Sunday, January 08, 2006

Gloom and Doom

Friday I called the Carnegie and told them that I could not find my piece that had been accepted. I told them I would call on Monday to let them know for sure.

Well, it is Sunday night and no quilt.

I have gone through the piles of quilts three times (where it should be) and so have two other people (well, at least once each)

My studio is almost absolutely clean. Everything has been gone through.

I have gone through all of my fabric drawers, pulled lots of fabric, given it away to four friends, put my hand dyes into drawers, filled up two bins with more hand dyes, tossed out a lot of scraps, put bigger scraps into a bin instead for eight different containers, got all my paints, glues, textures thingies put away. Put all the canvas and extra batting pieces together where they belong and still...

no quilt.

I have gone on a roller coaster ride of emotions during the past week. On Monday when I first started looking I thought, oh it must be under a pile on my drafting table. On Wed. I was still looking and starting to panic. On Thursday I felt resigned. On Friday I called and continued to clean and got people over to pick up fabric and get it out of the house. And Saturday I cleaned some more and last night and this morning I went through all of the quilts again, opening every one up, refolding, stacking old quilts in the closet, keeping newer pieces on the bed flat and still no quilt.

I just want to cry. Well, in fact I have. Partly because I don't like being this disoriented and not knowing where something is, and this is the third thing I have misplaced this past year that was very important to me and I still can't find, and because I really wanted to be in the show, and because I don't want to be blacklisted because I couldn't produce when I had told them I would.

I have followed everybody's advice. prayed to St. Andrew, prayed to God, searched high and low, looked where it should be, looked where it shouldn't be and still no quilt. Tomorrow, I call.

12 comments:

Deb R said...

I'm soSO sorry to hear you haven't found it, Liz. I don't even know what else to say.

Val said...

Oh my heart bleeds for you. I know how you must feel as I have this happen to me occasionally and it is so disheartening. Like Deb I don't know what else to say!

Val said...

Liz have you had visitors staying? Have you asked them if they mistakenly packed up your quilt with their stuff? My daughter gathered up some of my fabric when lifting up a pile of clean clothes to pack and it was months before I was told as she hadn't bothered to unpack that case to the bottom! Just a thought.

- said...

I'm cringing reading this, loosing something like that is one of the most frustrating feelings in the world. You know it's there, little fairies didn't sneak in an steal it, but where? I'm hoping you find it before you make the call.

Lisa Call said...

So sorry to hear you haven't found it. I was hoping all week it would turn up.

gabrielle said...

Liz, I am crying with you. Have you called all the galleries where you have work on display? I am heart broken for you.

Frances said...

Liz I am so sorry to hear this news I kept hoping and praying for you, I bet you cried I'd cry too,

Anonymous said...

First let me say that I am so upset with you. But you need to turn this in to a positive. What can you learn from this? Work larger? Not, cecessarily - just had to throw that in! Come up with a system for storing quilts that have been accepted into shows? You obviously have gotten your studio nice and organized - that is a positive.

I personally don't have enough wuilts to lose any.

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

Awww Liz this is just awful, I was hoping it would turn up. How disappointing. I hope that you discover you sold it or something good like that.

Deborah Boschert said...

I still have hope.

cfent said...

o liz.......... what a frustrating thing.=( and its so wonderful....
i always figure as soon as i stop looking for somethign it will show up... whcih doesnt help you one little bit.

Olga Norris said...

It is so difficult to suggest anything, because you have probably done it all twice or more. I started to think what I would do in such circumstances, and wondered if you had put the quilt safely to one side - in a 'safe' but unusual place so that it would be ready to mail off in January? I would try to think myself back into the frame of mind when I received the letter of acceptance.

I add myself to those of us squirming with sympathy and feeling useless. Fingers crossed that you find it.