Things. That. Weigh. Heavily.
I’m not talking about the rise of tyranny around the globe, the shameless demagoguery of racist GOP Senators, or the horror show of Ukraine. I’m talking about unfinished quilts, books I have purchased but not yet read, and inherited and collected stuff that needs sorted.
Also yesterday I made the mistake of reading a few sections of a journal from 1995. Whew! Fortunately this is not a forum to discuss such matters but let me just say I see the value of re-instituting a practice of self-forgiveness.
These are mostly first world problems and they exist in a terrain of gratitude, but they also are harsh enough to create a choking sensation.
So today I picked one particularly bothersome unfinished quilt and resumed work on it. Because I can. Because it’s do-able. It’s a loosely-patterned log cabin in blues and greens, sized for a couch. It’s intended for D. Part of why it’s been languishing is that in several places I pleated the back by accident. Ugh. Initially, I started unpicking but got discouraged and gave it up.
I’ve decided to keep going and sew right over the pleats and then create a new back instead. It’s not a great fix, but the result will be functional and pretty enough.
This involved clearing off the work surface, threading the machine and bobbin with new thread, and finding my grippy-gloves.
I totally get it.
From you I’ve learned to h e a slightly softer view about unfinished work, because if it’s all unfinished until it leaves the house? Well then.
I know this oh, so well.
Well I guess I’m human then.
The cold that we have experienced here has weighed on me these past few days, spring it is no,t until today. Just posted some of this on Jude’s blog but it fits here as well;
Allergies, stress, it all rolls into a lump of woe for me at times. Today was the first day that we had signs of spring; it snowed earlier this week and this is New Mexico! At 5:30 am, I told myself come hell or high water, I was going to put the patio cushions out on the chairs, buy some pansies and violas, plant veggie seeds in my peat pots…I so needed to get my hands in dirt and I just now finished
First time it was warm enough to sit outside without a jacket and it was so needed. I like cold but this year has been too much and when I get too cold, I get very “antsy” I don’t have any unfinished cloth projects since I only work with one cloth collage at a time but I have not done much since January except for making a peace/prayer flag for Ukraine… BUT although I have a basket of my dyed cloth scraps, I also have this nagging feeling that I should be out and about, foraging for more dye materials but not much is greening up here yet and frankly, I just feel a bit lazy to walk around here…this place does not have the good trails like our other place did. It’s kind of iffy, loose dogs and I am afraid of large dogs and this feeling of being a slug, preferring to stay put and not heading out for dye discoveries simply bums me out…
It does sound quite seasonal with you, although the weight of the world presses on us all even when we’re not paying attention (and I do pay attention). I got the patio cushions out last week and then it got quite cold again. Unlike other years, I just feel DONE with the cold, as if it were up to me! But thank god for gardens, right? I’m got out and raked just now and feel so so much better.
love the honesty and (maybe unintended but nonetheless real) humor–and I identify with the feelings. thanks for taking the time and energy to say all of this.
Well and thank you, Doris, for taking the time to say so.
I feel guilty that I have safety, and time to read. I bought a book in 2004. I guess I have been waiting for the emotional strength to actually read Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others. I have begun.
Feelings weigh heavily… TY for your posts.
Sontag book sounds heavy. Course I have The 1619 Project on my shelf.
There is a lot to weigh us down these days, even 1st world stuff. I will look forward to seeing the quilt becoming. I know for myself, clearing out helps 🙂
Clearing out is tried and true, isn’t it?
That will, indeed, be a project!