Never thought I'd say it, but I'm pretty sure I OD'd on quilting. I've spent plenty on time on my hiney (as its size makes clear), but I think this time it's actually bruised! So much for that personalized butt pillow being a cure-all.* I guess when you spend four days sewing almost nonstop, you're going to have some scars. No one ever said quilt camp was for the weak. Last night after surviving four days of sewing and two days of driving I was trying to figure out a way to use my rice bag that wouldn't be pornographic. Sore, sore hiney...
Anyway, although I'm only one border short of a finished product, I just couldn't bring myself to top off the quilt I worked on during retreat. I hit the wall and didn't have another bobbin-winding effort in me. So I left it for my mother to finish. Yeah, I'm kinda spoiled like that.
If only I could get her to contribute to the diss...
So, yes, there was quilt camp and quilt camp was good. I managed to stay awake with the help of a "paper piecing" adrenaline rush and Andy's magic coffee. I have no idea how he made it, but that was powerful stuff. I probably don't want to know the secret or I really will get hooked. It's detox time, after all. Really, I'm planning to turn those nasty words "paper piecing" into just PP or "the quilt technique that will not be named..." Since a mere mention of it makes me break out into a sweat, I've got to know when it's time to step away from the copy machine.
I think there are pictures somewhere to prove that I was a good little quilter, but those have yet to be unearthed.
Anyway, before further procrastination, I wanted to give the final guesses on my "when will Leslie cave?" contest. If any of you still want to submit a guess, I'll take them for the next few days.
Jan 5 SueAnn
Jan 11 Maya
Feb 10 Hilda
Feb 18 Mom
Mar 1 Rachel
Mar 15 Marcy
June Erica
Sep-Oct Laurie
I'm still going strong so I guess that counts out SueAnn and Maya (who have absolutely no faith in me). A pillar of strength, I tell ya, a pillar of strength...
When I was telling people at quilt camp about my little goal and contest they asked if I was getting out of knitting and sewing. After all, why else would one stop purchasing supplies? Don't worry, I still love my hobbies, and I certainly love shopping for my hobbies, but as my 30+ quilt list shows, I've got too much to do and not enough time to finish it. Every time I look at my stash or even sit down to work on a project, my mind starts spinning with all the other things that need to be done. I'm overwhelmed and my hobbies are becoming less enjoyable leisure time and more high-stress pressure to get to ring the finish horn. At 3.30 a.m. during quilt retreat, I was tired and my back hurt and all I wanted was to crawl into bed but I couldn't. I was an obsessed woman who couldn't stop the machine until the last seam was finished. Had I been staying up for the excitement of seeing a finished project, fine, but it was because I felt obligated to finish that one so I could move onto another one and have them all off the darn "to do" list.
I love the supplies in my stash. I'm excited to knit and sew from the things I purchased last year or even ten years ago. But if I keep adding to the stash, I'll never get to do any of it because there won't be room for me in this apartment!
I read an article today about a woman who literally suffocated in her home when an avalanche of old clothes and books and crap fell over on her while she was sitting in the one free chair in the mess. I'm not quite that crazy yet, but I am stressed when I walk into the apartment. I'm nervous when I look at my yarn or even worse, my books. Sometimes there can be too much of the things we love. Just like having to choose to give up my French horn and piano lessons, I'm going to have to reduce some of the things I love in order to actually enjoy my day to day existence. Someday I hope to pull out my horn again and you better believe that I'll be dusting off the credit cards again when a wool bug hits me, but for now, I'm working on getting things out the door rather than in.
So now it's back to the real world. The office is busy. There's already a crowd at the library. There's laundry to do and a syllabus to write and bills to be paid. At least there's no snow.
1. Diss: Got another bibliography to check out. It's a bad thing when your director leaves you lists to read... and the lists are in Italian. Ugh...
2. Diet: Wednesday Weigh-In: 1xx. Hit the grocery store today so no more excuses. But of course a last dinner of brownies and Smirnoff is in order.
3. Organizing: Filled a trash can with old mail and managed to make a dent in unpacking.
*You've got to see it to believe it. I'll show pics of the memory foam derrierre impressions once I find my camera. Bet you can hardly wait.
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