 How are you guys? Have you missed me? I know that I have missed you. So I just wanted to do this quick little video to let you know kind of what's been going on if you've been following me for a couple years or so. You probably know what I'm about to say because it's the same story over and over again. But I also wanted to kind of just like clear the air so that I could talk about some really cool and exciting things that I have coming up on the channel and get you guys checking back in with me here on YouTube. What's been going on? I have not been well, I've not been ill, I've not been sick. Like if you saw me at the grocery store or whatever, you'd be like, oh, she's perfectly fine. But I have these, I liken them to chronic illnesses because to me they're very debilitating. But certain things that do with my hormones, certain things to do with my thyroid, I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. And so through the journey, this has been, gosh, I don't know, maybe 15 years of trying to figure out what is going on with my body having so many doctors gas like me and tell me, well, we ran all the tests and there's just, we can't find anything. So I don't know, you know, you're making it up. I have, gosh, I've been in the therapy. I've been to a psychiatrist. I am on ADHD medication now. I have been on like a antidepressant, anti-anxiety medication specifically geared toward PMDD, which is premenstrual dysphoric disorder. So I've been on this journey doing all these things, getting treated for this thing, getting treated for that thing. I'm still not feeling good, right? Like I'm like, I'm doing the most and I still don't feel even close to normal. So something's still not clicking. So I went to a specialist here in Charlotte, long story short, she did this. Have you guys ever done a Dutch test before? It's like a urine test that you do, I don't know, like every five hours or four hours over a 24 hour period and it tracks all kinds of things. First of all, your female hormones, but also your brain hormones. It looks for like indicators of gut health issues, melatonin it looks for to see if your body is producing that normally. It covers like a lot of things. That test came back and some things were like, duh, I knew that like low progesterone, for example, I know I've had that for a long time. Something that I have suspected that I have had that nobody's been able to confirm for me is adrenal fatigue. And they test through cortisol levels and DHEA levels. So she was able to tell me that that was off and gave me like a natural supplement to help with both of those. And then the last thing that was really surprising that I didn't even ever, it never even crossed my mind to look for, but my dopamine levels. And this is kind of like the saddest diagnosis of all the diagnosis is that my body is just like, yeah, we're gonna just kind of skip that one, the one that's supposed to make you happy. You know what I mean? So my body does produce it at a normal level, but it takes a while through the day for my body to be like, okay, let's, you know, start feeling happy here. So I'm on another natural, you know, herbs and stuff supplement to boost my natural dopamine earlier in the day. So I'm on this like insane regimen of lots and lots and lots of pills at different times throughout the day, plus the progesterone cream. But I really finally think that we might have cracked the code. My ultimate goal is to get off the like hard drugs, like the stuff for anxiety and depression, get off the stuff for ADHD, find better coping mechanisms there. I just didn't have the baseline, the foundation to even start to begin to deal with those things on my own until I could figure out all this other stuff. So I feel the most hopeful I've ever felt after starting a new regimen. So that's promising, right? I mean, let's just find hope in this whole thing. So yeah, I've taken the last couple of months to just be really kind to myself and do the things that felt right. Do the things that felt not necessarily easy because none of it's really easy, but do the stuff that felt like I could accomplish it and feel good about it. So I've been able to still be present on TikTok and Instagram pretty consistently, not the best, but pretty consistently. And I have been teaching classes in person here locally. So that's really been able to help both financially, but also it's just really great. I just I kind of like being a teacher, you guys. I wasn't 100% sure I'd be any good at it, but I have these kids coming through. I mean, adults too, but the kids, I just feel like, I don't know, unlocking this creativity in them so early and having them feel the joy of making something with their own hand. I don't know. It's really, really empowering and inspiring and, you know, probably is helping a lot with my mental health as well. But I've also been teaching classes online. So this is an interesting kind of concept. The company that owns Free Spirit Fabrics, they have a program called Sew It Yourself. Sew It Yourself is a blog and just like an online resource for free beginner sewing patterns. Just simple, simple projects that anybody who like was getting into sewing masks a couple of years ago and was like, well now what? They could take the skills that they learned from that and apply it and maybe learn something new. So they have that program all separate and then they approached me about being the kind of like host and instructor of S-I-Y-T-V, where we pick one of the projects that are on their website and I teach a group of people how to sew it. The way to sign up, the only way to sign up is for you to talk to your local free spirit retailer. And I'll put a link in the description box for like where all the free spirit fabrics are sold in by different states so that you can find a store near you. You have to go to them. They have to sign up for S-I-Y, which is like an annual membership fee. I think it's very inexpensive like a hundred and something dollars and then each class they have to pay for each class in addition to their annual fee. But it's been really interesting because you know free spirit is not just United States. They also go into Canada and so so far I have taught on average about 30 or so