Creative Textiles

This week was a catch up week, slowly each of us are having our work inspected! this week it was my turn! It must be nice for our tutor to see how each of us have set about our sketchbooks and the samples we choose to work on to demonstrate the various techniques, but quite how she can resist the temptation to rush off home to have a go herself we don't really know!!

The trouble with this class is, there isn't much time to work on projects during each weekly session and quickly you find yourself getting behind and/or sidetracked if you don't keep on top of things and then, inevitably, you get overwhelmed with all the catching up that is required! This looks like happening with a couple of ladies.

I prefer to see pieces of work, and in addition to samples I've tried to make a few things, and there are more ideas in my head that just need some time to prioritise! with the summer holiday fast approaching, I must, also, start thinking about wrap skirts too!!

With that in mind, for the past month I've been fair starving myself and doing without gin and cake and have lost a miserable 4lbs, where hubby - just to keep me company - suggested he'd give up beer and chocolate too! (mind, I'm not certain that SWAPPING beer & choc for wine and licorice allsorts IS the same as "giving up" but I can't say anything, as HE has lost a staggering 12lbs! which must surely mean he drank a lot of beer or ate a lot of chocolate!) Men do lose weight differently to us, I know, but its certainly most annoying given it was MY idea and its ME thats making up all these crummy I mean yummy SALADS every day for a month now .. zzz

For health reasons, we've been going for a "walk" each day - again, to keep me company, dh suggested HE walk too! which is FINE, except he walks at about 4times my pace and when I try and suggest, somewhat breathlessly, that he slow down! he mutters about how much BETTER it would be if I jogged .. jogged! ha!? me!? I don't think I've broken into a jog for the best part of 20years! not properly. not a serious "jog" as in out for a run.

ONCE I went for a jog.
its not all its cracked up to be.
and its not EASY either.
WHERE do you go?
HOW do you start? - do you come out of the house jumping on the spot and race off past all your neighbours as they stand outside by their cars WATCHING YOU?
well yes. if are in fit and glam. in designer sporty wear with crop tops and fashionable trainers.
NOT if are wearing old baggy jumper, manky leggings shrunk in the wash with several darned areas where the seams split not quite meeting the socks at the ankles which are from the kids drawer and a pair of beach pumps.

WORSE - when you get to the 4th house and are PANTING, face beet-red, gasping for air, legs gone all weak and feeling FAINT, grasp the streetlamp and pretend to do hamstring stretches while doubled up with terrific stitch and feeling bit sick and they all stop washing their cars to STARE and enquire are ALL RIGHT THEN? yes. ! of COURSE! am just. umm LATE .. blush .. thud .. its NOT what it looks like!? am not JOGGING! am just dashing to the err shops! ..

I once tried going jogging wearing skirt, blouse and heels with handbag flapping over my chest - thought could pretend to be late for WORK or something.
that doesn't work well either. even with LOW heels is awfully hard to actually JOG and all that sweat and makeup! they don't mix well. the LEAVING is fine. its the returning! oh! err. forgot! silly MEE! dashing off to work thinking was late! got to bus stop! remembered: IS MY DAY OFF! I only ran BACK to not waste any more of day off! slides to knees pressing key into door resolving to try HARDER with the indoor skipping and the fitness video! (who am I kidding?)

I took one of the lads once!
thought THIS might be another option! take a CHILD - pretend to be running to CATCH up with the child!
note. to self. MUST remember NEXT time to ask the child to NOT run quite as FAST! I was lapped twice as I staggered home, eventually, to find CHILD swinging feet on the wall telling the neighbours that mummy's really SLOW isn't she? I've done the block 4 TIMES now!

AND you can't stop to chat!
I mean. aside from the panting and the stitch and the beet-red face, theres the other matter of .. I NEEEDDD THE LOOOOOO!!! crossing legs in a deep curtsey and clutching blancmange middlebits, sink to the side and grit teeth and try to remember muscles one is promised by the ante-natal nurse is WORTH remembering and hiss at the neighbour that one is NOT doubled up in breathless agony, ONE IS COOLING DOWN and is a modern hamstring stretch (and hoping not to leave a puddle behind ..)

AMAZING that my neighbours NEVER stop to chat .. normally ..

Luckily for me, I can dressmake. SEW .. large skirts it IS this summer ..