Thursday, March 26, 2009

Y'all are on your own

I used to think I was good at multi-tasking. (My sister rocks at multi-tasking. She has been known to fold the laundry while playing after-school activity chauffeur to the kids.) As I get older and wiser, either I am losing that talent or I never had it in the first place and am now realizing it.

I hate wasting time (I'm mean REALLY). I'm not a patient person and I don't handle waiting well. I NEED to fill that time. Doesn't matter what I do . . . a puzzle, read, wash a window, dust, a few crunches . . . anything. So if I'm doing one thing and think I can do something else at the same time - I gotta do it. That is so the opposite of wasting time. Now, some things mix better than others.

Listening to the news of the day while fixing dinner - that works.
Reading while eating breakfast - that works.
Talk on the phone while ripping out stitches or washing dishes - that works.
Sunbathe while weeding - that works.

Eating Nachos Bell Grande (mmm, sounds good, doesn't it Col?) while driving - doesn't work.
Writing a post while watching the Grandkids - doesn't work.
Applying make-up (not that I would do that anyway) while showering - doesn't work.
And, no, I didn't try these - I just kind of know they won't work.

I did, however, try to sew these blocks as leaders and enders while working on my Trip Around the World.
(Cute, huh? The picture doesn't show it as well but the black is really black and the white is really white. I think I'll call the finished quilt 'A Splash of Red')

When you get to the end of a seam it's easier to start sewing another seam than to lift the foot and cut the threads. You can do this for the longest time. So as I finished a strip for one project I'd sew two pieces from a different project. And back and forth. No wasted time. I felt so clever. So productive. So time efficient. Then I took a minute to look at the blocks piling up.


Hmmm. Something's wrong . . . looks like I'll be doing some trimming.

And I can think about the recipient of a quilt as I sew. (With this one I was thinking how it's a Trip Around the World, and the person I'm making it for is embarking on a long journey - not of her choosing - but a journey nonetheless.)


I need to think about the seams a LOT with this quilt but can still think about, and pray for, the recipient. I cannot, however, keep these seams going the correct way with each row AND think about the solution for our country's economic crisis. So . . . y'all are on your own. Let me know when you've got it figured out.

5 comments:

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

Oh Kathleen, just when you get it figured out, there will be something else!! We all have those kind of days!

Karen said...

...you're amazing...can't wait to see more of the round the world quilt. Also, I need to try that leader ender business. I read the link u posted but I need to reread it again.....several more times. It's all very complicated.....btw multitasking is the best. I've learned to be so much more patient if I have to wait for someone or something by always having a book or small stiching project in my bag or purse or car. My car is a mess of books, magazines (coffee cups, apple cores, dicarded directions, etc, etc) and little sewing projects.Having this stuff is especially helpful when getting stuck by a train....but that doesn't seem to happen too often anymore.....anyway I digress....what I'm trying to say is, having something to do with me at all times helps to make me more patient.the end! oh, more thing....having something to do when I'm labor sitting is also helpful.....that way I don't have to tell the mom ," hurry and get that baby out cause I gotta go home!!!" the end for real.

Cara said...

Wow! That's a big project. The seams all look like they are going the correct way, to me. Am I missing something?

Kathleen said...

No, you're not missing anything. They are all (well, 99.9% of them)going the correct way; alternating direction with every row. But that's because every bit of the analytical side of my brain is working on it - & has no room to work on crisis solutions, which is why "Y'all are on your own". The right side of my brain is freely roaming, with the recipient at the center of it all.

Col said...

You are amazing so creative and talented. How dare you use my name and Taco Smell in the same sentence!!