Canadian women how to sew something every single month. The third Thursday in the evening. It's been really, really fun talking to them getting to know them and helping them make these projects. This is what I made for this month. It's a tulip pink pattern for an infinity scarf, but it's got this interesting like pleating detail on it. So it's like visually kind of interesting. It's not just like, well, first of all, it's not just one fabric. It's three fabrics and it has this pleating which gives it like volume in a way. I don't know. It's really, it's really interesting. Last month we made slippers like actual fabric slippers. How cute are these? So, yeah, it's been really fun for me to make these projects to and kind of get out of the, you know, normal seat of just making a whole bunch of, you know, regular clothes all the time. That said, I have been sewing for myself as well. On Instagram, you may know that I host a monthly like challenge, I guess it's the rules are very loose. You guys know me, right? We're not going to keep everything very regimented around here. But basically, every single month, I post like a poll with three different indie patterns that fit some theme. So for January, it was sweaters, February pajamas, March is jumpsuits. And so there's three patterns, people vote on the one that they like the most and then we sew together. We sew that project, that pattern together, and then sometime eventually in the future, people share their projects that they made. I have some people who every single month, like clockwork, then I have people who are like, you know, just showing up with December's project just now, which is totally fine. I don't really care when you post it. It's just fun that we're all working on something together. It's fun that we are finding patterns that maybe you haven't heard of before, pattern companies you haven't heard of before. All the patterns are $12 or less US and size inclusive. But this was the project for January. It was the Sew North Cedar. Sew North is a pattern company. This is the only pattern they have right now, I think. Which obviously makes them like, you know, super under the radar, super limited. Like I said in March, we have a jumpsuit. It's the Nina Lee. Nina Lee. I can't remember the name of it, but it's her little jumpsuit. It's like a kind of like a bib up top and then it has like pleating or gathers empire waist and then goes into kind of like a wider leg jumpsuit. I put a board on my Pinterest with kind of like helping people visualize what this thing is supposed to look like. You know, right now trending jumpsuits are either, and I'm talking ready to wear, are either like fitted denim 1970s vibe. Or they're these, these very loose fitting, but still really cute and still flattering somehow, even though it's not hugging any curves anywhere. Very comfortable, very loose. Think boho, think natural fibers, think like woven with some stability to them, not super drapey at all. So that was my inspiration for the three jumpsuits that I chose. And so everyone chose the Nina Lee. So coming up, what's, what to expect now? Two very exciting things that I think you guys are going to be like stoked about. And I hope you are. They're two of my favorite things to do. And I think two of your favorite things to watch. One is not coming so long. I'm going to try and do them every other month, last year and the year before that I did for a year. So every third month, I want to do more of them. I think you guys like them. I think you guys learn a lot from them. They're good resources for you for the project we're working on at that time, but also just good skills to learn to apply to other projects. So I normally, I take it to a vote on YouTube. This time I was sort of just like, no, I need it to be a pattern that's in my stash and easy to just kind of get going on this. And again, it's size inclusive. So it's a big four pattern, but it's a big four pattern that has the Mrs. and the women's option. That's going to be mandatory going forward. So big four, the Mrs. and the women's version and current, right? So the pattern that I chose nine, six, four, two, it is fall. You can tell because she's got a velvet version with tights and all that. My version is going to be a little bit more like early spring. I'm thinking something along this line with the sleeve. I don't have a lot of woven sleeved dresses and this one's really interesting and a new skill. Even if you're looking at this and you're like, yeah, I know how to do bust gathers. I know how to do a ruffle. I know how to do a sleeve. This one has a really interesting sleeve head construction where they actually use like netting or organza or something to give the sleeve actual, you know, maintain that puffiness. So that'll be a fun thing for you guys to learn, even if you would normally be able to make this dress no problem. So go ahead and grab this pattern. If you don't have it already, the workbook is done. I'll put it a link in the description box to where you can download the free sew along workbook. If you're not familiar with what that is, I do these companion workbooks with all my sew alongs. It has like, I don't know, just lots of resources in it to help you stay organized with your pattern, stay on time, get it done, you know, and all that kind of stuff. So that's coming. And then, Stylemaker Fabrics Swatch Video. I know, I know, I know, you're all like cheery, yay. The swatches will be here today. I'll be talking about, as always, with the swatch videos, different pattern ideas for the different fabrics. She told me she's going to send a lot more of the solid colors that they have because you guys have expressed that you really like whenever I pair, like make outfits, you know, like this could be your top and this is your bottom and then where this is a jacket or a cardigan. And the colors all go well together. So we're going to be doing a lot more of that and hopefully it's just like the best one ever hope that helps kind of clear up what's been going on. And help you get excited about what's to come. So yeah, check the description box, lots of links. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me. You're always the best. And I'll see you all very soon. Bye.