What Was I Thinkin’?
I guess I wasn’t thinking too much or remembering too accurately. The last time I got into one of these projects – mercy!
Before Christmas I ordered yards of material from Spoonflower in Australia. They print material on demand in the patterns available, and the consumer can choose to have it printed on a variety of materials. I love the dragon scale pattern I used last time – in blues, of course!
I reordered enough for two chairs – and have been putting off the project ever since!
I finally got the nerve and started tearing apart the first chair. I was surprised and a little disappointed the pieces were mostly stapled rather than sewn. I am pretty good at sewing. Stapling, not so much.
As I tore each section apart, I documented my work with my phone to help me remember how everything went together. Good thing! I think my frustration level erased some of my short term memory.
A few days into the project, I wondered why my neck and back were hurting more than usual. The pain in my hands was not the usual ‘computer overload syndrome.’ It occurred to me that the frazzled nerves and extra pains were caused by my overly energetic yanking, tugging, ripping, and plumber language as I vigorously attacked the chair.
I’ve carefully cut out a few pieces and only cut two of them the wrong way. This is a tricky design because of the pattern and the nap. Mistakes in matching probably won’t even be noticeable to anyone but me, but I’ve got to try. After all, Mama always told me to try my best. If my best isn’t perfect, I am cutting the cording on the bias so my mismatching is not so blatantly obvious!
Ronald and I ran around half the day trying to round up extra supplies. I will have to cut my own foam for the seat cushion – a disaster in the making! The guy who bailed me out the last time when I couldn’t finish the first chair, gave me some of the cardboard inner backing that I needed. I will have to improvise things that were specialty items – aka – fly by the seat of my pants. Won’t be the first time and won’t be the last.
Believe it or not, I have a neighbor who is even crazier than I am! She loves reupholstering and agreed to help me. Like I said – crazy! She is willing to take on sewing projects I wouldn’t even consider, but we’ve done a few brainstorming ‘how in the world am I going to do this?’ sessions. Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT says it perfectly. ‘Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.’
Of course, there are many Bible verses I should have meditated on before I even began the project. Luke 14:28 NLT gives this important bit of wisdom…’But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?’ I have enough money, but I could have bought a couple of brand new chairs for what I’ve already spent. You’d better believe I am going to finish this rascal and at least one other!
And then there is Proverbs 22:3 TLB. ‘The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Or as the NLT says, ‘The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.’
Hey, but what else does an old lady have to do besides get into projects above her ability level? And Ecclesiastes 3 does mention there is a time to break down and there is a time to laugh – which are part of the process as much as my ranting. So all is well.
I’ll let you know how everything turns out – hopefully before the year is out!
