{*~Sunset~*}
It's sure been quiet around here.
The truth is, I've been avoiding the computer all week. I just haven't even wanted to check my email, log into flickr, tweet on twitter. Nothing.
My heckles were raised all week last week. I was alerted to a website and an etsy shop who were using my images to "pre-sell" mini quilts and larger sized quilts. After fighting for over a week both shops/websites have now been taken down but it was seriously a heart breaking battle. Trying to "prove" that you are in fact YOU is extremely hurtful and annoying. Once one battle was done it was brought to my attention a second website. I'm thankful I have friends who let me know these things but it also sucked because they were ripped off as well!
Last Thursday afternoon Mr McPorkchop & I were completely at our wits end. We decided to take an impromptu trip to the valley to stay with his dad, soak up some sunshine and completely unplug from all drama.
It was so so so nice. And so so so needed.
Our days were spent driving down dirt back roads through walnut, almond, peach and plum orchards. We got more than a few diet cherry limeaids from Sonic. We listened to our favorite country station with the windows down and our sunglasses on. Driving through cool, irrigated rice fields and scaring up flocks of ibis. Watching workers load up giant bins of fruits to ship to people far away. Visiting my bestest friends. Eating the most incredible seafood fettuccine ever. When we weren't driving around, we were laying on the couch reading. I read 6 books in 5 days. I'm so completely addicted to iPhone's kindle app. Books in an instant? Yes please!
The truth is, it took a lot out of me to see my hard work being ripped off. I found it extremely gross that someone had the balls to comment on my blog, when they were also ripping me off. I'm genuinely appalled by the crafting communities "ethics" and some of my so-called-"friends". And how people find "inspiration". I know some of you think "hey! move on!" but this is how I make my living. This is how I pay my bills. This is my passion. This is my livelihood. Sewing is the one thing that keeps me awake at night, new ideas building in my sleep. Sewing has enabled me to find more confidence in myself. Sewing has given me an amazing group of friends. Sewing gets me jazzed to jump out of bed in the morning and build new rad things!
And the past few weeks? No desire to sew. No desire to come up with new ideas. Nothing. None. I've been quietly changing website settings, flickr settings, making lists, making more lists on top of that and trying to decide what exactly I want to do. I know that this is just a minor setback and it's a fact of doing business. I know that I'll snap out of it. I know that I'm not the only one who this has happened too.
I'm taking a class tomorrow, I'm hoping it will help me get some quilting/sewing mojo back, it's a class teaching free motion quilting from an amazingly talented lady, Pat Durbin. I'm really really REALLY excited about it. I'm needing to learn the "basics" of free motion quilting because I taught myself and I just "know" there are better ways to do certain things. It's going to feel good to have more knowledge under my belt. I'm just hoping I can shake off some of this fog by tomorrow morning.
I'll leave you with some things that have inspired me lately and I keep looking at to try and get out of my rut, these are some real beauties!:
I'll back next week, stuff will be shipping Monday, good moods and positive posts will be back! Chin up!