A few days ago I read this post by Peter aka Male Pattern Boldness. For starters, I have to admit that I am freakin' impressed by this guy. He sews (expertly) despite having only started a couple of months before me. He's hilarious. He has an amazing alter ego (identical twin cousin) named Cathy. Somehow, she is entirely believable. Seriously, Cathy lives. In NY.
(Secretly, I'm entirely curious to know about his day job. Of course, it's rude to ask these things...)
At any rate, in the post (about what motivates him and how), Peter asks the genius question: Is the way you do anything, the way you do everything?
Um, hell yes.
I've written before about my own style of being. Very oddly, in terms of brute enthusiasm, it's quite similar to Peter's. Of course, unlike me, he's a collector. He's amassed 9 machines in the past 9 months. Don't rely on my math skills, but that appears to be 1 a month. Meanwhile, I'm afraid to bring fabric into the house because I CANNOT bear to contribute to clutter. (Note: The love of fabric is practically as strong as the fear of clutter.)
Nonetheless - dare I speak for the both of us - we have found meaning in the art of sewing.
Nevermind that I'm an utter newbie. When I took up this craft, I was instantly in its grip. I can't go hours without thinking about principles related to it. I want to know everything. I recognize, alas, it's going to be a long time before I even know most things.
But enough about me. What do you think? Is the way you do anything the way you do everything? Please do tell!
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Oh I do everything the same way, and everything follows the same pattern. In style it is stark vs overdone. In terms of my passions or what I am working on/thinking etc it is every fiber of my being vs totally outside my line of interest. When I am learning something new I am much like you with sewing, and then I flit between passions, each one totally absorbing me at the time. I also abhor clutter, but adore colleccting things I love (fabric) and so that stark vs ornate thing rears it ugly head in many ways.
ReplyDeleteI am not a creature for following the middle path....
I wish - I'm so easily distracted but my project management is getting better. I do need to get my motor going on the sewing front pronto!
ReplyDeleteNo indeed. You'd think that with my wiring, I'd be all about stick-to-it-ism, but I'm not. I have taken up and chucked a billion interests. Others stick - generally the ones that provide some level of positive feedback, if I'm being honest.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe that's a kind of consistency itself: Only following through with endeavors that reward me.
Shouldn't an identical twin cousin always be named Patty Duke?
ReplyDeleteyou have found a new passion! do you lie there in bed before snoozing off thinking about sewing? i know the feeling! i suppose we should be thinking about different things in bed...
ReplyDeleteYou are hardly a newbie... at least in eyes, ME, I have not even begun yet, YOU must have a lot of patience, I think people that sew have patience.
ReplyDeleteI'm a total contradiction I think. Case in point: my office is spotless, but my apartment is littered with clutter and little things that should have been put away. I can't explain it!
ReplyDeleteBut with sewing - it took instant hold of me, too. I think we began sewing around the same time (last spring), and I'm obsessed.
You've found your own secret paradise when despite being a "newbie" you delight in the craft.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I haven't found that with sewing or even knitting yet. I suppose it's because I've been cheating. I only picked up my needles once while away! I slogged all the materials 10hrs by plane away, too.
On the upside, I focused on my marriage. I found things out about my husband that I never knew. I'd share them, but then he'd be a very mad husband:-)
Unfortunately, yes. I'm all or nothing. Incapable of moderation or half-measures, for better or worse. Thank goodness I haven't taken up sewing because I would probably have 9 machines cluttering up my house right now.
ReplyDeleteMardel: We have a lot in common :-)
ReplyDeleteKate: I think it's really challenging to prioritize with a child. Or should I say, with a young kid, that kid is always the priority.
Sal: I think it's a sound practice to stick with the things that reward you. And it's nice to see a Capricorn play all fast and loose :-)
Wendy: Ha!
Stacy: It's a sad state of affairs...
April: I don't have any patience naturally, but I AM learning it :-)
Sewn: Isn't it amazing how the love of garment construction has gripped you?
Lydia: I say the marriage should always be the first priority! But you will find your groove. I think your knitting is coming along fantastically.
Janet: I know you have the heart of a collector. Maybe one day you will open up an antique store full of fabulous treasures you've unearthed.