I Am Exhausted!

First, a shout-out and a "thanks" to my TB-free well wishers. When you haven't had a clean chest x-ray since May and were exposed right around the same time by the woman who cooks for you and gives you mommy hugs 'n kisses, there can be a certain amount of stress around the issue. Good thoughts were appreciated.

Today was D-Day for the Return To Sewing Extravaganza. I was as giddy as a school girl at the thought of it and barely slept a wink anticipating my upcoming creation. The pattern promised me that I could crank this bag out in a mere afternoon and be out on the town with it by evening. Admiring glances and whispered words of envy from onlookers were not actually promised, but there was a certain "implication" if you know what I mean.

However, as I recalled my last venture into the world of pins and needles, it occurred to me that I might want to take a moment and reflect on the many, many....many errors I made back in the day and try not to repeat them. With all the solemnity of a nun taking her vows, I made the following declarations:

I will read the pattern all the way through before I cut anything.

I will do what those directions tell me to do. They are there for a reason.

I do not have enough technical skill to "wing it" and should refrain from doing so.

If I make a mistake, it is better to take the item apart and repair it instead of promising myself that it can be covered with a colorful patch. There is a limit to the number of colorful patches one can get away with when one is in her forties.

That said, I dragged out the machine and began. Persephone, a wise creature in her own right, chose to observe from a sensible distance.

I've lived through several of these "phases." I've developed coping skills.

Three hours later, dripping with sweat and with a my thumb stuck in a pair of stork scissors, I opted to call it a day.

I will not be taking my new tote out on the town tonight.

To my credit, I actually did follow a couple of my self-imposed rules. Sort of. I read through the first half of the directions before I lost interest and scampered over to the machine. I spent 30 minutes meticulously pinning the bottom of the bag in place per the directions. I then spent another 40 minutes taking it apart to account for the puckering before I decided that I could just cover it with a colorful patch. And even though I elected not to use the correct layout for the pattern pieces thereby denying myself the necessary yardage for a liner, I did think about doing it the way I was supposed to. For a minute anyway. And if the liner I am choosing to use instead is of a fabric not recommended by the authors of the pattern well...that 's how things go sometimes, isn't it?

All in all, it's not a failed experiment and I am not ready to consign the whole thing to the recycling bin at this point. The fabric was only a dollar a yard so even if it does go completely haywire on me it's not like it's much of a loss.

I have to go in to the office tomorrow for a meeting and some paperworky stuff then head out for a Parenting Education session in the evening so its doubtful I'll put any time into this project for the next couple of days. And it wouldn't be such a bad idea to make a little more progress on Amy's Project given that my next hair appointment is Saturday. It might not have been wise to promise my stylist a hand-knit item...she can do damage if I'm not working at an acceptable pace.

Now I must go rest from my labors. All that sewing induced cussin' and fussin' really took it out of me!

SA