January 2005

This can’t be good….I’m in quiltmaker’s debt.  Some of you might know a little about this, or have witnessed it through a fellow QM.  What started out simply and innocently is starting to become overwhelming.  It’s a lot like the credit card debt problem, except the interest is not as high.  It all began about six months ago….

In talking with an old friend a barter came up.  He would provide a service that he routinely does for people (legal and harmless) if I would make him a quilt in return.  Said service will be taking place at the end of 2005 as a surprise for a close family member, so now you’re all sworn to secrecy.  That gives me approximately 11 months to complete this particular quilt.  Any of you who know me well know I will wait until the deadline looms less than a month away, then work feverishly suffering through sleep deprivation and stress headaches to piece, appliqué, quilt, and bind this queen size piece.  Fortunately it is one of our patterns so I know the main part will go together fairly quickly.  In the meantime, my daughter has promised a quilt to a family member for a new significant other.  Before I could politely decline (intervene) she was given an extremely nice (read expensive) Christmas gift in anticipation of THE QUILT.  Now you know that I will have a large part in making this quilt, my daughter has done some piecing, but this is a major promise with a major payout.  So, now, over Christmas break, she is in her room with all her new Christmas electronics while I gently remind her that she should be figuring out what pattern she wants to do. In addition, I had been asked to make new chair pads for my step-mother, promised my mom I’d help her with window coverings, and took on a smallish project for a co-worker.  Yikes!!  In the words of Dr Phil – “what was I thinking?!”.  I guess what I need to do now is plan on paying a little on the principal each week.  If I can spend X number of hours on each project for X consecutive weeks, who knows, maybe I can make some headway and burrow my way out of this mess… I hope this doesn’t happen again anytime soon.  Does this mean I have to cut up my quilting magazines????