Tuesday, April 15, 2014

I Must Be Crazy

Things make me crazy.  I'm not even joking.  For years I could free motion quilt on my sewing machine.  Then, one day, I couldn't.  It's been to the machine doctor 5 or 6 times and every time it comes back not working the way it used to.  I'm good for maybe 5 minutes, which is probably how long the doctor samples it, and then it starts skipping stitches.  I don't get it.  Crazy.I can, however quilt using my machine's stitches without ANY problem.  This leads me to believe the problem is user error.  Adapt and overcome is what we always say.   I decided I could use my fancy machine stitches that I've never used  before to quilt Rabbits Prefer Chocolate.  I've got a LOT of clean up to do.  It's hard to know where to start & stop to avoid sewing over your applique because the stitches all go forward and backward at unpredictble rates.

I guess  I don't hate it.  I don't love it yet, but I don't hate it.  I'm convincing myself that it has a lacy feel to it.  Yes, I'm aware Easter is this Sunday.  And, yes, the President's Challange deadline is the May meeting.  Yes, yes, I know.   I'm working on it.  Get off my back:)


I've been working a lot on my Quilty Stitches project.  There's a lot of white filler happening here.  We watched Gone With The Wind last night & I got a lot of progress done while listening to Rich's Mammie impression.  Yeah, the kids had their very own Mammie for an evening.  Lucky them.  He's a special kind of crazy that I won't claim is my fault.


 Most of the last month was working on the Round Robin.  This little old lady (the one on the quilt) told me she wanted roses for her applique, almost as soon as we met.  And, who am I to deny a little old lady?  So, I ordered a super amazing, awesome and wonderful, Japanese applique book.  That took a week & half to get here.  Then, I stitched my little heart out for 2 & half weeks to meet the deadline.  Now, why in God's name would I choose something SO ambitious with such a tight time frame when I'm working 55 hours a week?  My own decisions make me crazy, too.

 Then, there's this picture that I couldn't make go up with it's friends.  Makes me crazy.


Now  if you're not familiar with hand applique, let me explain.  Each rose took roughly 1 - 2 hours.  That's about 4 -5 hours per corner on the quilt.  I was stitching every free moment.  I was even in dark theatres watching Bethany's dance competitions on both Sundays (my only day offf) in a row stitching those roses.  I've bled for these roses.  My finger's were, indeed, raw.  All because the little old lady said she wanted roses.  And, let's not dwell on how the green shadows though the pink in spots.  That would make me crazy, if I let it.  I don't think it was that obvious in real life anyway.

Rich always says, "If all you meet, all day long, are assholes.  Maybe, you're the asshole."  So, with that logic, I must be the crazy.  Hmmmm.