This ties in to my recent statement in another blog that I would explain about why I had the materials to make cards later. My father was a leather goods maker from the time I was born...so I guess I was born into using my hands to make something. As a kid, we traveled around the US to different fairs and stock shows...I slept in a belt box under the counter as a little kid and as I got older I was assigned to lace billfolds and make hair pieces...I would stamp the little pieces of leather and dye them...so it is in my blood. The problem is due to having 2 children at a very young age...I had no money...so I made things from flour and water..clay figures, and cross-stitched..that is all I could afford. Then when I got a good paying job all heck broke lose....I bought everything in sight...figuring if I couldn't make it now...I would have the stuff and make it later. If you want to do paper crafts ..woodworking...candle making...silk painting..soap making....beading, oil painting, drawing, and on and on...come on over to my house. Then my grand daughter was born and I started a craft box for her.
The funny thing about acquiring more stuff is it is kinda like eating really rich yummy food...its really great at first...then a sinking feeling of what the heck did I do comes around...and the thing about having so many crafts is that what was really happening was that I was driving my self crazy with trying to do it all, and trying to store. On top of this, my husband who is a muscian...started aquiring sound equipment for his band...our house was shrinking by the minute.
A few years ago I took a quilting class and found my true calling...now my love, and a love I think will stay, is sewing and quilting...but....I still have all the other stuff although scaled down to what I might need in creating fabric objects and clothes...well the candle and soap making is still in the shelf above the closet..I might do that again sometime...or maybe one of my grand kids will want to...or my poor son may just have to sort thru all that stuff when I am not here to hear him say..."Oh good grief, Mom"
And I have stopped buying at least for now...except for backing fabric and binding. I want to support the smaller fabric and quilt shops but to tell you the truth I never feel comfortable in the smaller shops...I always feel tha I am out of my element ...as opposed to JoAnn's where everyone seems to be treated the same..I don't want to feel that I am second class when I buy fabric simply because I don't belong to a guild or have ever shown a quilt..i just want to love textiles without any trappings. We are all creative in our own way and that is the beauty of crafters and artist..I have even heard that the difference between the craftsman and the artist is breaking down somewhat..although I suspect there will always be a line there...kinda like how some people divide knitting v. crochet (by the way I do both so don't send me hate mail)
I have met some very nice people in the journey of crafts and the arts in the various art classes I have taken. I hope to continue this journey.
Cathie-those quilt shops-don't give them a second thought. I learned through lots and lots (LOL!) of visits that the people who go there have such a wide range of skills, experience and tastes that well, I just fit right in. There is no "wrong" about it and luckily so!
ReplyDelete