Saturday, March 28, 2009

So I am making a project bag, right. It is part of a swap. It has to be there by Tuesday. I started thinking about it when the studio stopped screaming for attention on Thursday. I was feeling overwhelmed and under the weather (nervous exhaustion?) so I thought I might send on one I had made already. I wasn't feeling wonderful about this choice so decided to re-read the profile and blog of my spoilee. My spoilee loves pink. I can truthfully say that pink is my least favourite colour. I was in a bit of a bind. How would karma treat me if I sent an orange bag. I estimated about as badly as I felt about it. Then I read that my spoilee would like a bag for spindles. The bag I am about to show you would be rubbish for spindles.



Crap. So I decided to do it right and make a bag. I went to the local quilt shop to get fabric. I have to say that finding a pink that I didn't find offensive was impossible. I am from quilting stock - I know about fabrics a little and I didn't see any of the interesting fabrics I have seen elsewere. So I settled on 'nice'. I came home to start a 'nice' bag and my machine (which has been threatening non performance for some time) would. not. work.
I might just add here that my stress levels have been rather high. So high I have even taken myself off to therapy to deal with it. How do you think a non working machine went down when I had to make something I didn't like before the end of the weekend. I will say it did not go down well. So I improvised and borrowed a machine from a neighbour. After hours of jammed thread and a reel of white cotton used up I looked longingly at the orange bag. But karma......so I called the neighbour in for a tuition on her machine. It worked perfectly until she left and I had to change the bobbin.
So forward to now - it is 10pm Saturday night. I have been to a spin-in all day with some die hard and wanna be spinners and some in between ( I call them over-achievers - you know who you are). I came home and tiled a bathroom floor and then went out for dinner. At 9pm I was finally onto the bag and at 10pm it is finished.

I can't say I particularly like it but then it isn't for me - and now I can cross it off the list.


6 comments:

Leonie said...

The bag looks lovely.

Time to take a breath and slow down just a little??? I always find the "out of control" "can't get anything done in time" feeling generally leads to more stress and things going "wrong", mine generally stems from lack of sleep.

So even though everything is piling up, or seems to be, see if you can take some time for you and just "be" even if only for ten minutes and try to take it a little slower, it's amazing how much faster things happen.

Thinking of you

Rose Red said...

I know exactly what you mean - it's those times when you are already under the gun that things like the sewing machine problems happen, just to make it all worse. But glad you had a break and then got there in the end.

And I sympathise on the pink issue - I'd have had just as hard a time choosing pink as you!

Bells said...

Sometimes swaps can be like that. I find some great pressure comes my way when I do them and later, I'm grateful I put myself through it, but at the time? not happy! This sounds like you've been through way more than I can imagine though!

Michelle said...

Gah! That's exactly what happens to me too - tight deadline, wonky equipment, and then you find you have to make something you just don't love as much as you want to! The bag looks great, and if I was the recipient I'd be really pleased with it.

Bec said...

Totally get the pink thing - it's not one of my colours either but I think you've done a great job on the bag and I'm sure you're swapee will love it!

Sarah said...

Hoping you get on top of the stress.

My machine did it's work before it broke so I am very grateful to the sewing machine gods!

The bag is beautiful and I hope you get lots of good karma because you did it right :o)