Practice makes ...

Last week has been a constant attempt at juggling practising on the longarm machine and dealing with issues of the refugees.

Although I had thought I would really start quilting a 'real' quilt yesterday I had doubts when I took the practice piece down. So I put up another practice piece instead, and decided it would be good to work on that. This morning I was determined to 'don't do any refugees' issues' befor 10 a.m., but simply practice, practice, practice. I did not start my computer or look at my phone for potential messages - and by 10 I had only had two calls concerning the refugees. So that was pretty good. At least I hadn't taken any initiative...

I am practising swirls and patterns and this and that and getting to know my machine. By now I can tell when the sound changes that this is when the bobbin thread is getting low, so I guess I can claim that I am beginning to understand my machine.

Ten o'clock a.m. was the crucial point of time because a friend had said she would come by, who has been waiting for me to finish a quilt for her for almost a year now, and she will be one of the first ones to benefit from me doing a real job. We picked the thread color for her, and as she said she wouldn't mind beginner's inconsistencies hers will actually be the piece I mount when I am done with this current practising piece. At some point one has to take the plunge!

Meanwhile, I have learned the hard way that working in a group of volunteers is anything but easy, mostly because of the fact that volunteers tend to have their own ways of dealing with things, and some are not at all compatible to working in a group. Last week was extremely difficult in this aspect, and it has cost me a lot of time and nerves to the point where I was thinking should I give up just to get that particular person off my back...? Of course, she could be saying this about me, too, but as I know that she has a history of being in discord with any person of authority (who does not do as she would them have do it) I don't see the major part of the problem on my turf. Anyway -
Tomorrow three of the Syrians are going to Munich for their interview and I will go with them. Leaving on the train at 5.39 a.m. The major worry I have is that they are observing Ramadan, it is supposed to be very hot tomorrow, and I certainly don't want either of them fainting in a situation of stress when they have to tell their story. I have suggested that they allow themselves one day of break from Ramadan and at least take a bottle of water, but I am not sure that they are willing to do that. But I have told them that I would not go with them to hospital should that happen, so they have been warned, and as they are all grown-ups it's their decision. We'll see what happens!