Sunday, April 29, 2012

60 minutes

It hasn't been as wildly productive round here as I'd hoped. What I've learned this week is that two hours of sewing usually takes me about 5 hours. I wander off and check my emails and then go play three games of fruit link and then decide I'm hungry and make something to eat. Then I go back to sewing for 20 minutes and then the cycle repeats itself. I keep telling myself that since I manage to hold down a paying job where I'm at the beck and call of pretty much everyone all week that I'm entitled to be flighty on weekends. 

This morning I decided an hour of sewing means 60 minutes of actual sewing time and that I was going to spend an hour working on a project and then change to something else to keep it fresh.  I reasoned that the added bonus would be progress on pretty much all my existing projects. 

Something I've learned today is that sometimes an hour looks like you didn't do anything much even if you aren't jumping up to challenge inanimate pieces of fruit on your I Pad. 

The first hour yielded this. So far so good.


 Hour 2 saw me whipping up 10 little lantern blocks. 


I started hour 3 full of enthusiasm and decided to sew the hourglass quilt blocks into a top. Half way through the quilt top , at the 45 minute mark, I realised I'd somehow managed to sew two bits together wrong. Very grudgingly I set about doing some unsewing. Once that was done I realised that I've managed to stuff up a couple of other bits which means a whole load more unpicking to get to them. The quilt top got thrown on the ironing board in disgust. I spent the remainder of the hour swearing. 


You can almost finish 8 selvage squares in 35 minutes. 


At this point after three hours and 20 minutes of effort , I decided to reward myself by reading a bit more of Sense and Sensibility. 


Oops!4 hours goes by in the blink of an eye when you accidentally take a Nanna nap.


My word for this week is focus.



22 comments:

Helsie said...

Well you've done better than me. I've spent the WHOLE day daydreaming on Google Earth about where I want to go on holidays. I love the hourglass quilt.The fabrics really appeal to me. I don't know how you change from one activity to the other. I'd just get confused and muck everything up.
Cheers

Mistea said...

Bugger about the unsewing.
Your projects are looking very nice - love the lantern blocks they look like fun.
A nice nanna nap on a Sunday afternoon - yay.
Enjoy the week.

Jindi's Cottage said...

You've certainly achieved more in the stitchy department than moi...I've handquilted a three inch square...that's it...and I got the project out about 1 1/2 hours ago! Cute fabric in the lantern blocks...

Sara said...

Nanna nap is nothing - I was feeling fine when I woke up, but by the time we'd walked back to my car a bit of light hangover had kicked in, and within 2 hours I was out of it - asleep in bed till 6.30.

Guess not much sewing is getting done by me today...

Canadian Abroad said...

My aim for today is to accomplish SFA. So far so good. See, you aim too high!!

Lorraine said...

Well......you will be able to focus this week because you will be back at work! I had five days off.....was going to do great things in my sewing room with a basket of eggs and a big stick....guess what...didn't set foot in there!! But the house is amazingly clean and the windows are all sparkly and the front and back gardens are neat again.....and I spent two days at a stitching retreat so it wasn't all work and no play! see you on the 12th......I love Susan's aim for the day.....I can usually manage that without any trouble!

Marg said...

I'd be happy with achieving quarter of that!

Kris said...

pfffft! Unsewing? That takes FOREVER! If you had to do that as well, you have done pretty well I think.

Heather said...

Looks like you got a lot accomplished. I think I'd better get off this computer and see if I can do the same. :-)

Kate said...

I think you focused pretty well. It is the weekend after all. Naps are almost mandatory on the weekend. Congrats on what got done and sympathy for all the unpicking you have left to do.

Kristie said...

I am needing focus, too! And time! Just catching up on you this week. Loving it all :)

Edith said...

I think you did well, such pretty results. I used the focus mantra for about a year, it did help. Thanks for introducting to Fruit Link!

Elizabeth said...

Are they still called Nanna naps if you're not a Nanna yet? I haven't done a 4-hour nap in quite a while, but I did a three-hour one on Wednesday, which is unusual for me lately. I used to love my naps.

Those little lantern blocks are so pretty and I'm very interested to see what that first project is going to be.

Hope you're well!

xo -E

AnnieO said...

I sew like you do, too, frequently! However, sometimes I can pass an hour or two without looking up from the machine, especially if it is something mindless like feeding squares or triangles. Any thinking or MATH of course requires breaks and sustenance...or a wander through the internet.

FOCUS is my word too!

Paulette said...

You sure earned your nanna nap. Your projects are all coming along so nicely!

I had those passing thoughts of "it sure doesn't look like much" for the pretty fair chunk of time I was able to spend in the sewing room this weekend. But I have to remind myself it's not a race and that I've enjoyed every moment, which is the whole point, after all.

Whether you're able to focus or not, enjoy!

Baa-Me Kniits said...

I would have needed a nana nap after that long at my machine! Your sewing room looked lovely and tidy after the clean up...well done :-)

Kirsten's Cooking said...

I think you deserve whatever you want on the weekends! I for one, am thrilled that you read and napped (two of my favorite things).
Great job on the sewing front, even with the unsewing. I bet you loved every second in that gorgeously organized room! Hope you have a good week, Shay!

Cindy said...

Well I think I would have to take a nap after all of that too! Beauty sleep is key is the quilting world. :o)

Sarcastic Quilter said...

Great word! I think I'll use it myself. I will FOCUS on setting up and following a schedule that allows me to do all I want instead of being overwhelmed by all I want to do. :)

Cardygirl said...

What a hoot!

Rachaeldaisy said...

Woohoo Go Shay, shake that quilting booty!!

Brenda said...

Ooee, Nanna naps - that sounds like fun! Love your projects, so glad the sewing fairy is back in your brain!