A Well-Intentioned Hobbiest

Once upon a time I decided to learn how to upholster a chair. A woman showed me how to strip it to the frame, put back the padding, stretch the fabric to fit tightly in the right places, tuck, tack and make a cushion with cording around the edges. Just when it was starting to look good, and I was proud to say I did it all alone [with Madeline’s supervision of course.] I stopped reupholstering chairs. I never upholstered another chair. Why?
I had done it and wanted to try something else.

I wanted to learn photography, so I took a class, and learned how to develop my own photos, and I bought my own darkroom supplies, from enlarger to trays to solutions, to glossy paper. I did print some photos and even matted some, but you know what? I found it was an expensive hobby, so I sold the supplies.

That was okay, I had done it and wanted to try something else.

So, I decided to do cross-stitch pictures. I made a wall hanging with a baby’s name and a rattle, and blocks, a heart border and his address so he won’t forget where he used to live. Then I made a house with balloons and grandchildren’s names on them. I did a couple of temple pictures for wedding gifts, made myself a design by looking out my back window at a house across the field, (Though it somehow lost its second story when I ran out of room on the fabric.) And then I got neuropathy in my hands and had to quit that activity.

Besides, I had done it and wanted to try something else.

I bought fabric in beautiful colors of purple, lavender, aqua and teal. I was going to embroider butterflies on twelve quilt blocks and make a quilt for a grand daughter’s wedding present. The quilt squares were cut out but the quilt didn’t come together. I didn’t even embroider one butterfly. She got married without a wedding quilt.

I had started it, and decided I didn’t have enough skill. I gave the fabrics to charity and wanted to try something else.

So I invented a project. I took a set of outdoorsey rubber stamps and blew each stamped image larger in my copier. There was a log cabin, and a couple of moose, (or is that meese?) and fir trees and a lazy old hound dog to lie by the front doorstep. I scanned the design and printed each element onto heat-transfer paper. Then I got some tan cotton fabric and ironed on the picture elements with lettering saying “Cabin, sweet cabin.” I couldn’t top that.

I had done it and wanted to try something else.

This time I decided to take upholstery samples about 11" x14" to see what I could do to recycle the samples. I designed a group of wall hangings for a nursery or daycare center. Using various trimmings I already had, I made a scene with fish swimming in an aquarium, a wooly sheep on a plaid background, A big frog about to snap up a dragonfly with his long tongue while a little frog watched the technique; cars, trucks and things that go, and one panel with alphabet letters. But I thought they were kind of stupid looking. I gave them away.

Besides, I had done it and wanted to try something else.

So I took another class–this one on making greeting cards with rubber stamps and other special effects. The class was fun. I began buying stamp pads and a heat embosser, and metal punches, and I got a really good deal on a set of plastic drawers to keep things in. I was going to make my Christmas cards that year. But I didn’t have time, so I bought some cards. That was okay too, except the birthdays came along faster than I could remember to make those cards too! I still might make some gift cards ahead of time.

But, I had done it and wanted to try something else.

Sometimes I mastered a skill. Sometimes I recognized I didn’t have a skill. I always wanted to jump in with both feet, and have the top kind of equipment to do the job. Sometimes my plans were changed by circumstances. I get good ideas and don’t always follow through. Last year I wanted to recognize, collect and sell jewelry over the internet. I’ve purchased all kinds of jewelry to sell, some pretty good stuff. And I have a set of tools, and I’ve noticed how other people display items at their garage sales. I’ve even learned how to sell items on the Internet. So, what’s holding me up now?

I hope I don’t find something else to try before I make this one successful!

Dedicated to all of you who have drawers full of barely used craft paints, yarns, embroidery floss, fabrics or card stock and colored pens. Can someone out there teach me how to use a Crikut machine?