit myself well and to design my own clothes.
  • Have a go at making anything I feel like having a go at.  
  • New Facebook page called “Fran Made It” just to post photos of what I've made. I'm not sure how this will evolve, but I'm happy for it to be organic.
  • Do the odd craft fair if I fancy it.
  • Donate any ‘unallocated’ items  to schools / church / charity shop for fundraising.

Thursday, 21 November 2024

PIVOT! Sewing is a Hobby!

 

Writing this blog just helps me process my thoughts.  I like a good brain dump.

 

Do give up the Day Job!

I retired from the day job 2 months before my 60th birthday so I’ve now been retired for nearly 18 months. It was a very good decision.

My life has been very full.  We now have Wilf, our black Labrador who came into
our lives a couple of months after I retired.  He’s an absolute joy and has enriched our lives immensely.

I’ve also ‘part trained’ for another marathon, but had to stop because of a situation requiring some surgery (nothing life threatening – but an essential repair) so didn’t take part in said marathon.  I don’t know if I’ll do another marathon. I don’t think I will; I was finding the long distances hard even before having to stop.  But I plan to start running again in the new year (starting with C25K) and just run for fitness and socialising.


I enjoy having more time for gardening when the weather suits me – and for sewing when the weather is not to my liking.  I love having the best of both worlds.  Freedom from the day job means I don’t have to get the weeding done around work regardless of the weather and whether I feel like it or not. Now it can wait until another day, without that meaning I have to wait for the next non-working day.



Proud Paws – is it a business or a hobby?

That’s the question Luke* posed when I was engaging with life coaching.  It was difficult to answer and looking back, I think I forced an answer out of myself – see previous post.  I treated it as a business and I’ve enjoyed a degree of success in terms of online sales and sales at Craft Fairs, Christmas Markets and the like.  I’ve also met some lovely dogs and chatted to their owners. 

However, I almost feel like running it as a business was something I just needed to ‘get out of my system’.

Maybe there was an element of justifying my retirement and living up to values around being productive and earning money. 

I enjoy creating, but not the promotion! I don’t get excited by the prospect of spending hours and hours on social media promoting the business and I find the subject of search engine optimisation complicated and tedious. 


Also, when I say I enjoy creating, I’ve found I don’t like making lots of the same thing over and over again. This is what I have done with lead sleeves in order to offer many different permutations of colours and wording and yet still finding I’ve never got quite the right wording in the colour someone prefers!  I just worked out that to make one of each colour that I’ve been asked for with each of the different wording (“Reactive”, “Nervous”, “Newly Adopted” and so on) I’d have to make over 200 lead sleeves in order to have each one available.  That does not sound like fun!  Made to order is probably a better way to go with those.

I feel that in an attempt to force a niche for myself, I’ve restricted myself to ‘dog stuff’ and then only made ‘other stuff’ when I haven’t got an event coming up that I’m trying to ‘make’ for.  And that, in a way is going back to the day job situation….doing the fun stuff around work.

I must take responsibility here too and admit that I’ve persisted in making things that only very few people really want (bandanas), just because I fall in love with the next exciting fabric!

I love making one-off items.

What I’ve found I enjoy most is to make a one-off item as a gift for someone or where someone has given me free rein to be creative within a set budget.  I like taking an idea out of my head and making it a reality.  When I do that, whether it is as a gift or something that someone has asked me to make, I really get into my happy place.  I can spend a whole day making something, slowly, deliberately and without pressure.

 


What now?

I’m fortunate to be in a position where I’ve been able to retire and I don’t actually need to make money from my hobby.  I’m feeling less need to constantly be productive! 

I want to continue to enjoy Wilf, walking, running, gardening, sewing and anything else that takes my fancy. 

Sewing is my hobby, whether it’s Proud Paws or any other kind of sewing. I’ll keep the Proud Paws Facebook page going but remove the online shop and after the current stock has gone, I’ll be happy to make items to order if asked, agreeing a price individually (whether that is cash or a bottle of wine, a skills swap or a favour for a favour).

I’ll keep my public liability and product insurance up to date in case I fancy doing the odd Craft Fair. Who knows what I’ll make and whether anyone will want to buy it?  I just fancy being free to make anything.  If I sell the odd bit here and there,  it will help sustain my fabric buying habit!


