Did you ever have one of those days?

I've been so busy lately. Perhaps you can tell that from the fact that my last post was in April. It's not that I haven't been thinking about adding to this blog, it just never seems to happen. So, even though I should be packing to prepare for my trip to Maryland on Thursday, I've decided to add this instead. My days have been packed full, between work, errands, social plans, etc... So, last night I had a plan. I worked a little later than I intended, stopped by my friend Sandy's house to help her learn a little more about blogging, as if I know so much...yeah, right. She's written a book that will be published in the fall - how cool is that. She's starting a blog about it, partial in the main characters voice. Check it out: http://rabbittrap.blogspot.com, she'll be updating it often. So, back to my evening, which was fine up until this point. I even squeezed in a conversation with a friend on the way from work to Sandy's house.

I had to run to JoAnn's on the way home because I needed thread to complete my evening projects. I had it all planned in my mind....
1. go home
2. get out the sewing machine
3. get my other supplies I needed
4. make these hooded towel creations
5. put everything away
6. wrap the towels in gift wrap, water plants, etc, etc

Total anticipated creative time - 15-20 minutes, tops.

Ha, Ha, Ha. My first clue should have been when I pulled out my purple and yellow thread, I'd so quickly and efficiently purchased and then ran upstairs to get the towels....they were purple and green....uh, oh. It's okay though, the towels are plush enough that the tread won't really show. Okay, still on track.

It's really a very simple idea. Take a regular towel and a regular washcloth. Stitch a seam into the washcloth so it is closed at one end. Pin it on a regular bath towel, so the seam is lined up with the middle of the towel. Stitch them together and viola - a big, comfy, thick hooded towel. I stole the idea from a baby shower I went to once. I give it to almost everyone I know who is expecting. They love them and sometimes ask for new ones when they have a second child.

So, it's okay, I still have a plan. I choose to sew the purple one first - since I actually have the right color thread for this one. I'm stitching away when I decide the pace of the stitching doesn't really feel quite right. So, I stop and take a look a the back of my work....uh, oh. The thread is all tangled along the back and not at all the way it should be, so I cut the thread and rip out about half my stitches. Some of it is salvageable and so I start from my halfway point and continue until the stitching slows down to a crawl and then stops. I go to lift up the foot of the machine and raise the needle when the needle breaks....crap. So, I remove the towel, remove the bottom half of the needle from the machine and unscrew the small bolt that holds the needle in place, at which point the top part of the needle falls down into the base of the machine around the bobbin area....double crap. So, long story short, I have to take the bottom off of the machine (thank God the warranty is long since expired), remove the needle part and put the bottom back on. Here is the offending hardware after the fact.


So, after that I went on my merry way and finished the damned hooded towels, not really enjoying the creative process as much as I was hoping to, but it got done. Some days creativity can be frustrating.