Craft Projects

  I LOVE crafting... or do I? 

  At different times in my life I have spent many enjoyable hours with beads and hot glue and paper twist, with fabric and paint and yarn...  but I tend to jump into projects and buy supplies... putz a bit.. and then move on.   Quite some time ago, I realized that I really love the IDEA of being a crafter.   Not that I don't enjoy creating things... I do!  But I do NOT enjoy the guilt that goes along with all the tubs of supplies sitting in my house.

Several years ago when I first started this journey of decluttering (and re-defining myself), I gave away TONS of supplies!  I realized that I was no longer the woman who had a small business selling angel crafts at craft shows.  That woman had been left behind on my journey.  This led me to a lot of thinking about who I am becoming.... what lies ahead and what should be left behind?  This is a tough question... for me, crafting is solely an individual pursuit.  It is something that only belongs to me.  I am not doing it for anyone else - just me.  So it needs to be fun and to give me pleasure.

  I was no longer the woman who enjoyed doing cross stitch.    I might be again, I'm not sure.   But at any rate, I gave away most of my supplies.  I kept a small tub of a few half-done projects (that I LOVE - notice that LOVE is present tense.. I still like the projects and might enjoy completing them one day)

  Stamps and paint....  I did enjoy painting small figurines but will re-purchase if that desire comes back into my life.  Stamping, well, I had fun collecting the stamps but NEVER DID USE them except to make a business card :-)

    After my careful purge, I was left with yarn for my crocheting and fabric for quilting dreams.  I have been crocheting since I was 7 years old.  I can crochet in my sleep.  It is soothing for me and travels well.  Unlike cross-stitch, my aging eyes don't have to work too hard!

    And since I wanted to quilt, I signed up for a quilting class where we made a queen-sized patchwork quilt - lap-quilted as we went along.   I finished the class - but not the quilt.   The quilt has been waiting for me for a couple of years.  One of my 2010 resolutions was to get back to quilting and I never got there in a WHOLE YEAR.  Hence the repeat.... do I really want to quilt or don't I?    This is what I need to decide this year.  This is the year to finish up the half-started quilt projects and make a decision.

    So.. the confession is that my class was in Spring 2008.   And I had a blast!  The quilt is 3/4 done..... and I have several other projects started.  I really enjoy the piecework... patching different fabrics together into a quilt top.   But I haven't learned to make a quilt out of the tops (I have 3 tops done).   I received a quilt frame that year for Christmas.....  AND IT IS SITTING IN MY FAMILY ROOM.  I haven't figured out how to put the fabric ON IT.  I have been paralyzed by perfectionism.  With no one to show me, I have been afraid to do it wrong...  THIS year, 2011, I will once and for all, figure it out and decide if I am a quilter.

  Progress so far this year...... small but steady.  I resolved to figure out the quilt frame, finish the class quilt and mend the quilts my mother-in-law has given us over the years.

So far, I began by allocating Saturdays as the day I will do SOMEthing quilt-related.   I located all the supplies and projects... but only pulled out what I needed... the purchased leader cloth fabric, one quilt to mend and the one quilt strip of blocks that I am working on.

I have cut and basted one of the leader cloths for the frame.. am still figuring this out and moving slowly but forcing myself to keep moving.  I have stitched half the final class quilt strip in preparation for quilting.  And I have mended 2 of my mother-in-law's gifts.

If you have read this far..... what project that you think you would LOVE to do is hanging over your head causing you guilt?  Do you really want to do it?  Have you collected all the STUFF but not done the project?  What are you doing about it?  What CAN you do about it?