Project Dragon

The great thing about working full-time in a public library is that I get paid a modest salary (enough for fabric and food anyway), and am surrounded by fabulous books.

The down side is not having the time to read fabulous books on account of.........working full-time in a public library!

My sewing time is also rather sporadic. Other than some hand stitching, I don't sew when I get home from the day job. I'm too tired, and prone to mistakes that take seconds to make, and hours to undo. So when I'm into a project, I sew frantically at the weekend and stop at a suitable point on Sunday - like reading to the end of a chapter in a book. I then spend the week trying not to think about my piece, only to start again on my next day off.

I have been known to take leave and spend it in my studio, only to emerge, blinking into the light, several days later.

There is always a great feeling of lightness and freedom when I finish something. I can spend some spare time sleeping, shopping, or catching up with my reading. But I know that before long the restlessness will creep in, I'll not be able to relax, and I'll be driven back into my studio to embark on another project.

This is my current piece, a wall hanging of a Celtic Dragon. I'm probably one third of the way through - the finished size will be 20 ins square and will not be framed. There will be lots of free machine stitching on the dragon to add detail and texture, and the plain background will also be stitched. I often don't know what I'm going to do until I sit down at the machine and begin - the fabric and the design just speak to me.

So I'll be back later with the finished beastie, probably in a couple of weeks.