Sometimes I feel as though I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions – too many projects and not enough ‘me’. I could use about 6 clones but if they were clones of me, they would come up with their own ideas and not want to finish mine.
Christmas and New Year’s are a dichotomy – things slow down and speed up. Classes slow down at this time of year though that ’empty’ space is replaced with baking, shopping, decorating, wrapping and shipping. I finished the baking a couple of days ago (OK, not finished but I baked enough cookies to justify the purchase of multiple pounds of flour, sugar and butter), if I get the urge, I can always bake more.
Every year, I look to the holiday break as a time I ‘might’ just get some UFOs done. Once upon a time, I had about a dozen of them at any given time but they have multiplied and now I couldn’t say for certain how many I have. Part of the problem is that I get enthusiastic about each one as I teach the classes but then when I get home, it’s onto preparing for the next class or the next pattern deadline… things get filed away and I never seem to get caught up. Luckily, the enthusiasm doesn’t wane (for most but not all the projects) and it only takes me resurrecting the project like some forgotten vampire for it to take over my life again until the next interruption.
This week, I resuscitated a project that has lain ‘out of sight and out of mind’ for some time. I teach a monthly hand embroidery study group and in addition to learning an actual stitch or technique, I like to assign an optional little pattern or design for students to practice their stitching on if they so wish. About a year and a half ago I created a project with Sea Anemones to demonstrate Detached Buttonhole Bars. Everyone tried their hand at it and then moved on to other projects the following month but I became intrigued by the anemones. I started exploring them in more depth and along the way decided I would incorporate them into a larger ‘Tide pool’ project.
This, like many other projects, got shelved as I had to move on to other projects but I re-discovered it recently and pulled it out to continue work on it. Luckily, I had included my design idea sheets tucked into the ziploc bag with it. As this will be an ongoing project, I have sketches of other tide pool life – seaweed, shells, barnacles, starfish… along with notes on possible ways to stitch and embellish them. It’s been long enough since I last worked on it that I lost the little baggie of iridescent purple beads I used for the tentacles but I found a close substitute.
I am glad to be back on this project though I’ve no doubt it will have to be shelved again at some point before it’s done. After completion, I may just offer some classes on the various techniques I used and will use on the quilt..
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