Sunday, January 13, 2013

Point A to Point B

I wrote a post yesterday, clicked "Publish," did something else for an hour or so, then came back and deleted it.  Then, almost immediately, I regretted deleting it, so I went to Google Reader and salvaged it from there.  Sheesh.

Ever second guess yourself?  (Maybe the better question is, how often?) Do you ever think, oh no, someone is going to read this and get the wrong impression, thinking this when I meant that, and then...

Then what?  Criminy, I need to quit imagining things, (a), and (b) own it.

I gotta be me.  Even if me is an overthinker.

So here is yesterday's post, and below that, an update.

P.S. - I'm pretty jazzed about the update!

* * * * *

Trip or Skip?

Are you Scrappy Tripping?  I'm happy for you, if you are, as I am very much enjoying seeing all the cool blocks turning out.  I have wanted to get on board with the Scrappy Trip Along since early on, but now here's the thing.  Now that there are 5,256,682.5 other people doing it, I don't so much want to anymore.  Isn't that ridiculous?  Don't answer that, please.

See, it's the contrarian in me.  The part that's still a college student a credit short of a full load, deciding to blow off class once again, riding her 12-speed past the other students on the mall and then beyond and out to Tripp Lake (ironic, but a real place), slathering up with SPF 0 and frying in the midday sun while chain smoking herself dizzy on a half pack of Salem Lights.

But I guess I've learned a few things in the years since, and not all of them from the Surgeon General.

So instead of breezing on by, I decided to see how much fun I might be missing.  And now is as good a time as any to say, you all sure have some fine-looking scraps.  Either that, or it's really hard to make an ugly block (and there again is that part of me that thinks I should be the one to try).

Well, I made two...
 
...and I think that may be it for me.  Maybe I'll knock out a few more at some point, or not.  In any case, I'm happy to enjoy the Trip vicariously, if nothing else.  

Now, has anyone seen my bike?

* * * * *
Update:  So I had an idea this morning, as I paged through 15 Minutes of Play (love-love-love that book).  Why not "play" with my Scrappy Trip blocks?  Cut them apart and make something else with them, like "made" fabric?

And, oh my gosh, was THAT fun!  By doing some judicious cutting, I was able to make two blocks from one repurposed Trip block.  First, I made Square in a Square, Squared.


Then I made a Sawtooth Star.



And finally, a Scrap Star.

That, my friends, is what I'm talking about!  

So, to summarize: Follow the crowd, follow your own path, but always follow your bliss.  Say your piece and mind your piecing.  

Someone remind me of that when I forget again.

17 comments:

Pokey said...

You know, I had your window open to make a comment yesterday, and it just disappeared!
I do not think there is any thing wrong with your attitude, we are all allowed, and what you shared wasn't against anyone. I considered doing the blocks, but I just finished some checkerboard blocks, and I have plu-enty of UFO's without starting another. Oh, and
I like your chopped creativity ~
:-}pokey

Swedish Scrapper said...

Totally hear where you're coming from, although I am going to do the trippy, because I like the idea and I am relatively new to qal's, so the more informal, the better! But Swoon wth everybody else,ust didn't move me. And I Like the pattern! so be your own girl, and don't hide your light under a bushel basket! Love your chop jobs, 15 minutes style!

Thanks for salvaging your post.

Karen said...

Totally loving the remix scrap! I joined then tossed my blocks...just couldn't "see" them in the end but yours works!

BendingPins.com said...

I'm passing on the scrappy trip along, I'm really done with square patch quilts -- BORING!!

I LOVE what you did with your trip alongs, especially your square in a square!!

kathy said...

I am right there with you! Contrarian? Yep, been accused of that myself! But the update is awesome. Yes, see it is now completely your own- and that's what it's about for me!

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

I wondered what happened to that post:) Always be P.!
I think you've improved the Scrappy Trip thing by about 100%!

Sara said...

Wondered what happened to the post too! Glad you posted it cuz your posts are sooooo fun to read!!!

Jen BK said...

Cool Blocks and welcome to the Contrarian Club!

Elizabeth said...

Whew. I thought there was some glitch in the system. I couldn't read your post, which still shows up in my feed and I couldn't read Shay's post about cutting up t-shirts either.

I'm glad you salvaged your post and reposted it. And I LOVE your new blocks. That first one, the square in a square squared, is beautiful! And the others are really fun, too.

One thing I love about you is that you always do your own thing. So many blogs read like a magazine, promoting the "in" thing, and there's never anything personal in there. It is hard to make a connection. While that may be what some people are looking for, I like the blogs whose writers let us "in" to their lives and share themselves. I like you for who you are. And I'm glad you're owning it because you're pretty wonderful!

Yay for following your bliss! It let you to an amazing place!

xo -E

P.S. I'm so glad the Surgeon General talked some sense into you.

Shay said...

Im really happy you didn't go over to the dark side. Im pretty sure there are only three people in the world at the moment that aren't making scrap trip quilts and I was hoping you and I would continue to be hold outs together.

But as usual you put your own spin on those blocks and they look amazing. Maybe you'll start a new trend!

Diane said...

Love your re-worked blocks!

I admit to thinking the same, ugh everyone is making these and my thought process was that mine would never be as good as all those other peoples, and my other thought was yep, another project that I will shelf and have as a UFO next year like the other quilt alongs I have joined...we will see if it gets done or not.

Allison said...

I'm glad you brought this post back :) I can identify with a lot you wrote, including the over thinking & not wanting to be the 6 billionth person to jump on the bandwagon, even if I liked the bandwagon in the first place. I like the blocks you made from your scrappy trip blocks. i've tried to 'make' fabric from little bits, which I didn't care for. but I can see how I might like starting with something a bit more orderly better.

Sarah Craig said...

Good for you, P.! If it's not your thing, then find your bliss! And I love your "play" blocks - very cool!

I drank the koolaid, because I think this will be an easy way to build a king-size quilt in between all the ministry quilts I need to work on....

Dina said...

Wow, I love where your update went. Those new blocks are really fun! I too, decided to pass on the scrappy trip along, but have been enjoying seeing what everyone who went on that trip has done. My favorites? The ones where the makers took it to their own places.

Elizabeth said...

Yeah! Keep up what you love doing. I love the final blocks. Thanks for inspiring.

Lori R. said...

I know EXACTLY what you mean about contrary. Doesn't it just drive you crazy when a new TV whow is advertised as #1 hit comedy or America's favorite new show? After it has aired once????? That automatically means that I won't even try it.

I've always been a scrappy girl and I also liked solids a LOT. But now that solids are the IN thing with the so-called modern quilt guild (fad/marketing), I am not carrying them. Too many years of people saying that they didn't like solids. Too bad. There, now you got me to vent.

Kay Lynne said...

I do the same thing :) Love your quilt blocks!