I have a lot of fear around other people seeing my sewing.
“Did I press the seams to the correct side?”
“Are all of my seams perfectly straight?”
“Do my fabric choices look like something out of a horror movie?”
Until Halloween comes along, the desired effect of my sewing and it’s surrounding components is not to frighten people and I have found the recent possibility of this frightening me. In trying to get out of this fear, I joined the Red, White and Blue Summer Block Swap which is hosted by Sandy, a new quilting friend and, from my observations, an all around bad ass and total sweet heart.
With my favorite hobby being one involving illicit substances and being in the house with the shades drawn, it’s no surprise that over the past several years my relationships with other people have deteriorated. Isolation has definitely taken it’s toll on my social existence.
Instead of jumping on the self-pity bandwagon, I am taking this opportunity to be selective about the people I allow in my life- trying to revitalize the relationships that were healthy as well as creating new ones. This selectiveness is far from any kind of snobbery. In fact, it is something I have been practicing for a long time, just incorrectly.
It is incredibly uncomfortable to be on your tenth shot of whiskey when you are out to dinner with someone nursing a single glass of white wine.
I have spent my life seeking out people who drank and used the way I did. So why not turn it around and consciously direct myself towards people who are immersing themselves in healthy passions and nondestructive interests? I feel so fortunate to be experiencing the birth of these new friendships. And no matter how much I love them, it gets to be a real bummer when the only people you ever talk to are your fiancé and your parents. Especially when you are stressing all of them out!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a huge Art Bell fan. Although I hadn’t searched to the ends of the earth, I was starting to feel a little hopeless regarding my search for thorough, informative and clear cut instructions on binding my quilts. Like I was on a quest for the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot of sewing directives.
Okay. Honestly? I have felt pretty paralyzed by my ignorance.
This is, hands down, the best instruction I have come across:
Thank you Connecting Threads!
I realize I keep saying I’m going to start the binding “today”, but this time I really mean it.
Yesterday at Britex I got this blue for the binding:
Over the weekend, on the way to get a coffee, I was passed by this:
So, of course, I forgot all about my coffee and in the hilarity of the moment Brandon and I decided to “double dip” and hit the Cherry Blossom Festival again. Several years ago I lived in Osaka and had the good fortune and lack of maturity to truly appreciate being there for their Cherry Blossom Festival and wearing a Yukata.
Here are some sights from our experience:
The cherry blossoms were beautiful and made me want to try my hand at embroidery. I wonder if their beauty could be at all captured in thread?
I have no idea what this thing is, but the SFPD was in a good mood.
All in all, an inspiring day spent enjoying the city, celebrating a culture I love with the best company I could ask for:
And yes, I made him pose for this picture. 
Wow do I miss the city.