I like making gifts for family and friends; I probably just need to make sure I’m making something they actually want!  I can make stuff for myself too.  What if I want to have a go at making something just for the experience of making it, but I don’t want or need it myself and have no one to give it to?  Well then, I could donate it to a school, church or charity shop for fundraising.  I do make nice stuff that someone somewhere will want!

 

Dress a girl around the world.


I like to try to do some good when I can.  I’m not altruistic. I won't get into the debate here about whether true, pure, altruism exists. I can only speak for myself when I say that doing some good for someone else makes me feel good too.  As far as I can, I sponsor friends when they are raising funds by doing a race and I donate here and there to worthy causes and charities.

Recently I came across the charity, Dress a Girl Around the World UK.  Their mission is to send clothes to children in countries such as Zimbabwe, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Gambia and Syria. However, instead of collecting used items (as worthy as that is and as helpful and needed as it might be), their aim is  to provide the very best new dresses and shorts made especially for children living in poverty around the world There is a UK coordinator who takes / sends the items periodically to where they are needed. There is an ethos that every child deserves at least one new item, specially made just for them.


There are a variety of pattern styles and there are various criteria for the clothes.  For example, they need to be long enough to preserve modesty, the fabric needs to be sturdy as it may be washed in a river, no buttons or zips as they would have no facility to repair them if they broke

These dresses and shorts are made by volunteers in this country who make as many or as few items as they wish.

This is RIGHT UP MY STREET!  A perfect fit!  I can be creative, work with different lovely fabrics, have no time pressure, not worry about whether I’ll sell anything and I’ll be doing some good and getting a warm fuzzy feeling. Win-Win

You can check out the Dress a Girl Around the World Facebook page here.

 

So, to sum up,  this is my plan for sewing.

  • Do some good – “Dress a girl around the world.
  • Do a few alterations for family and friends – I forgot to mention that I’ve been doing this already.  I’m choosy about what I do though because my skills in this area are limited.  I won’t work on anything very expensive!
  • Make things for family and friends – but check it’s something they want!
  • Make clothes for myself – to this end I’ve signed up for a pattern blocking course (an actual attended course, not an online thing!) to learn how to fit myself well and to design my own clothes.
  • Have a go at making anything I feel like having a go at.  Just have fun with it!
  • New Facebook page called “Fran Made It” just to post photos of what I've made. I'm not sure how this will evolve, but I'm happy for it to be organic.
  • Do the odd craft fair if I fancy it.
  • Donate any ‘unallocated’ items  to schools / church / charity shop for fundraising.


Could you benefit from Life Coaching?

A quick note for anyone wrestling with change and decisions in life.  If you feel a bit stuck, it can often help  to chew the fat with someone you don't know.

I worked as a psychotherapist for in the NHS for many years before my retirement, but many people don't need invasive and exploratory therapy.  An impartial listening ear with someone who might challenge you and help you to view things from a different angle might be more up your street.

A Life Coach can fit the bill for this.  I've written in a previous post about my experience of Life Coaching so I won't repeat this here.  If you want to check out my life coach for yourself, here are the links.

*  Luke can be contacted on the links below.

#mylifecoachluke

https://www.lifecoachluke.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mylifecoachluke

https://www.instagram.com/mylifecoachluke/

Wednesday, 7 February 2024

Coaching Update

Change your Thinking and you can Change your Life!

Well, I am now 11 sessions into my coaching, with 5 sessions to go.  I can honestly say that this is some of the best money I have ever spent on myself.  It feels like an investment because I will be feeling the benefits long after I’d have worn out some designer shoes or fancy make-up or the tan faded from a sunny holiday.

I knew I needed to make some changes in my life before I had my initial chat with Luke; see previous post.   But at the time, I couldn't see the wood for the trees regarding what those changes might look like. I felt trapped (by the need to pay the bills) in a job where I was feeling burnt out and in fact was signed off sick.  I didn't feel that I'd ever be well enough to return, yet didn't see an alternative.  I knew I needed another perspective, but I didn't need therapy / counselling. In fact my employers had recommended a counsellor and I went for a few sessions because I thought I should, but it wasn’t the right thing for me at the time.

Enter Lifecoach Luke!  From the first initial introductory chat, I felt heard, understood and not judged. I came off the call feeling renewed hope.  For a variety of reasons,  it was a few weeks before I started my coaching sessions but once underway, I started to have a change of attitude.  I can't explain in a few words how it happened, but after exploring what the blocks were, I managed to get back to work as well as having the courage to reduce my working hours to improve my work-life balance. I now feel it's a life-work balance, not the other way around!

