Quilting in public and other anomalies

Day care wants Owen at “school” at 9 a.m. this year, so in he goes. It leaves me a little time before work, even if I go in early, so I brought my quilt and hoop and quilted on a little park bench in front of the county courthouse.

It was fucking weird.

It felt like performance art, doing this archaic technique as city buses rumbled by and secretaries made their morning constitutionals in suits and sneakers. But it was a calming 45 minutes, and I really needed that, because Owen has gotten a jump on the terrible twos.

He sleeps for shit, if you’ll pardon my French, and wakes as often as when he was a newborn. It takes upwards of two hours just to get him to go to bed now, whereas before he would drop off to sleep as easily as walking into a lake.

An unfortunate side effect of this refusal to go to bed means a dramatic decrease of free time. He whittled it down to maybe half an hour last night, which was really only long enough to brush my teeth and read a chapter of Bill Bryson before turning in. My e-mail inbox has reached embarrassing proportions, and I have a stack of web design work making sad puppy eyes at me.

I’m sure you’ve noticed a sad lack of updates on this ol’ blog. (Ha! “I’m sure you’ve noticed”. Because y’all are waiting BREATHLESSLY by your Bloglines waiting for me to update. Pfft.) Well, I have noticed it, anyway, and it’s partly due to being besieged by toddlerhood and partly due to just not fucking feeling like sharing my intimate thoughts with strangers and partly due to the fact that I am obsessed with finishing my quilt. Seriously, obsessed to the point where I will quilt in public.

Which, as you see, brings us full circle and really says nothing at all, which is pretty much the story of this blog.

You are, however, more than welcome to peruse the archives; they are quite pretty and AJAX-y, and you can while away a tender hour reading about my big butt and how I dislike this one lady at the auto mechanic’s. VERY IMPORTANT STUFF.

August 29, 2006 | Filed Under blather, create, daily grind, motherhood, neuroses, sewing

Comments

8 Responses to “Quilting in public and other anomalies”

candace on August 29th, 2006 11:35 am

Which Bryson are you reading? I lurve him.

Toddlerhood can really kick a person’s ass. Just hang in there.
Mayberry on August 29th, 2006 11:49 am

It truly sucks when you get a good long taste of the freedom of early, easy bedtime and no night wakings, and then it is rudely yanked away! Hope the phase passes soon. And you’re gonna show us the quilt when it’s done, right?
patricia on August 29th, 2006 1:31 pm

Back before the internets kicked all of my other hobbies to the side I used to cross-stitch. Depending on what I was working on, I would sometimes do it in public because of some silly deadline like the child who I just so happened to be stitching a birth announcement for turning 18. Anyway. People do react funny. Some have no idea what you’re doing, others are entirely too curious etc. One time, while waiting for a class to start, the psyc professor asked to look at my project. He turned it over and under and then he started talking to the class about hobbies and how they’re good for keeping stress levels down. He then asked me to talk a little about cross-stitching. So strange.

Anyway. Sorry to hear about the little guy’s schedule being all wonky. Hope it gets back on track soon.
toyfoto on August 29th, 2006 1:45 pm

You quilt, I’ll practice yoga, we’ll set out a hat and make extra income.
Malnurtured Snay on August 29th, 2006 5:24 pm

Hey, maybe I’ll take the long way to Uni on Thursday to see if you’re quilting out front.
Elizabeth on August 30th, 2006 5:53 pm

I’ve never crafted outside. Hmmm. There were those people at the hospital that could somehow knit while eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Also: I perused the archives as per request and would very much like to see a picture of said Supa and Mr. Supa dressed as Trinity and Neo. Please tell me you have one! What a super idea, and? did anyone know who you were? I remeber going to see that movie with my boyfriend (now husband) and a couple-friends of ours of whom the guy fell asleep (asleep!) and the girl had no idea what we just watched!
supa on August 31st, 2006 9:50 am

Bet you missed me, snay. Too icky outside, and I was running late anyhow.

elizabeth, i could never do two things at once like those knitters! in college i tried to smoke and knit at the same time and it was, how you say, a failed experiment.

Oh man. I wonder if I have that pic in Flickr? It’s embarrassing, actually. But it was the best costume for shy people: Just dress up in black, slick your hair back, put some sunglasses on and then try to look bored, depressed and determined all at the same time. And if you do talk, make sure it’s all wooden and fake like Keanu!

See? Perfect.
jen on September 13th, 2006 8:48 pm

I get sort of bummed when I see people knitting in public or when commuting - makes me almost wish I was into knitting. Seems like a great way to get stuff done while passing the time. But nope, it’s sewing and fabric for me - and since I can’t haul my sewing machine and overlock machine with me . . well, it’s a pretty solitary hobby.

Cool to see your blog - I thought I was the only one out there these days who liked to sew. Not so much into quilting, though I have done it …