Side Trips

It was a rough week. I was in a Project Management training class, and while I learned some interesting things about communication, management, and negotiation, I've decided I really don't like project management and don't want to be a Project Manager.

I didn't have much time to work on anything, although I did manage--by staying up very late and getting up very early--to finish machine quilting my grandson's quilt. I'm working on the binding now and should be finished with it today.

I've also been reading more. I had forgotten what a lovely relief it is to be swept away by a good novel. Most of the books I read these days are craft- or art-related, so I really just peruse them over and over again. Anyway, as I've mentioned before, I'm an avid book collector, and I've never read many of the books I've picked up over the years, so I can always find an unread book on my shelves. Finding one I can fall into is sometimes a different matter. This time it took a couple of tries, but yesterday I finally settled into Alice Hoffman's Seventh Heaven, and I've barely put it down since. I have several of Hoffman's books, but I've never actually finished one. This one has taken hold of me, though. Her writing is subdued and the plot doesn't seem to be going anywhere at first, but before I knew it I was pulled away from myself and into another world where I know these characters and feel for them and share their emotions. I think I'll up round my other Hoffman books up now and work my way through them.

I managed to figure out the dual-action on the airbrush, and I'm experimenting with painting fabric. It's harder in some ways than I expected, but I love the soft, brushed colors. I'm looking ahead to my next project and trying to figure out ways to incorporate all the fabric I've been dying, painting, and now airbrushing.