Fun For One

There are times, when I stress myself out over nothing of great importance.  That’s how it works for me.  I stress about the small things, and let the big things figure themselves out.  Sometimes that seems a little backwards, or counter productive to me, but none-the-less, it’s how I work.  So it’s times like that we must grasp what we know, learn to work with it, and push on. 

This is how it goes with me and crafting.  The parts I love most, are often the parts that frustrate me the most.  Take quilting for example, I have recently come to terms with cutting out a new project as being my favorite part.  I think it’s all the math and the precision of the pieces.  Often times, it is also the part that frustrates me the most.  I invariably cut a piece wrong and never have enough fabric to complete my pieces.  Even when I buy more fabric than I need.  It’s the universes way of getting back at me.  I am doomed to always make a wrong cut and never have enough fabric. 

Another aspect of favorite vs. frustrating is the designing.  I love to design.  I’m constantly drawing up designs and figuring out the shapes and sizes, a lot of them never seeing the cutting board.  (One day I figure I’ll compile an ebook of all of those cast off projects.)  It also frustrates me to no end at times.  Drawing up a rough design and then having to bring it to scale.  It’s the brining it to scale part that is frustrating.  Nothing can ever be perfectly pieced, with perfect 1/4” increments.  Everything has to be like pulling teeth to make it fit and still work with the original design.  I don’t like change, even when it’s just a small rectangle on a project.  Because sometimes that small rectangle needing to be 1/16th of an inch bigger means redoing the entire piece!  Redoing the entire piece results in it going from a small wall hanging to a too-big-for-the-walls wall hanging. 

But there is a silver lining.  There is always a silver lining if you learn to find the positive in the negative.  Sometimes that “too-big-for-the-walls wall hanging” leads to a slightly altered, perfectly sized quilt for the couch. 

Suddenly the frustration becomes excitement.  You know the kind, where your whole body feels it.  A smile suddenly fills your face and your whole body relaxes because your frustrations have gone and the enjoyment of creating suddenly returns.

Of course life is all about cycles.  So invariably the frustrations will follow.  But at least this time it will be with the knowledge that there is always that silver lining.  You just have to be open to it and know it will follow.