Long Journey With Machine Embroidery Designs

Quilters and embroiderers like to joke that housework is something best left undone. It takes time away from more enjoyable activities like stitching and looking for new embroidery designs. Drooling over new fabrics is much better than cleaning the dog drool off the floor. Now that the packing and cleaning portion of our move home to California to Greece is almost complete, I am swearing off this mindset for good! Instead of enjoying our last few days in this beautiful setting, we are cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I don't think my fingernails will ever be the same. When I began my journey with machine embroidery, I knew that my quilting passion already claimed too much of my time. My house had once been immaculate. Getting bit by the quilting bug took care of that quicker than anyone could believe possible. Adding embroidery to the mix was insanity. If loving fiber arts is crazy, then lock me up! If I'm not actually stitching, I like to spend time at my favorite embroidery design gallery. They always have fabulous embroidery patterns, free embroidery designs and, of course, beautiful embroidery designs for any mood I may be in. At one time, I actually catalogued and organized my various designs, but even that became somewhat like housework. It got shunted to the bottom of my to-do list, along with sweeping. I used to visit the Big Three pattern sites when I wanted a sewing pattern. All of it looked the same, though. I now visit my favorite embroidery sites to see if one of them has something to fit the bill. They rarely ever let me down, unlike my cantankerous vacuum cleaner! Dreaming about my projects and the fabulous embroidery designs I will be stitching is much more fun than unclogging the drains. But, all this pleasure really made reality hit hard when I had to clean and couldn't stitch because my machines and all my embroidery supplies had been packed up and put on a big truck. The meanies! Furniture got a quick dusting as it went out the door, and I always managed to keep my kitchen pretty clean; food illnesses take time away from embroidery time after all. But, all the utility things like sweeping the floors, wiping switches and outlets, and cleaning mirrors was still left to do. In a four-story house, that's a lot left to do. If I had kept up on it to begin with, we could have spent the last four days in wonderful sightseeing and visiting with our lovely Greek friends in a leisurely manner. Now, we will have to cram all of that in. Friendships just can't be rushed! I have made a pledge for myself. When we are set up in our new house, I will NOT ignore my household responsibilities! It really does only take a few minutes a day to keep everything neat and tidy. While laundry is a never-ending task, it can be accomplished at the same time as stitching out a great machine embroidery designs. I can keep my fabric neat by folding at the same time as the towels. I do stitch happier when my life is in order, so this pledge has more than just a single purpose. Of course, my embroidery generally has more than one purpose, too. So, I'll just have to wait and see which becomes more important; the pledge or the pleasure.