Consistently inconsistent

I have a thing about books. I like them. Even though these days, I prefer to buy books in either audio or electronic format, I still have a whole room full of books. I keep getting rid of books and, somehow, the shelves still overflow. I’m not especially attached to the feel of a book in my hands or the smell of it when I’m reading so I surprised myself when I ordered two books that ought to have been on my ‘no no’ list for two reasons.

            First, they are physical books and I already have the information digitally. I sometimes will buy a digital book and then if I really like it and want to write all over it, I’ll buy a hard copy. This happens mostly with cookbooks. Second, they fall into the category of vanity publishing which, I’ve been taught, no self-respecting writer will touch with a ten-foot pole. Oh well.

I’ve been writing this blog for twelve years now and the other day I got to thinking how nice it would be to have all the blog posts in one place – one physical place.  I wondered if there was a way to turn my blog posts into a book. There is, and, as the old joke goes, it’s easy but not cheap. Several websites will load blog entries, turn them into a book and then ship the completed book to you. This really appealed to me and I see the irony. I freely admit to viewing most of my photos online and hardly ever looking at the photo albums I do have, yet I still wanted my blog posts in a book. I mentioned the idea to Richard who asked if I would like that as a birthday present.

I sat with the idea for a while. I looked at a few sites, selected the one the offered the largest format, hardcover books and loaded the blog address into the site. Then I previewed my two-volume book and Richard got out his credit card. Because the process is automated you don’t get a lot of choice as to format, and that suits me fine. I want a record of my posts, but I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time making choices about format or photos. The books are as the posts are, complete with errors, repetition, and low-quality photos. They will be my scrapbook of important thoughts and events and they need please no one but me.  I think I will refer to them often and enjoy flipping through the pages for specific information or just for the fun of it. Sometimes books have sentimental value and that’s okay.

One stitch at a time

            I spent the last two days sewing. As I’ve said here before, not on my list of favourite things. This time wasn’t so bad. I put on an audio book and determined that I was going to work on the pile of mending, hemming, and mask-making until I was done.  I’m not, but I have made 5 more cloth masks. I’ve washed the new pants I bought  so they are ready to turn up and I’m going to finally get to the work pants that have been sitting in the basket for over a year waiting for me to take two inches off the legs. I sewed the binding back on the fleece blanket where it was coming off and, I’m gaining respect for my sewing machine as I put it through some pretty thick layers of material. I was impressed with how long I could go without refilling the bobbin. I think the difference this time was that I set myself up for the long haul. Usually when I sit down to sew, I want to get it done as fast as possible so I can get onto other things I like better. I resent every minute spent at the machine. The audio book definitely helped as did rewatching the YouTube video on how to make the masks.

            Another thing that was different this time was that I gave myself permission to take short-cuts. I put pencil marks on the fabric. They might or might not wash out and it really doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. I used black thread on grey fabric because that’s what I had in the machine. The masks will work regardless of the colour of the thread and whether or not there are pencil marks. I don’t own an ironing board and I don’t need one. A couple of sawhorses with a board  between them and a fleece blanket on top work just fine. When it comes to turning up the pants, I’ll try to do a decent job but mostly I’ll be wearing them in the shop anyway. Small decisions can make the difference between doing a job and not even starting it.

 I guess, for the moment at least, I’ve found some patience with sewing. It’s never going to be my favourite indoor sport but it’s a useful thing to be able to do and I will enjoy not looking at a heaping  'Sew Me' box every time I go to do the laundry. I’m not sure how many days it will take to work through the box as I'm not a quick worker. I’m anticipating a mini celebration when I can finally wear the mended running cap and the work pants that have been sitting there for so long. I'll get through the pile one stitch at a time.