Stepping Back for a Week

I decided to put my quilting projects aside for a week. While there was some progress on a few things, I found myself coming up against too many obstacles. I have been successful with the triangles, points, and suddenly everything I tried wasn't working.

I pulled out a stack of magazines I had been saving to get recipes and tips from. I am not really interested in making new meals and like how I eat and what I eat. 

One thing I have been doing at night is watching this Hulu show that focuses on China, and how they eat and cook. One of my undergrad minors was Chinese History and so I love learning more about the country. They call this series "Food for the Soul". Its not about the recipes as much as it is about the process the people go through to make their food.  
http://www.hulu.com/a-bite-of-china 

Setting aside my quilting seems a way to shock my system. Before I get back to actually working with fabrics and my projects again, I want to watch and read tutorials on making those points. Also, new fabrics are ordered and on their way, so its ok to focus elsewhere for awhile.

The sense of frustration had been growing inside me. I was mentally beating myself up for not getting it. I was ripping all the time, and as I took out the seams that were not working, I found myself thinking more about what wasn't working than what was. And the more I let that happen, the worse things got. I simply do not like working on something I plan to give to a person I love. I need to get my head and heart clear again.

This is something that happens in any endeavor a person makes. When I watch this series on "A Bite Of China", the film makers show the faces of people as they work...all the intensity, all the struggle, all the joy. What I see in the series is how they work with what is available as a food source in their part of the country. The land isn't always as fertile, and most of the time, they are working with their hands rather than machinery. The show talks about the old ways and the younger generation as unwilling to work as hard as their parents and grandparents.