This week I took to my leather couches with a pair of scissors.  Was I nervous?  Yes, I was.  Did I know that it would look better in the end?  Well I sure hoped so, having purchased 23m of chartreuse furnishing fabric.  I procrastinated for weeks; I'd found the fabric but there wasn't nearly enough of it and it was going to take a month to order and arrive in the store.  I was no-committal.  I was so non-committal that, when the lady in the shop called and left a message on my phone, twice, asking me whether I would like to go ahead and order the fabric, I didn't return her calls.  How rude!!  

So imagine my surprise when, last week, I took a call from the store saying that the fabric order had arrived and did I still want it?  Yes!  You'll be pleased to hear that I did also apologise to the lovely lady at the store for rudely not returning her call ;-)  

I am very fortunate.  I am fortunate to be married to someone who always encourages me to be brave.  I might be agonising over whether I am able to do a thing, whether I have the resources, whether I might fail.  Mr BurtoNZ response?  "Just go for it - make it happen."   I was fortunate, up until recently, to have a Dad who encouraged me to be brave.  I grew up watching him turn his hand to any number of building skills as he converted a 300 year old barn into a house - in his spare time.  He taught me how to plaster a wall, fix plumbing, lay tiles...I can't say that I always did a great job, but I learnt to have a go and I learnt that, no matter how big a project is, you just have to pick a point and start.  Chip away at it.  I am fortunate to know God, who encourages me to be brave.  He reminds me all the time that no matter what I'm doing, I don't have to do it on my own.  He's given me skills - such cool skills - but He's also great at pointing me in the direction of creative solutions when I get stuck. 

Covering a pair of couches is a pretty big job - it's not surprising that I put it off for so long, but I have learnt to be brave.  I started by cutting off the cushions (eeek!) and making new covers.  They were easy.  The body of the couch was a bigger challenge - careful measurements to make sure that there's no sagging.  I wish I could say that I'd taken the time to carefully document the entire process so that I could share a fantastic "how to" guide with you.  But it was the school holidays.  

A few weeks ago I was privileged to welcome the gorgeous Libby of Truly Myrtle into my home.  She came to interview me for her podcast.  We talked about my winning entries into the Creative Fibre Festival a couple of months ago (check out them out in my blog here and here.)  We also talked about how I got in to felting in the first place and why I do what I do.  I hope that you have a small window of time to check out the podcast and some of Libby's other podcasts.  She certainly inspired me to get my sewing machine out of the cupboard.  And got me thinking about being brave.  I hope that you're inspired - what big project have you been putting off?  Time to get stuck in!