Overachiever

Remember that kid in high school that always sat towards the front of the class, always did all of their homework on time, their papers were always really neat, and the teacher just thought that they were the cat’s pajamas?

Yeah. That kid. The one you hated with every fiber of your being, because they made life so much tougher for everyone else, because then the teacher could hold them up as an example.

I was that kid.

Or, for you theatre types — you remember the annoying enthusiastic actor that was always off-book at the second rehearsal?

Hello, me again.

Then I got to college, which was populated with other people exactly like me in that way. And suddenly, the fact that I always did my homework and asked the good questions did not automatically guarantee that I’d smoke the competition and ace the class. I was actually well below average for the first time in my life. It was an awakening. Humbling experience, but so stimulating it was always hard to come home.

So, now when I get an opportunity to be the Star Pupil again, I’m almost crazed for it.

This weekend I’m taking a quilt class. It’s not a “class” so much as a workshop for a specific project. I signed up for this class in August or early September, and I’m very excited about it.

Tuesday I washed and prepared all of the fabrics, and last night I pressed them and pre-cut them according to the instructions that came with my registration information. This was about 2 hours of rotary cutting work after half an hour of starching and ironing, but this is time I will not have to spend doing that in the class — I can spend that time sewing. I also organized my materials according to the instructions so that it will be easy for me to get started.

Tonight I’ll load the bobbins on my sewing machine and get all the threads and needles and stuff ready to go. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll pack up my sewing machine and set it by the door of my sewing room, so I can grab it quickly on Saturday morning. It’s a 6 hour class, and I’d like to get as much done as possible.

I’m excited — I love these classes because I get to be creative, not in charge (like I am at my scrapbooking events), and I get to hang out with some very funny women. The woman teaching the class is a physics professor, and she and I bond over math almost every time. Neat lady. There’s a NICU nurse, several engineers, and a few SAHMs… an accountant. Lots of different skills, all of us love to paw fabric.

But I have a reputation down there for getting a LOT done in a very short period of time. I know it’s because I’ve done all the homework and prepwork ahead of time, so I’m chomping at the bit at the gate waiting to be given the pattern so I can start. They think it’s because I’m That Kid. Well, that, too.

Hopefully I’ll have an entire quilt top done by the end of the weekend. That would be cool. I haven’t started a big one (68″ square) like this in a while. I did finish another quilt top a few weeks ago, though — at another workshop. And they were teasing me about my productivity then, too.

Once a nerd, always a nerd. I’ve just moved into a different venue.