Spring Cleaning

It's finally getting warm here! That's enough for a big HOORAY! I have been in spring cleaning mode for the last week (which mostly means organizing my sewing/crafting stuff) although I also did a few other chores. Monday it's going to be in the 70's and I'm going to clean all the bric-a-brac that accumulated in the mud room and on the deck. We live in a very tiny (1 bedroom) house, so really there isn't that much to do. I did get some sewing time in though. I made some cute storage bags to put stuff in, I'm going to use them for wip's I think. I used different things for the drawtrings since I didn't have any twill tape or matching ribbon. two of the bags have self fabric strings, one has selvages from the fabric used in the bag and the patchwork one has the narrow hem I cut off the thrifted sheet I used for lining them.  I braved the general wet mess of the back of the back yard to get pictures.

The warmer weather has got me thinking of pulling some roving out and getting it dyed and ready to be spun. I tend to do most of my sewing/quilting from October thru March, and then dye/spin/knit through most of the warmer months. I like doing it that way, there's a certain rhythm in following the seasons , and I feel a deeper connection to my maternal ancestors who did a lot of washing/dyeing/and spinning of fleeces in the summer. My 84 year old mom who grew up in rural Newfoundland remembers her mom and grandmother washing fleeces in the spring and then her grandmother spinning them through out the summer on her back porch. She had a walking wheel, and turned out enough yarn for both her and my grandmother to spend the winter months knitting gloves and hats and socks for the family. My grandmother would often dye the yarn and hang the skeins out to dry in the yard. I like to think that I'm carrying on that tradition. Does anyone else have traditions that seem to bring your past ancestors closer? If so, I'd love to hear about them.

Happy Saturday! I'm linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict Can I Get A Whoop Whoop