Procrastination…

What I really need to be doing is about 400 hours of paperwork, proposals, website updates for my own and for one of the guild’s that I monitor, applications, lengthy email responses,  article outlines,  and a myriad of other really dull tasks that compromise my daily job.  I know it appears that I have this glamorous job of travel and new adventures and teaching on the road, and the chance to make some really wonderful stuff in the studio, but none of that can occur unless I attack the business portion of what I do.  I’m good at it, but it isn’t my favorite task, and I’ve been putting it all off since I returned from my wild five days at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival.

I decided to play instead.  Not anything super creative, I don’t have it in me at the moment, there will be time for that, but I just needed a lovely centering exercise, just to sit at my sewing machine and make myself something fun to wear.  No handwoven, just something from my ever growing pile of fabrics I’ve acquired over the last couple years.

I outlined a project that I had started on a couple of weeks ago in this blog post.  Pattern from files + beautiful woven fabric acquired last year from Osgood’s Warehouse in West Springfield, MA, + vintage wool in grey from my mom’s stash, (because there wasn’t enough of the Osgood’s fabric to do the collar and cuffs) + buttons, I think from WEBS = a lovely new jacket.  So I actually pre-shrunk/fitted/cut out everything a few weeks ago and the pile just kept getting moved around.  You know how that goes…

And so for the last couple days, I ignored the business end of what I do, keeping an ever watchful eye on deadlines, and I just sewed.  I wish I could say the experience refreshed me and gave me a lift, but all it did while I was dutifully doing the handsewing and basic construction parts that didn’t need a whole lot of concentration, was think about all the tasks that I should be doing, and so to actually relieve the stress that’s building up, I need to get my butt off the sewing chair and back into my desk/computer chair, and get these tasks done.

I did though, manage to hem two skirts that looked dated and frumpy, I’ve decided that I’m more comfortable moving around the studio in skirts than tight pants, that’s when I do actually get dressed, otherwise, pajamas work.  (Though I couldn’t very well wear pajamas the last two days since I did have to teach two online classes… 🙂

And I finished the jacket.  I’m thrilled with it.  It would work well in a handwoven, the pattern is Vogue 8429, it is out of print, but that’s the problem when you keep a stash.  Sigh…

Anyway, I’ve procrastinated long enough, and at least I have two updated skirts (One I made awhile ago now 5″ shorter, and one an Eileen Fisher that is now 14″ shorter), and I have a lovely new jacket to wear, which I might just wear into the city tomorrow when I gallery sit for a few hours.  I’ll be in NYC at the Hudson Guild Fulton Center on 9th Avenue from 3-6 tomorrow gallery sitting the Textile Study Group of New York’s exhibit 9 x 9 x 3 Salon de Refuses.