Finding My Way

Hi peeps. It's a bleak sort of post today, for which I apologise... but hey, you get me warts and all here in the Smites chatroom. I'm a bit down in the dumps, and although I know what I need to do to cheer myself up I can't do it at the moment and so that's making things very hard. I'm usually pretty good at snapping myself out of the doldrums - a brisk walk, some stitching that isn't for work, an afternoon in the sun with a book, a glass of wine with friends. At present though I am so busy trying to meet the deadlines for my fabric collection, the Sydney Quilt Show preparations both as a show committee member, president AND a stall holder, the Lemonade Stand and the Three Techniques Sew Along that I really cannot take a moment off. I'm at work at 7am and I don't stop until 10 at night. And I haven't taken a moment off for nearly four months now. And I was holding it all together (just, with string and baling wire), but on Sunday night my back packed it in and now I am in extra fun amounts of pain.

I know you're all going to tell me to listen to my body and stop for a moment, ​but I actually quite literally can't. QuiltNSW is depending on me for a lot of things right at this moment and I can't drop any of those until the show is done on September 19. The fabric company need things done for the launch of the fabric on September 22 - I only got my sample yardage two weeks ago, and I have three quilts to make and ship to the USA before then. My Lemonade Stand peeps are waiting for their next pattern, and Three Techniques is a collaboration so I can't let the other girls in that down. Also, my sewing isn't something I just do for fun - it's our income, it pays our mortgage. I can't just tell people waiting on me I'll be back in a second. 

Sigh. Sorry peeps, what a bundle of fun I am!

There's fun spots in between though I promise! Although this past weekend was absolutely exhausting, Saturday and Sunday we had the judging days for the Sydney Quilt Show. 400 quilts passed under the judges noses, some of them several times over. I judged this show last year, so I know what a mammoth task it is! This year (and for as long as I'm Co-President) I was "the scribe" - meaning I stand with the judges and watch their process, answer any questions about categories or quilt descriptions they may have, and take down their winners for each category and nominations for special awards. It was very interesting to listen to someone else judge a show, and to hear their comments about the quilts, see what I would have chosen and what they chose. I obviously had to step away when my own categories were being judged, and someone took over for me whenever that happened! I was totally tuckered out each night but it was a wonderful two days, and out absolutely incredible volunteer team made it seamless and extra special too. 

And then to the best part of being President - yesterday I got to make over 80 phone calls to all the prize winners, and let them know that their quilt had won an award! Im not allowed to tell them which quilt or what they won, but it's lovely to hear the surprise and glee in everyones voices - and especially when I know which award they won and I can't wait for them to find out. Serious perk of the job peeps, I loved every call I made.

And while the sewing is just going on and on and on with seemingly no end in sight, I am in LOVE with my fabric collection and I'm so happy with how the quilts are turning out. I'm so excited for it to be revealed (and terrified too!). And I'm particularly proud of the Lemonade Stand projects this year, they are just 100% cute as a button, and unusual and functional too. I will have kits for them all at the Sydney Quilt Show so make sure and pop past if you're coming.

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Oh, and the large Słodki quilt is FINALLLLLLLLY back from the quilter, and it's BEAUTIFUL. That has been the holdup with the book. Now that's its back and finished, I can do the photography and get it to the printer. If you've ordered one and you're waiting I really apologise that it's so late, but its been out of my hands I'm afraid. I won't get the photography done now until after the show, as its a several day task and so far out of the time I had scheduled for it that I can't fit it in right now - so the book is still a few weeks away. As soon as the show is over that's priority #1. Make sure and watch my Down the Rabbit Hole video next Friday though because it's about the quilt!

So there are good things, see I just cheered myself up a little. Right, heat pack, paracetamol, big girl pants and back to work. What do you do to cheer yourself up when you're in a mood? Let me know in the comments, I could do with some tips :D

Sarah x

PS. The Three Techniques Sew Along is now on! So if you want to play with us and you don't have your patterns yet, hop to it! The pouch is just as cute as a button.