There is very little jargon in Luke's approach, and any new concepts are explained clearly and with examples.   I like the way he also checks my understanding on an ongoing basis by sometimes asking me to explain how I have understood what was discussed in a previous session. 

Don't get me wrong.  This approach is not for you if you don't want to actually make any changes or if you are not prepared to be challenged.  As a therapist, (NHS, Mental Health Counsellor) I know that "nothing will work unless you do" and I was very prepared to be open to new ways of looking at my life and my thinking and myself - even those that seemed counter-intuitive or counter to models I've worked with.  I am also willing to be challenged.  Luke has an easy, empathic manner (but without sickly sympathy, thank goodness as that’s the last thing I want).  Rapport was established quickly and that, I believe is what makes challenge possible.  I know I have unconsciously attempted to dodge a few questions or avoid exploring some of my blind spots, but that is not allowed!!

The biggest thing that has changed is my attitude.  I actually thought I had a reasonably good attitude previously, but negativity and a sense of being overwhelmed had crept in somehow via the thin end of a wedge.  All this is has been and is being unpicked in coaching.

I had dreams, massive daydreams of starting up a small business too, using my newly discovered / developed sewing skills, with a view to retiring from the day job sooner than planned.  But that's all they were. Daydreams.  And now?  I'm doing it!  It's happening. I'm making it happen.  

Proud Paws CanineApparel is a real thing!  I’ve been selling at Craft Fairs and through word
of mouth and have clear ideas of where I’m going with it.
  Our Facebook shop will launch soon – watch this space!  I say ‘our’ because my daughter, Vicky is working with me – we have different skills sets that compliment each other and I just have confidence that this is going to be big for both of us.

I am committed to retiring from my day job when I turn 60 in August and can’t wait to work solely in my own venture.   There.  I’ve said it!

I’ve said this elsewhere, but I feel like my life has had an M.O.T.! 

People engage in coaching for a variety of reasons and I'd hypothesise that part of the reason for many people will be that some part of their life, like mine, feels stuck. 

Honestly - IF YOU FEEL STUCK IN A RUT - MAKE THE CALL.  You've nothing to lose by having a brief free chat.  You have everything to gain.  I've never looked back, except to see how far I've come. 

#mylifecoachluke

https://www.lifecoachluke.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mylifecoachluke

https://www.instagram.com/mylifecoachluke/



Coaching Follow Up

In July last year, I knew I needed to make some changes and took up some coaching to help me get some clarity.  I wrote about my discovery call here and an update after 11 sessions here.  I completed my 16 coaching sessions with Luke in January, followed by a review session after 3 months. 

I recently had occasion to be in contact with Luke again and in our exchange, he mentioned a quote he'd recently seen, which really struck a chord with me. It is this:


I don't think I've ever actually said, "my life sucks and I have nothing going for me" because I've never felt that was the case.  However, I have, at times, felt trapped in my job and it's seemed that my choices were limited.

A few changes were in progress when I first started my course of coaching - including moving house to downsize and significantly reduce my mortgage.  But the biggest change has been in my mindset.  The emerging conviction that I can do anything I like* has been a revelation and I've stopped making excuses for not taking action.

I had more or less decided that I would retire from my day job on my 60th birthday at the end of August this year.  However, between the end of my batch of coaching and my review in March, I'd decided to retire a couple of months earlier.  I'm enjoying sewing, crafting an making 'stuff'.  All sorts of stuff.  

My current sewing business is Proud Paws, specialising in hand made functional, safety and funky apparel for dogs.  I'm selling in an online shop and at craft fairs and dog shows.  An important aspect of the last couple of sessions of coaching was to differentiate between what is a hobby and what is a business.  I have clarity on this now - 'dog stuff' is business, everything else is a hobby.  It's great that the business is enjoyable work, but still important to know what's what.
That doesn't mean it can't change or be added to. Here's a thought download**.......  I like hanging around with people who run*** and I love fancy dress.  I am good at making fancy dress clothes. Lots of my running friends like running in fancy dress.  Many fancy dress outfits available commercially aren't particularly suitable for running in. The fabric is too hot and sweaty (or rather, it would soon be hot and sweaty if you ran in it!).  I could make fancy dress outfits out of more suitable fabrics.  There are probably loads of runners outside my circle of friends who would pay to have something more suitable made. I could do that.  I like witch and fairy themes.  I could sew stuff related to that.  I don't ever have to get fed up of working. I just have to keep focused and acknowledge to myself which bits are business and which are hobbies - at any given time.

