"Old age and creeping provincialism are a dire combination." - Jan Karon
This is one of the things I fear most as I age. If my mother is any indication (and I always refer to her ailments as the coming attractions), I will keep an open and inquiring mind into my eighties at least. My mother-in-law on the the hand, has all but given up doing anything except the same things she has been doing for the last eighty years. Her favorite saying, when asked if she wants to go anywhere different, see anything interesting, or learn something new, is "I'm eighty-seven years old, I don't have to do that anymore."
Learning new things doesn't just apply to computers and technology, though that seems to change the fastest. There are new tools and ways of doing things in woodworking, gardening, and quilting too; all the things that interest me. Since I've been doing more quilting lately than anything else, I've been noticing a lot of new techniques and trends lately. Although I do prefer the traditional quilt blocks, I'm also intrigued by Modern quilting. There is a freedom there that appeals to me, and as my daughter says, "they're not as quilty as those old quilts Grandma made." I treasure those old quilts Grandma made, but I hope to make some quilts in the new few years that my daughters will treasure as well. And maybe they'll appreciate Grandma's quilts as they get older too.
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Getting on to the stash report, I did much better this week. I'm still not able to complete a quilt with just fabric from my stash though.
Link to Fabric Report 6 #20 at Patchwork Times.
This is one of the things I fear most as I age. If my mother is any indication (and I always refer to her ailments as the coming attractions), I will keep an open and inquiring mind into my eighties at least. My mother-in-law on the the hand, has all but given up doing anything except the same things she has been doing for the last eighty years. Her favorite saying, when asked if she wants to go anywhere different, see anything interesting, or learn something new, is "I'm eighty-seven years old, I don't have to do that anymore."
Learning new things doesn't just apply to computers and technology, though that seems to change the fastest. There are new tools and ways of doing things in woodworking, gardening, and quilting too; all the things that interest me. Since I've been doing more quilting lately than anything else, I've been noticing a lot of new techniques and trends lately. Although I do prefer the traditional quilt blocks, I'm also intrigued by Modern quilting. There is a freedom there that appeals to me, and as my daughter says, "they're not as quilty as those old quilts Grandma made." I treasure those old quilts Grandma made, but I hope to make some quilts in the new few years that my daughters will treasure as well. And maybe they'll appreciate Grandma's quilts as they get older too.
*******
Getting on to the stash report, I did much better this week. I'm still not able to complete a quilt with just fabric from my stash though.
Link to Fabric Report 6 #20 at Patchwork Times.
Keeping rigidity of thinking at bay is also one of my goals. Learning a new, complex skill is supposed to be good for creating new neural pathways--I think modern quilting qualifies. Learning quilting was done in the study--but we already know how, unless we go for variation. Learning a language is also up there.
ReplyDeleteI haven't started the in/out count because I always need something to go with something. No matter how much I have either it isn't enough or it is the wrong shade. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Wih the help of the Internet, I hope to keep learning something new everyday.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post. I'm always encouraging my Mom to try something new in her quilting endeavors. It's good and healthy to keep learning. Sandi
ReplyDeleteI'd like to learn a language and used to listen to tapes all the time. That never worked for me though.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS have to go buy fabric when I'm making a quilt, which defeats the purpose of having a stash I think. Also, some of my fabrics have faded, and some are just ugly. I have no idea why I bought them or what to do with them except to cut them into little pieces.
The internet is wonderful for that. I've been researching fabric painting and dying lately. I really want to get into that.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I told my kids if I ever utter the phrase "But I'm _____ years old" that they should just start calling me by my mother-in-law's name.
ReplyDeleteI used to accuse my Mom of that, but now that she's retired she is doing new things. She's even learned to use the Internet to Christmas shop. Since I work in technology, I have to keep up. Hopefully that bodes well for my future.
ReplyDeleteYou are almost to the break even point on the stash!
Good for her!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine not having the desire to learn something new. As my body begins to fall apart more and more - being "out" to learn something new may become increasingly difficult, but you can bring so much into where you are these days. I do understand (more and more) people who are hindered by physical things, But there is so much available.
ReplyDeleteSome people, like my mil, just decide it's all just too much effort. I hope I never get that way.
ReplyDeleteI deal with people like that in my job. Who would think professors would be so reluctant to learn new things. You are doing well on your stash. Still in the black is good ;)
ReplyDeleteTerry
Thank you. I wish my stash numbers were in the teens instead of hundreds though. I can't believe I have so much fabric. If I live to be 100, I don't know that I can use it all.
ReplyDelete