A Little Catch Up...

It’s been a LONG time since my last post.  All I can say is that life has been busy and its left me little time and energy to write.  Though I’ve thought about uploading a post or two on more than one occasion, by the time I got settled in to actually write, the moment passed.  Anyway, I’m jumping back in with both feet first.  So watch this space…

At present I’m trying to wrap up the charity quilt I’ve been working on that will be exhibited at the upcoming Claremont Quilt and Craft Fair 2-4 August.  The modern Guild (of which I am a member and also part of the administering body) is having a booth.  Along with Guild member’s quilts and tops, contributions of members ‘knicker’ blocks will be put together for the charity quilt and exhibited.  The charity’s focus is to draw people’s attention to the importance of regular gynaecological check-ups, hence the theme of a ‘Show Us Your Knickers’ quilt.  There’s been a wonderful response from most guild members and now I just need to put them all together and make it look like a quilt.  The pressure is on to get it finished – at least in a state acceptable enough for the show.  After the show I will have time to put the final details on it prior to it going to the hospital where it will be displayed and then raffled off.  All in all it’s been a very satisfying project to organize and work on.  The block contributors have been fantastic and tremendously creative and the sub-committee who has worked on the project with me have been wonderful and a real joy to work with.  I hope the charity for whom this quilt was made likes the finished project and it raises lots of money for a good cause.

Show Us Your Knickers Block by Carla

This will be my first, and last, charity project for the Guild as I have resigned from not only the committee but also from the club in general at the conclusion of the show.  I’ve seen within my social anthological training that not all groups are a good fit and though this group started out with the best of intentions (and still have them of course…) I’ve been made increasingly aware that my views and opinions too often differ from the majority.  I’ve felt for some time now that I’ve been swimming upstream.  I’ve never been comfortable with the ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality that sometimes develops within groups.  It’s been my experience that when this happens it causes fractures that don’t easily heal.  Of course not all people are on the same page at the same time and some amount of discourse brings about meaningful dialog.  But when it happens too often and the same protagonists continue in their cliques, it’s just too frustrating to deal with.   I quilt because I enjoy it.  If the administration and running of a group becomes work, it’s no longer something to be enjoyed but then something to work at.  I never want to have to work at my quilt life.   Therefore I’ve decided to leave this Guild and continue peacefully with the group I’ve been a long standing member of for well over 10 years.  They are a warm, welcoming, fun, energetic group of women full of creative enthusiasm - a real joy to be a part of.  There are no hidden agendas or ego’s to be massaged here.  I suppose the only reason I ventured out into another group was for new experiences (obviously be careful what you wish for…).  Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system I’ll happily meld back into my existing group with added vigour (and with a few new members in tow).