Obsessions

As I sat at the table surrounded by about 30 other women, I heard things like "Ooo, I've found a new obsession!" and "I could really get into this. Where can I buy the materials?"

And here's what I was thinking. "How the heck did she tie that little bow?" and "I don't like that design. I'm going to steal a stamp from another table and change it."



It was a fun evening, but it reinforced my previous belief that it isn't something I can get obsessive about. I'd been warned, but I didn't think it would happen to me. I don't think I'm of the obsessive sort.

I like to do things once or twice and then move on to something else. Look, even my cards are all different. It wasn't interesting to do more than once. It does mean that I'm an expert in approximately nothing, but I know bits and pieces about lots of things and can fake it when required.

Or when people expect it of me. When we returned from one field trip this year, all of the parents unanimously agreed that I should make the bannock for the kids because I'm "an awesome cook". Hmm. No pots, pans, fire or oil and I had to make 15 kids happy with this lump of dough. Why me? I think they just wanted to make a run to Tim's and I was too slow to vote for someone else.

Now, this is something that I probably could obsess about.

Mom made this for me and gave it to me last week. It's always a bit like Christmas when my parents visit. Clothes for the girls, cucumbers and peppers from the local greenhouses, and always something a bit more personal as well.

Like this tablecloth. It lives on our kitchen table and I study the triangles and try to figure it out. How wide should each piece be and still fit? How was it made? Do you sew them in strips first and then cut them out? It's like a puzzle. Oddly enough, I hate puzzles, but this one is intriguing and I should be able to figure it out. There's a whole lot about quilting that can't be "fudged" and one day I'll have to try it.

For years I said I'd never quilt. Nope, not ever. Well, maybe one day. Maybe I'll just start saving cotton scraps. Maybe I'll reserve a drawer for squares of precut fabric. Maybe I'll just see how these two patterns look side-by-side...

The time is coming, but not quite yet.