pot holders

This is today's project, from Lotta's scrumptious (my new '!' word) book. As far as the process is concerned, this was far more characteristic of my general sewing experience than the shirt I made last week.

It all began so well: calm as a wide wide river, and almost as sure-handed, with Feist's new album playing in the background, I cut out the pattern pieces, pinned them onto the pre-washed, pre-shrunk and ironed fabric, cut out the fabric, marked the seams and began to sew. For a while, all was pure soothing meditation. The sewing-machine, the universe and my hands one flowing motion.

But then something went wrong (something always does). And I mean REALLY WRONG. As in, so wrong, it took me more time to fix it than I had planned to spend on the entire project (including washing and drying the fabric). By the time I was done fixing, I had turned from a wide wide river into some kind of demented mountain dervish, muttering under my breath and swearing at all and sundry (who were mercifully absent; in fact, this is the moment when even the cat decided to beat a safe retreat). Feist was starting to seriously get on my nerves with her naggy voice, and I suddenly realized looking at the clock that Marc and Isabelle were about to come home, and I was still up nowhere creek.

So, heart racing, and with the gnashing of my teeth for only musical accompaniment, I completed (read 'blotched') the bloody pot holders in just under 5 minutes.

I tell you, being Buddha is not easy. Not even with a sewing-machine. Every day, though, I get to try again...

And still, when all is said and done, they don't look half-bad (especially from a distance, with your eyes half-closed) and they are certainly a tremendous improvement on their rather dead predecessors.