Silk Under Sweatpants

The last time I read The Creative Woman's Getting It All Together At Home Handbook, I remember thinking that the women quoted were very angry and bitter in regards to their spouses and to the unequal distribution of labour. Hmm... I wonder if I was having a moment myself because this time around - so far - the book isn't reading the same way. In fact, it seems that most of the women are talking about the fabulous opportunity working from home offers. It'll be interesting to read further and see if that tone changes or if it was just my mood at the time. We see (read) through the paradigms of our own experiences.

On page 41, there is a quote from Dee Mosteller where she lists her best advice to persons who would work at home. Howard laughed when I shared point five with him - (5) try to live with someone who has a steady job and income - that's beneficial in two ways... it gets him/her out of your hair all day or night, and you don't have that terrible pressure of financial problems which can kill all creative drive. So true. It is in fact rather blissful to be so supported. I am - at the moment - exceedingly happy working in my studio. While I always enjoy working in my studio, exceedingly happy is an up and down thing. Not all projects are as fun as this hand bag series.

Last week, I heard about and joined the Sweet Spot Salon and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Marcy Tilton and her sister Katherine's interview. I never made it through to this week's interview. I'd had enough with the introduction. Knowing that I'm an emotional, touchy feely, up one minute and down the next, kind of person - read rather intense - it's surprising for me to say that I'm finding the site way too much. It's too sweet, too rah rah, too gushy and there are way too many emails. The idea is being put forward that it is possible to live always at a creative high, always in the flow. IMHO - you can't sustain that and you don't want to. Not only do we need rests, if life was lived at a high all the time there would be no contrasts to illustrate when we are in, and when we are not, in the flow therefore, we could not appreciate one over the other. Sameness is boring; it's not "juicy".

One of the things Julia Cameron talked about in The Artist's Way was exactly that - that we cannot exist always on the mountaintop and therefore we need strategies for climbing out of our ruts.

The Karen bag is finished. It was created in one long section - 44" x 28" - that was  folded wrong sides together and seamed along the outside edges. In the image above, you can see the three different lining fabrics used as well as the pink and the check edgings and the black strip across the center that marks the bottom. The image below...

... shows the tuck across the bottom corners used to shape the bag as well as the exposed lining created by seaming the edges 1/2" in from the check strip. It's fun - like silk under sweatpants.

The bag was designed to hold an 18" x 24" cutting mat, a pressing mat, rulers, and a rotary cutter as well as other project supplies. Hopefully, Karen will be able to use it on quilting retreats now that she's taken up a new hobby. If not, it will provide a good storage place for those items and if she ever takes up painting, it'll make a fabulous portfolio.

There are two pockets on the outside - a large one on the front and a smaller one on the back. Both used sections of the original quilt. Of all the bags, this one contains the most traditional quilting elements.

The two sides of the bag ended up less visually connected than I thought they would. The front has the original hands and background elements as well as the rust/gold/beige three-quarter squares. The back...

... also has three-quarter squares and the same striped fabric that's on the front however, the new Streak of Lightening panel looks far more vibrant finished than it did when I chose the fabrics. It's a good thing the black is in there or it would really be hopping.

The check fabric used along the sides and for the handles pulls in the plaid hand and the pink edging along the top pulls in the pink hand. Overall, it works. There are - of course - things I'd do differently if I were doing it over again and isn't that normal. It's a practical piece. This is good.

spottedroo wrote - Wish I could say my generation had solved the work/life balance thing but I don't think that's the case. I feel extremely lucky to have a job that's intellectually rewarding, but I still mourn the time it takes away from my kid, my husband, my art. When my son was born I promised myself the one thing I wouldn't do is feel guilty. But I guess that's unavoidable.

It is SO EASY to find things to feel guilty about and if we can't find them ourselves, there's always someone willing to dump a little, or a lot, on us. When my daughter was young, I worked full time. When my oldest son was born, I switched to three days a week and started writing. When my youngest son was born, I quit my day job and went full time into mothering and my business. It seemed like I had a gazillion full time jobs. Reality is that there's no one right answer for everyone. Each of us has to find our way. Our choices are always dictated by the circumstances we find ourselves in which are often beyond our control. All we can do is make our best choices with the information we have and go from there.

More than anything else, I wanted my children to know that I loved them and I think I've succeeded in that even as I wish I'd read more stories and pushed more swings and perhaps never even started my own business although I like the woman I've become through that experience so it's hard to say. I could guilt trip myself about this or that but... my children know for a fact that I love them and that's not only the basis of our good relationship now but the most important thing PLUS self care. Far too many women burn the candle at both ends and in the middle. Teaching our children to value their own interests comes by teaching them to value ours and how to say no.

spottedroo also wrote - It's a funny question about the labels we give ourselves. I would say it's a lot like the clothes we choose to wear. In one sense, they are unimportant. They won't make you a good or bad person. They won't change how the people closest to you see you. But in another sense they are. Wearing a beautiful dress or calling yourself an artist can give you confidence, change the way you carry yourself, change how strangers respond to you. For me...

YES YES YES - thank you for sharing that analogy. It's perfect. I know that when I'm introducing myself to someone new and that inevitable "what do you do" question comes up, I prefer to give an answer that will generate conversation. Kept woman surprisingly does not get the reaction it used to especially among my age group. It more often elicits envy, you're so lucky, and how do you do that type comments. I'm an Artist leads to all kinds of discussions whereas I sew drops a conversation flat. I find people fascinating so I always want the conversation to continue and find out more about them. I'm terrible for starting conversations with total strangers... and eavesdropping... and interrupting.

AND NOW... to start bag nine of nine. YEAH ! ! ! !

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - living with someone who has a steady job