Packing Up My Life

There hasn't been much sewing going on, nor will there be for at least another couple weeks. My husband and I are packing up our life here in San Diego and preparing to make the move to Los Angeles so that he can attend grad school at UCLA. Because I'm such an INTJ, I'm having a hard time processing my feelings about the move, so I thought I'd make a list instead. Lists are so much more manageable.

1. I will miss all of our friends here in SD terribly. I spent my first year back in SD pretty much friendless (aside from my husband) and community-less since we were attending a really large church and I worked from home. This was pretty much miserable (because even introverts don't totally hate people), and I was so thrilled when we started attending Exodus and I found some lovely ladies who are also of the race of Joseph. I love these people so much, it's weird to think that they weren't in my life two years ago. 
2. I don't relish the thought of meeting new people and making new friends since I'm such an introvert and kind of socially awkward. I never know what kind of small talk to make and I know that I'll meet all sorts of intense people when I accompany my husband to business school events. 
3. I am scared of LA traffic and LA drivers. 
4. We are going to be living EVEN CLOSER to Trader Joe's than we do now! Incredible!
5. The fashion district and all its fabric stores!!! I = excite! Cannot write proper sentences!
6. We will be that much closer to NorCal and visiting my family.
7. I don't want to learn a new set of routes to places. And I don't want to figure out where a good dry cleaner/mechanic/thrift store/etc. is. 
8. Arrrgh packing and unpacking. Grrrr undecorating and redecorating.
9. At least I'm being forced to go through my belongings and sort them into keep, donate, and toss piles. I realized that the bulk of my stuff is either books (and boy do I have a lot of books!), teaching materials (for AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Psych, physical science, and regular chem/bio), art supplies (all my phases mean that I accumulate a lot of tools), fabric (three 66-qt plastic storage bins :\), and clothes. All of which I tried to convince my husband are necessary to keep and move. Good thing we're hiring movers.

My last sewing project before I packed up my machine was some pillowcases for a friend. Not too exciting, but I am looking forward to getting my stuff unpacked so that I can get to some new projects (hopefully utilizing some of those techniques I listed previously)! One of my friends gave me four new vintage patterns yesterday night that look absolutely fascinating. With the help of One Yellow Cottage and the Vintage Pattern Wiki, I was able to approximately date the patterns.

Simplicity 3352: an absolutely gorgeous-looking slip from 1950.

Simplicity 3932: At first I thought it was a dress, but it's actually culottes! Crazy! Also, a Size 20.5, so it looks as if I might need to learn how to grade vintage patterns after all. My friend gave this to me saying, "You're the only person I can imagine actually wearing something like this." I think that's a compliment?

Butterick 2506: Based on the hairstyles alone, I'm guessing that this and the previous pattern are from the 60s. Interesting maternity outfit, although the jacket looks worth trying even without being pregnant.

Simplicity 5030: Cute nightgown and bloomers from 1972.

Coincidentally enough, two of the patterns are the perfect size! I am the most stoked about the slip, because it's the oldest pattern I own, and I'm curious about whether I can turn it into a dress.  But it will all have to wait until at least two weeks from now. Boo.

Walnut snuggles up to pegged-for-donation purses. See, Daddy, I don't want to give them away either!