My friend Kyle and I are going to a sewing class in Colorado this week for five days to learn to make a Crazy Quilt. It is a highly embellished type of quilt developed in the Victorian Era, when women had the time and the means to make quilts that had no practical purpose.
The quilts are made with many types of fancy fabrics that only the wealthy could afford at the time, and then are embroidered with all sorts of threads, beads, laces and ribbons. Again, only the well-to-do women would have had such resources.
Now, of course, we all have access to such “luxuries” as fine fabrics and embellishments. Kyle and I are proof of that!
For the five day seminar, we each received a one page supply list. Yes, it completely filled the entire 8 1/2″ long page of paper!
It begins with a sewing machine and ends with a color wheel (optional). In between are 26 listed items needed for this class. I’m not kidding!
Number three item was 20 fancy fabrics. Well, I chose pastel colors, which is completely out of my normal wheelhouse. Finding 20 pastel fabrics in my stash was pretty much impossible, let alone fancy fabrics.
So off to the fabric stores I went. This one item took me days to fill, and I ended up with about 40 fancy fabrics – because I want options when I have to make my final choices.
Number six on the list is ribbons. Again, this took days and I ended up bringing pretty much all the stash of ribbons I own. Options, options, options!
Number eight is lace, doilies, fancy handkerchiefs. What?!! I need to go get more containers for all my stuff!!! And containers for my containers!!!
By number nine and ten, we’re adding braids, trims, buttons, doodads, crystals, beads and pearls. Wait just a minute!!! All my containers are full and my containers have containers!!!
Did I mention there are 28 items on this supply list and we are not even halfway through it?!! Granted some of the remaining items are small, like needles and thread. But still, this supply list is enormous!!
I have packed my many fabrics, beads, ribbons, laces, handkerchiefs and trims quite nicely in special tubs and totes. I have all my sewing notions with my sewing machine and have added my apron and paint brushes for my anticipated lace dying class.
In fact, I have everything on my supply list except one, which is listed as “optional.” The instructor will demonstrate the use of the special needles and I have chosen to wait and see if I want to use them or not.
So, I am ready for my class. I have everything the supply list says I need and then some.
In fact, there are bare spots on my sewing room shelves, drawers are empty and my sewing machine is out of place. I look around and see all my lace cones are missing and most of the thread spools are gone. Can it be true?!!
I have packed 3/4 of my sewing room!!!
Why didn’t the supply list just say that in the first place?!!!!!