The future feels very exciting.

* There is a caveat to that.  I can do anything I like, but remember that actions have consequences.  But if you don't think you have any choices or you think you are trapped, remember the quote that I began with.  You might not be convinced right now but if you were to book a 30 minute discovery call with Lifecoach Luke you could be on the start of an interesting journey.

** I learned about thought downloads during my coaching sessions.  I like to call them thought dumps, as I would just dump all my thoughts onto paper or into a rambling email (as part of my coaching homework).  They are great for getting all that over thinking out of my head.  If you think this would be useful to you, again, I'd say get in touch with Luke Shillings.

*** I've done a fair bit of running myself; that's how I met many of my friends.  I've let it slip a bit in the last couple of years, but it's something I'm starting to prioritise again.  There IS time to fit it all in.  It's case of choices and priorities.  "I haven't got time" is the adult equivalent of "the dog ate my homework!"

Any how, to wind this up......


If you'd like a funky dog bandana or a functional treat pouch
, I'd love you to pay Proud Paws a visit, either at our online shop or follow us on Facebook If you have no need or wish for any of these items, but would like to do me a kindness, you could like and / share the facebook page.  This is something I'm very grateful for as it helps to spread the word beyond my immediate circle.

If, on the other hand, you'd like to take steps to transform your life,  then you can find Luke by following any of the links below:














Tuesday, 9 May 2023

Proud Paws - Canine Apparel - update

 Meet the Model – Episode 4

Millie Wells

Proud Paws: Hi Millie. Thank you for agreeing to speak to us. It's lovely to meet you and introduce you to the lovely people who follow our page. So, Millie, do your humans have nicknames for you?

Millie: My humans often call me Millie Mischief, Millie Monster or Millie Monkey.
PP: Really?! I can’t think what they are implying. So cheeky. You sometimes just can’t get the staff, can you? What is your favourite food?

Millie: I love chicken, cheese, tuna and toast, not necessarily altogether!
PP: We can’t fault you there, Millie. Fortunately, most humans like those too, so there’s a good chance of a treat. We’ve heard that you live with runners, so you’ll always be well fuelled. Do you know what has been your longest run or walk?
Millie: I've done 21 miles a couple of times when my humans have been training for long races.
PP: Wow! You are definitely an endurance pup. What do you prefer, amble, brisk walk or run?
Millie: Spaniels definitely don't amble! Brisk walking is great, especially off lead so that I can get busy chasing the birdies and picking up sticks and stones, but so is running - I especially like the sprint start at a race. We're often in the lead to begin with, but not for long as my Mum's a bit of a handicap and slows me down!

PP: Have you ever stolen food? What did you steal? Did you get into trouble?
Millie: Just the once, at barkrun. Star Baker Phil had made delicious mincemeat cake but the lid wasn't on the box properly so I was able to help myself to a piece! I didn't get into trouble but it did make me sick afterwards.
PP: They can hardly even call it stealing if the lid wasn’t properly on! I mean, anything at your height is fair game, I’d say. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Millie: Sleeping on the bed and sharing the human's food, in fact most things that make me think I'm a human too.

PP: Ha ha. Humans should try to be more dog! It’s such fun. You get taken all sorts of fun places. What is the furthest you have travelled from home?
Millie: I've been adventuring in the Lake District, which was so much fun as there's lots of water. I love water!
PP: This question has proved somewhat controversial, but who is your favourite human?
Millie: I love everybody but my absolute favourite is my hoosister Georgia. She picks me up for cuddles and covers me with kisses.
PP: Do you like modelling for Proud Paws?
Millie: I love modelling for Proud Paws. Auntie Fran makes fab bandanas that make me look even more beautiful than I already am and my humans bribe me with treats when they're taking my photos.
PP: Food treat bribes are the best! Where are you going for your holidays this year?
Millie: I'm really excited because I'm going to Cornwall in my campervan. I've never been there before but my humans have told me there's lots of walks, trips to the seaside and ice cream.
Proud Paws: That sounds great. I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun. Your #vanlife bandana will be just
right for the trip and we’ll be asking you to model something from our summer range before too long. Thank you for modelling for us and for telling us so much about yourself.
15% OFF your first order from Proud Paws online shop when you use this link -


or use discount code MILLIE15%MAY at the checkout.

https://www.proudpawscanineapparel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/proudpawscanineapparel






A tired dog is a happy dog and a tired dog is a good dog.



