It's "crunch-time" in the fabric world for holiday season. This crunch time for most holiday shoppers is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but not for us! We have to have the time to spend concocting an idea for the perfect gift for our loved ones AND the time to make it. I am at least this year acknowledging this "crunch time" and hoping I will go beyond the planning stage.
I realized yesterday in my youth class, that 3 of my students have already started making Christmas presents for their family. I got a deep sense of falling behind as I drove home last night. I have one student who is whipping up cosmetic bags for her mom and step-mom, and another who left class with a bag for her mom last night. Another came running up to me when she got there telling me that her sister wants a bag just like the one she had just made. Of course her sister has no idea that my student has already started making the bag for a gift. Their excitement about giving is phenomenal, but their dedication to spend the time to make their gifts is even more impressive.
I have read numerous articles in the newspaper and online this week about home-made gifts. Of course the major theme of them is to be thrifty, which I completely disagree with. As I have mentioned earlier, time is not priceless. Making gifts takes up an astronomical amount of time, and those who are not seamstresses or crafters sometimes don't understand this. I think every gift I give has an extra value. Not necessarily a dollar value but a different kind of value. A value that represents love and appreciation for the person who is receiving the gift.
I spoke with a customer today, who last year made so many purses that I can't remember the number to give as gifts, and she told me again today that she never wants to buy a gift again. It made me realize that maybe it isn't important if the gift receiver knows about the dedication put into the gift. I mean aren't gifts all about the giving of them?
During this year's "crunch-time" I really am going to dedicate some time to the gifts that will be so wonderful to give to the ones I love and appreciate the most. This is at least the first step in the process.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
There is Never Enough Time!
I have never been deprived of fabric or creative inspiration. Only time. I grew up touching, gazing and dreaming of fabric and what all I can possibly do with it. My mother owns a quilt shop in Overland Park, KS, and I have spent much of my childhood and life at Harper's Fabrics and Quilt Co. I write her weekly newsletter and teach girls every week, while I marvel the beautiful fabrics and absorb the creativity and inspiration the shop has to offer everyday. I cringe with envy, every week when one of my students leaves with a fabulous project that I just don't have time to make. I am a graduate student, getting my Masters in Secondary Education of English right now and count down the days until Winter Break, when I hope to let my creative juices leak out. But even those school free times I never get accomplished the plethora of ideas and projects I have the vision for.
I started this blog to share with, whoever cares, my daily and weekly wish list of what I wish I had enough time to make. I also hope to share inspiring stories and projects of my students that I see every week. The girls who I have been teaching for the last two years, have ultimately inspired me to keep my passion thriving and my creativity going. They inspire me to remember the innocence life has to offer when we have just a little bit more time to do the things that make us happy. This for me is creating using fabulous fabrics and patterns. They create magnificent projects that often times I can not guide them though because of their growing skill level and my stagnant, but full of creativity and inspired mind.
I remember the feeling of finishing my first quilt. It was my first real project or accomplishment in the sewing world. It wasn't just a few scraps thrown together, like many of the bags, wallets or other "stuff" I used to make. It was my very first hand-pieced quilt that I picked each fabric out with careful consideration of every fabric, when I was only 7. I look back at it and am blown away by my change in choice of fabrics. Now at 23, I would never pick the traditional colors and prints, like I did a decade ago. I am now living on the edge with bright, bold, large prints. My favorite fabric designers are Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner, Kaffe Fasset and the brand new Pillow & Maxfield (locally from Kansas City). I just stare and touch each of these designer's fabrics almost everyday, and dream up what I can do with them. It's my indulgence. Whether it's a bag, a purse, a skirt, or anything I can imagine up (time-permitting of course), I look forward to feeling of accomplishing at least the creative part of every project. Unfortunately, this vision I have is the first and only step I accomplish. I hope to share some of this inspiration with others, who maybe have a little bit more time, but I also hope to inspire my self to start finding time to do what I love.
I started this blog to share with, whoever cares, my daily and weekly wish list of what I wish I had enough time to make. I also hope to share inspiring stories and projects of my students that I see every week. The girls who I have been teaching for the last two years, have ultimately inspired me to keep my passion thriving and my creativity going. They inspire me to remember the innocence life has to offer when we have just a little bit more time to do the things that make us happy. This for me is creating using fabulous fabrics and patterns. They create magnificent projects that often times I can not guide them though because of their growing skill level and my stagnant, but full of creativity and inspired mind.
I remember the feeling of finishing my first quilt. It was my first real project or accomplishment in the sewing world. It wasn't just a few scraps thrown together, like many of the bags, wallets or other "stuff" I used to make. It was my very first hand-pieced quilt that I picked each fabric out with careful consideration of every fabric, when I was only 7. I look back at it and am blown away by my change in choice of fabrics. Now at 23, I would never pick the traditional colors and prints, like I did a decade ago. I am now living on the edge with bright, bold, large prints. My favorite fabric designers are Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner, Kaffe Fasset and the brand new Pillow & Maxfield (locally from Kansas City). I just stare and touch each of these designer's fabrics almost everyday, and dream up what I can do with them. It's my indulgence. Whether it's a bag, a purse, a skirt, or anything I can imagine up (time-permitting of course), I look forward to feeling of accomplishing at least the creative part of every project. Unfortunately, this vision I have is the first and only step I accomplish. I hope to share some of this inspiration with others, who maybe have a little bit more time, but I also hope to inspire my self to start finding time to do what I love.
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