These are such strange times. I am coping by retreating to on-and-off-again hobbies such as sewing and playing the piano.

Late last week, before departing for camping, I found myself plotting about ways to fleece some diehard Bitcoiners by monetizing one of these hobbies, which is a lesson I’ve already learned a couple of times but apparently must learn again. Long ago, I participated in a mom craft fair at my midwives’ office, making quirky handbags from upcycled jeans and also some baby bibs. The best thing to come of that was trading a few handmade bags for a lovely set of handmade ceramic bowls, which we still use today. I learned that the cost benefit analysis for making upcycled handbags did not really compute or scale, and that it was better (for me, a new mom) to keep that pastime as a hobby. Technically, Etsy was already launched in 2005 but I didn’t hop aboard until a decade later (i.e. definitely not an early adopter there).

Anyways, I drew out some pixel designs and started making a couple of mini quilt tops. (For wall hangings? Or tablerunners?)

Unfortunately, I didn’t design an even border (with equal number of pixel rows) on the first piece, and ended up seamripping the finished product to redo the edges, which is still in progress and taking A LOT of extra time to add the missing rows. The second design, a pixel heart, looks especially cute but now the dilemma is:

  • Do I stick to the original plan of whipping up some small finished objects and taking them to market sooner? ( Was thinking to do this on Twetch, via an online auction?)
  • OR do I choose a bunch more icons to pixelate and sew, to then combine into a full-sized MONSTER quilt project, for which there’d be a HIGH RISK of running out of both steam and patience. Strategically choosing a variety of icons or *cough* logos could probably make for an interesting auction!
  • OR do I just KEEP THESE SIDE PROJECTS AS HOBBIES and STOP PLOTTING NEFARIOUSLY to seek profit and extra stress? (The original idea behind the smaller items was the manageable factor, for both time commitment and shipping costs. Another factor is the non-existence of a craft room in our small house. Using the drawing desk as a sewing space does tend to turn the whole Satoshi Doodles operation into a gong show. We’re talking an area of about 2.5m X 1.5m, including the footprint of the humongous scanner.)

Having quite a long list of unfinished projects, most of which involve zero sewing, the wiser part of my brain is definitely pointing me in the direction of the latter option. Only time will tell whether visions of grandeur or rationality wins. I shall keep y’all posted. Time is the most precious commodity, but time we enjoy wasting is not wasted time, is it?