Sunday, 19 March 2023

Proud Paws - Canine Apparel




Meet the Models - Episode 1 - Percy Bates.

Over at Proud Paws Canine Apparel, we're conducting a series of interviews with some of our models. The first one is a beautiful Chocolate lab, Percy Bates.


Pop over to our facebook page to find out all about him.  

What is his favourite food?  

Does he have a guilty pleasure?  

What food has he stolen?!

What is his longest walk or run?


Percy was one of the first models to join the Proud Paws modeling team and has looked very dapper in Hallowe'en and Christmas Themed bandanas as well as absolutely rocking our hi-vis bandanas that help keep him visible in dark on winter evening walks.


To see our current range, please visit the Proud Paws online shop and keep up to date with our latest events on our facebook page.




 

Tuesday, 19 July 2022

Time for Change.

 I've been here before! 


There have been various times in my life when I've felt as though I'm at a crossroads or some kind of junction, knowing that I need to take a different route, feeling that I need a change, but have lacked direction or self-belief or courage or determination (or a combination) to actually do anything different.

I've always been pretty risk averse so change doesn't come easy.  I've also always been quite a compliant employee, following rules and procedures (that I sometimes don't really agree with) and generally doing as I'm told.  I'm a worker, not a shirker.  I'm a foot soldier, not a sergeant.  I'm not a 'mover and shaker' type or a 'climb the business ladder' type.  These are my thoughts. My beliefs about myself.

I work hard in my job and from time to time I have struggled with the workload.  In May this year it came to a head and the demands that I'm expected to meet became more than I perceived I could cope with.

In January this year, we had already put our house on the market (and it sold straight away but we've been stuck in a chain) and had an offer accepted on a bungalow.  This is a downsize and is with a view to reducing our outgoings and possibly for me to be able to reduce my working hours.  I fully expected this to go to plan.  But with the delay in completing, the demands at work remaining and increasing, I reached a point one morning where I just looked at my workload for the week, felt a sense of dread and just thought, "I can't do this right now."  It was the right decision (for me, my colleagues and for the clients I work with) to take a step back.  I spoke to my GP and Occupational Health and was also referred to a counsellor through work. To cut a long story short, I am signed off until 26th August with stress, anxiety and depression. 

I agree that I feel stressed - overwhelmed by such a build up of pressure for so long.  Certainly I feel anxious about the future, but I don't feel and never have felt depressed. What I do know though, is that I am at a crossroads again.  But this one looks a little different.  Or rather I am looking at it differently.  On previous occasions, there has been no sign at the crossroads, or just a sign like the above image - not all that helpful.

This time I am seeing the sign differently - more like this one. A sign that at least gives me a
bit of clue.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by a number of supportive family members and a close circle of encouraging, accepting and caring friends. Through one of these friends I was 'signposted' to a different kind of help: A Life Coach.  (linked* with permission).  I had a half hour free consultation and went away already feeling fired up for change!  I hadn't realised how much I view things in black and white and miss the grey areas.  Suddenly possibilities started to look more like probabilities.  Because of my personal circumstances (not important to this blog) I agreed with my Coach to wait until after the house move to start my coaching.  But just like a client on a Counselling / Psychotherapy waiting list, change is occurring simply because ... well... I'm not sure really - I guess a lightbulb has gone on!

Fast forward to this week - our house move is now imminent (this Friday all being well).  I am packed.  My craft and sewing stuff is packed away and I can't be bothered to run.  It's very hot - currently 36 decrees C.  But I'm not saying it's too hot to run. Other people are running.  I'm owning my "don't want to run and feel uncomfortable right now!"  So that has given me a window to reflect and write something.  I'll be contacting my coach to get started once we've unpacked a few bits at the bungalow.

I don't know what the outcome or outcomes will be.  But I doubt it will be a "one thing or the other thing" - it may be a bit of both or all.  I'm excited about getting a different perspective.  I'm not so scared of the uncertainty.

I've just realised that in writing this, the way I'm viewing the signpost has already changed. I can't find anything in clipart that is what I am picturing.  Let me try to draw it!

Here we go....


OK, I think we can rule out drawing as a possible career change, but you get the idea!  Pretty sure that there are many solutions and possibilities.

 I'll write about my Coaching Journey (amongst other things) in this blog.

---------------------------------------

*Life Coach is Luke Shillings - Click here for his website OR  Click here for Luke's Instagram OR here for his Facebook page