I know I can, I know I can.

I am truly amazed by the creative minds out in the world. Besides the obvious: science, technology, etc. Crafting is definitely, literally AMAZING.  I see all that creative minds have created and my jaw drops. How do you know what colors to put together? How do you  come up with that pattern? How, how, how?!

I have a problem I need to confess. My name is Vio, and... I have craft jealousy,

My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was about 10. I started with a scarf. Gave up pretty easily. The little square I made ended up being the cat's hump blanket. Very proud achievement. :o) I think I picked it up a little bit more every time she came to visit. By the time I got to college, I was bitten by the crochet bug again. I've basically been crocheting ever since. I made shawls and ponchos first. Then my friends started having babies, so naturally, I started making baby blankets. The problem became that my mind gets too excited and takes off running, planning all sorts of complex crafts I can do. And then... that's it. I end up procrastinating and rushing so that the finished product ends up being maybe half as beautiful as I imagined it to be. Nobody's complained about it yet, but I know that if I applied myself, I could crochet huge beautiful, intricate blankets. (My grandmother used to make doilies. Tiny stitches, big doilies. Would I  be like her?)Or even clothing.I have dozens of patterns that I've deemed simple enough that I won't get discouraged and actually finish them. Still haven't made them. Every once in a while, my thoughts drift to quilting. It's probably a coping mechanism, a way to hide the "hard to finish" crafts. "If I don't think about them, then they're no problem!"

As my daughter has gotten older, the crafting need/want has gotten bigger. It's grown into a bigger crafting monster with each passing season. She likes dresses and to twirl, which my mind (I need to come up with a name for this crafting, jealous monster) translates into: I need to start sewing! Ay yi yi. Well, if I start sewing, I could do lots of things, right? I could make pajama pants, and robes, and shorts, and dresses, and all sorts of wonderful things!!!! But.... I'd need a sewing machine.  My darling husband got me one for Christmas. :o) Which my monster immediately translates into "I have a sewing machine!! I am now an expert in all things sewn!" Slow down, monster.

All the while, I have a ton of unfinished crochet projects. I owe my 4 yr old nephew a zig zag blanket like my grandma made for my brother way back when. I have a new niece, so she's in need of a new blanket, and baby hats,and possible toys. I'd like my kids to each have a "blankie" made by me. Not that I want them to be insecure and in need of a security object, I just love the idea of having something for 30 years and thinking "wow, this was handmade for me". A couple of months ago, I found the answer to my crocheting/quilting dilemma. A book about 200 crochet squares that could be made individually and sewn together making a sort of crochet quilt. Genius! I put the idea to use for a friend's baby. It turned out OK. Again, I rushed it, didn't give it as much attention as I could have, so some of my blocks didn't square up correctly, so the whole blanket was a *little* off. Thankfully, my friend appreciates handmade items, so she wasn't too upset that it wasn't perfect. :o)

I don't even know how I came upon quilting this time around. I blame the monster ( I'm a sewing genius! Bwahahahah!). I'm thankful for the all the bloggers out there and their many, many pictures. THAT'S where my amazement comes in. There are so many different ways to use fabric, to bring cotton  to life! *Sigh* There are a lot of tutorials out there, and I think as long as I stick to simple shapes and great fabrics, I can do it. I think I'm finally going to sign up for a class at JoAnn's. I used to want to do cake decorating (again, jealous monster), but if I get really serious about it, I think quilting and sewing in general will get me further. And keep this glutton away from cake. ;o)

Jealous monster (really need a name for it) wanted to start with a 9 patch quilt for my king size bed. WHAT?! How do you figure?!! But it's only 490-some squares, sewn together with a 1/4" seam allowance, made into a quilt sandwich, quilted and basted (I think that's what it's called. I need  vocab sheet for this new world of quilting!). Rational monster says "that's crazy!"  Rational wins. Instead, I've decided to make place mats for Christmas! We were just talking last year that it would be nice to have an official matching set of place settings, serve ware, etc. Our place mats are a hodgepodge from Ikea. SO..... If I make cute, holiday, MATCHING quilted place mats....Everybody wins!  Of course, then another conundrum enters our midst: FABRIC. From what I've seen, there are A LOT of super cute prints out there. I'm really loving the lines from Moda Fabrics. I like Kate Spain, Me and My sister, and  Camille and Bonnie. JoAnn doesn't carry them. :o( So I have to order online, or get to know other fabric stores in the area. Field trip!! Let's go Monster.

Officially, I started this blog to be able to win some of the fabulous giveaways that are out there. Ideally, once I start quilting (or wherever this Jealous Monster takes me to), I can showcase my progress here. IF I ever figure out how to do it! I'm not "old", but I know that I am not super adept, my 5 yr old could probably do it. :o)

I know I can do it! I will not let my mind and planning run away from me this time. I will focus and be a part of all the wonderful creativity I see around me.