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My dear WIJ Clan,
our pattern release break has continued much longer than I ever hoped for or anticipated. Now that the Spice CAL was cancelled, I understand that many of you wonder if we are ever going to continue with Wrapped in Jamie.
I sympathise with Mark, the Guy With The Hook. What he went through must have been horrible. I can relate.
As a designer, it is not all the gloom I thought it would be. Many people wrote nasty comments about the CAL when they had not even seen a pattern, let alone made one. The process of preparing a CAL was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life.
I had no idea how much is involved in writing a pattern and even less in the process of creating a CAL. The ups and downs and highs and lows can be traumatising. As Mark mentioned in his post: it is the one nasty comment that keeps spinning in our head all the time. The negative criticism for ‘our baby’, our brain child, is hurting us deeply.
Mark is not a quitter. He did what he felt right. He just needed a short break and to let off some steam. I am proud of him that he did. It was good. It was necessary. It was cleansing. It was courageous and it was consequent.
Many times I have pondered to discontinue Wrapped in Jamie as a CAL. From team issues to nasty comments, threats, abuse, technical issues, bad reviews, impatience, members leaving…I had it all. Repeatedly. So I cried. And considered to quit. I allowed others to convince me what would be the best way forward – against my instincts.
And then there is this moment. The shift. It comes, when you realise that we have a choice. We can let those negative experiences make us or break us. We can see the good or the bad. We can focus on the hurt or the joy. We can be motivated or decide to quit.
This moment can be sparked by the smallest thing. A heart in the comments. A word of encouragement, appreciation loyalty, faith. A dream. Anger. Frustration. A quote.
I ‘blame’ my friend Krissy for putting myself out there as a designer. She once told me: “When you have a gift, you have the responsibility to share it. If you don’t, you knowingly deprive the people who will have an appreciation for this gift from the joy that it would bring them.”
And this is why Wrapped in Jamie will continue.
Square 7 will be released on the 2nd of February 2020.
In the meantime, please have a look at the updated Outlanding Stitch Compendium, which explains the new “Petranese” and everything you need to know to make the next squares.