A CROCHET WEDDING COGGIE-UKIAH

<your background>
1.Q Tell me about the first time you can remember being thrilled.
1.A When I was 15 and I asked my mother to make my prom dress and a shawl for me , she sewed the dress on a machine , but I made my shawl to go with it . My art teacher in Hign School , had heard that mom and I wear " making " my dress and she asked if that was wise .. she had no idea how good we were . I showed up the night of the prom and made sure for that teacher to see me in my dress and shawl , her jaw about hit the floor. I was so thrilled that a simple piece of yarn twisted in a certain way could make people react the way it did.

2.Q What's been your most frightening thrill ever?
2.A When I crocheted my wedding dress , I was so scared that it would not hang or fit correctly

3.Q What's the smallest or slightest thing to have thrilled you?
3.A My online friend sent me a sweater that is knitted with toothpicks. It is amazing!

4.Q Tell me why you're not a sensible person.
4.A When it comes to my fiber I am never sensible , I have alot of stash , but still buy more anytime I can . I know I will also never use every pattern I have collected.

5.Q What were you doing the last time you were really bored?
5.A I am in the process of making a thread doily , I take this everywhere with me to do while sitting

6.Q What's the most uninhibited thing you've ever done?
6.A I design patterns , so I am not sure what you mean

7.Q What things have you considered doing for thrill, but were too concerned about the risks?
7.A I would love to make a thread bed spread , but I am so sure it will take me years to do I don't think I will ever start it

8.Q I always dreamt about being a paramedic, driving an ambulance and saving lives; what about you?
8.A I would love to own a yarn shoppe one day and be able to teach and pet to my hearts content

<your thrill>
To answer these next 14 questions, you should think about a particular time you were thrilled.

9.Q Describe this thrill in a nutshell, in one sentence. (there's time to expand later)
9.A I was able to wear my own creation at my wedding.

THE SETTING...
10.Q Where and when did it take place?
10.A My wedding-Feb 2, 02 , North Muskegon , Michigan.

11.Q Tell me a bit about yourself around this time.
11.A I was a 32 yr old single mom of 2 who was a material artist. Taught to knit and crochet before I was 10 , teaching the art for a few years.

PREPARATION...
12.Q How did the moment arise? Was it planned?
12.A [Boyfriend asked me] We decided to get get married 2 weeks before and I had nothing to wear , I made the dress , purse , socks , veil and half gloves in a week.

YOUR FEELINGS...
13.Q List the sequence of events leading up to your thrill, and how you felt at each stage. The smallest detail could be important (this is your chance to expand).
13.A Scared , thrilled , nervous , anxious

1st thought , oh God what have I gotten myself into , then the thrill of the search for a pattern that was just right. Never found the exact perfect one , so I had to enhance the one I did find. My boyfriend and I were living together at the time so I could only work on it when he was away ,I was so nervous that he would find my dress in the middle of me making it. Then , half way through making it , I ran out of yarn ,I had to call every store in town tracking down more yarn in that exact dye lot ( wanted it to look the same , different dye lots can be differnt colors even though marked the same color ) was thrill when at midnight I finally found a store that had some , drove right over to get what they had. 1st fitting , my future mother in law helped me put it in so that I could be sure it would fit . I had to do a couple nip and tucks.

Major Thril was the reaction my husband had while I was walking down the asile to him , His jaw dropped . Words he said while the minister was talking was , you made that to wear for me , wow. To this day when people ask if I knit or crochet , my husband says with pride that I made my own dress for our wedding .

14.Q At the exact moment of thrill, how did your mind and body feel?
14.A Elated , I felt like I could just about fly . You get numb at first then nervous then just happy all over.

15.Q What thoughts were going through your head?
15.A Some people in my husband family think that store bought is better than hand made , but on this occasion they all loved my work , I was scared that they would think it was tacky to wear a hand made peice to my own wedding and I was scared that my husband would not see the love I put into this peice of work. Relief is mostly what was going thru my head.

16.Q What did you do immediately afterwards?
16.A sighed a lot , took lots of photos

THE RISKS...
17.Q What were the most likely things that could have put you off going through with it?
17.A other people thought I didn't have the talent or the time , it was very scary

There is always a risk when making and adjusting a pattern that the fianal item will not fit properly and then you have to rip out and begin again . This is not like sewing where you can just resew a dart or a buttonhole , everything must be correct or you have to start from where the error is made all over again . I was so scared it would take me longer to make than the time I had available. I have worked months on one afghan , but it only took me a week to do this labor of love

OTHER PEOPLE...
18.Q How were other people important to your thrill?
18.A Their reaction to seeing me in it or to the photos I have of it .

19.Q What do you imagine other people were thinking throughout your thrilling episode?
19.A Wow , she made that herself or why did she make that herself , I am not really sure.

20.Q Some people probably don't understand how such a thing can thrill you; explain it to them.
20.A Anyone can walk into a store and buy a wedding dress for 100 to 10000 dollars , I decided to make mine , all the yarn cost me was $25.00. I knew I had an original and that I had taken the time to make it. No one will ever be able to recreate my dress exactly the way I did it as no two crocheters hook the same . Seeing my husbands reaction made the whole process worth while and thrilling.

EQUIPMENT...
21.Q Why were certain objects or equipment important to your thrill?
21.A Well , without yarn , a crochet hook , a pattern and time I never would have been able to do it .

REPEAT PERFORMANCE...
22.Q If you've done something like this before, how does the last time compare to the first time you did it?
22.A I have been asked by several people to make their wedding dresses for them. My sisters is in the process of being made now , she will wear it while she renews her vows next year.

It is taking a lot more time to make. I still crochet fast , but I guess my heart is not into the project like it was when I was making mine.

23.Q If you did it again, what things could be added or changed to make it even better?
23.A I would write down the changes I made to the pattern instead of remembering them from one side to the other.

FINALLY...
Is there anything you want to add?
This has been fun , a new way to look indepth into an event in your life.

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