Moving Along With UFOs

As I pin basted the Calendar BOM, it was hard to come up with an idea for quilting it. Long ago, I might have planned to hand quilt, but time and skills doesn't allow for that now. I ran an echo stitch along the sashing sides & it looks great.

Its a smaller throw, almost a wall hanging (which it could be if I had wall space) so it was easily manipulated under the home machine. I love how it looks.

Then I went onto to another UFO, the potholder. Hard to see the chunk of fabric that got caught in the machine, but this whole piece needs re-doing. Its on the lower corner of the green. There isn't much about this project that I liked. It didn't 'spark joy' and I thought that rather than spend one more minute on it, it went into my trash can. 

Life is just too short to diddle with something that isn't working for me.

The next one for this day was a Pillow Rock or Rock Pillow or Tombstone. Years ago, I found stoney fabric among the scraps and thought about making a pillow. I got the embroidery done on it and then it became a UFO. Finished now. Even though I am working on and finishing UFOs, there are some I am resisting. However, because I am being stubborn a bit, I am avoiding the start of anything new in order to get these done. Stubborn. I admit it.

The class I am taking, the readings and the assignments are helping me to think differently about what I want in my life. This month's topic is on the Ego. The first application is all about making lists of desires, aversions, loves and hates, all strong words for list headers. Now that time brought me into this stage of my life, I don't resonate with such lists. However, that Japanese author of Tidying books is the one I am actually working with even more.

I have always wanted to live more minimally and while I have taken many steps to do so, her theory is making more sense to me right now. It helped me see that I didn't want to keep struggling with the potholder. I didn't have to make my pillow perfect, just get it done so it could serve me when I sit in the wooden chair in the morning. It is a little ruffly and that is OK.

These items are not important in the greater scheme of things. What might be important is the comfort and joy they bring to me.