Yes – I'm aware it’s May 7th...and that I’m schmoozing in here late as usual to give a full
account of my achievements for April. I have an excuse . Its hard to write a blog post about nothing.
If Unachievements was an actual word I’d
be using that instead since I completely ran out of steam in about Week 1. I didn’t touch my machine for the last three
weeks of the month except to repair a ruffle on one of my favourite shirts. We all know
garment repairs don’t count as REAL sewing even if they do prevent us from
having to go to work naked.
I only managed to get the final 8 blocks done for the
recycled shirt quilt last month. Yep
folks that’s it. Huge effort for the month. ABSOLUTELY huge. Then I laid it all out to motivate myself to sew it together but then I put it in a plastic box and forgot about it again.
I did completely clean out my sewing room though. I think
that counts for a lot. At least I can find all my WIP’s now- even if I am ignoring them.
That poor baby quilt is still lurking in a sadly unfinished state (and it was meant to be on a plane with
Sister of Pyjamas four days ago winging its way to the intended recipient) Baby
Jack arrived in the world this afternoon and it would be so nice to have this
quilt finished before he starts primary school. I'm about quarter of the way through the binding so maybe I could pull out at least one finish this month?
I continue to be inspired by projects that I really cant
resist starting. I tell myself that they’ll be quick to knock up but the truth
is I'm all about increasing my WIP pile to epic proportions. But for better or worse in the last week I’ve started an Irish chain quilt in red and white. Mainly so I can use up all the red fabrics I collected while not finishing the Farmers Wife Quilt I started last year.
And today I started this...
And I’m planning to suck it up and hand quilt this one so
the ultimate finish may be months (or even years) away,especially since I’ve
never hand quilted anything in my life.
Making monthly goals is the stupidest idea I ever had. I seem to get much more done when I just bumble along smelling the roses along the way, meandering on to something new when I feel like it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Glad to know I'm not alone in my April unachievements. (It's a word now. After all, I read it on the internet.) Repairs to clothing definitely counts for sewing in my book. Of course, my book is very loose in the definition of sewing, for example, thinking about sewing and feeling guilty about not sewing also count as sewing. That way I always get some sewing in every day. The accomplishments with this kind of sewing are lagging though.
ReplyDeletelove your two new starts.
I thought you were a list person? wasn't there an FTF some time ago about that being a fave? ah well. Lists only work for me some of the time, like when I look at them and actually do what's on them.
Cheer up, it's bound to get better.
Love all your starts - especially that you blogged! We always like that one.
ReplyDeleteReal artists need to be in the mood. If you force it, the results could be less than wonderful. Find what gets you in the mood... a cuppa, a few stolen minutes away from TV, whatever floats your boat, and set yourself up to be in the mood. (Deadlines are hardly ever mood improvers.) Hope this all works for you... if it does, let me know cause I need the same juice.
Hugs
AMEN SISTER!! Just smell the roses....you are awesome whether you finish something or not. :)
ReplyDeleteYour recycled shirt quilt is looking AMAZing even if it's now resting in a box! The clean sewing room definitely counts for a lot in my book and in my case would have probably resulted in my starting at least 3 new quilts so it sounds like you did good there--only 1 new start? That one doesn't even count if it's a clean-up of an old project.:) hehe
ReplyDeleteLove that shirts quilt!! I'm one for bumbling through my projects, those monthly targets are too much pressure. Love your starts too. That red and white chain is going to be gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteLove the shirt quilt! Boy, I hear ya on the April unproductiveness. I'm not going to stress about it. I wish it were different, but there is more to life than cutting things apart and putting them back together. Wow, did I just say that?
ReplyDeleteLol, hope Jack's quilt gets out of the box soon!
ReplyDeleteI think we all hate mending! Just sew as you want, not to a schedule...it all gets too hard when you are under pressure...and then I do even less!
ReplyDeleteI love you! really, i do. Cleaning out your sewing room to see your WIPs is huge and counts as 13 finishes. It does. Count it.
ReplyDeleteLove your progress. While a little movement can feel disappointing it just means you get to love the project for longer. Gorgeous red and white squares.
ReplyDeleteHope Jack gets a quilt to keep him warm soon.
Cleaning out your sewing room counts for sewing I say! Luckily fabric doesn't go off, it just waits patiently for you to come back and love it again. Maybe your goal could be to just finish that one little bit of binding in May and then once that's done, the rest of the month is up for grabs for whatever floats your boat. That way you feel good for finishing a project and you get the freedom to do (or ignore) whatever project you want too!
ReplyDeleteYep, April sucked! Big time. Glad it wasn't only at my house. Ditch the goals then Miss Shay. No point flogging a dead horse!
ReplyDeleteLove your recycled shirt quilt. It's always easy to start something new than finish one. I think we are all guilty of this, me included. Can't see it changing anytime soon. Hugs...
ReplyDeleteFun new projects. Finishing up older stuff can be highly over-rated. I've got 5 quilts to finish for this month so they can be given as gifts. Having a deadline has pretty much made me sew. But it doesn't always work that way I know.
ReplyDeleteMay I be an unofficial member of the Unachievement group? I did have two finishes recently but only because they were for someone else! I think its very common to be attracted by new and shiny and be bored of what's been around. Goals are only thoughts put down on paper and generally only a real deadline is motivation enough for me! My stack of project boxes is getting pretty dense.
ReplyDeleteOh well, some progress is better then nothing! I put mending off and off and off some more!
ReplyDeletePS you wouldnt have found a good pattern for a super heros cape in your blogging travels would you?
So April was a bit of a bummer in the achievement stakes, is what you are saying?
ReplyDeleteYou took a long writing to tell us that you sucked in April...grins here. It happens to us all after all.
ReplyDeleteI am never one to start more than one project at a time. I cut, sew, put together, bind etc to get to the next one to do. It is how I work. I only have one unfinished project. I just don't like it...period. Then, of course is the prints one that I finished the top last year, which thanks to you....it is a king size quilt! It is going to the quilters soon.
It's May in Canada, we have an excuse for not doing...spring is here.
I really, really love that men's shirt quilt! The colors are awesome! Red and white nine-patches are just plain awesome. And that project at the bottom has very pretty fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI am more productive when I work from a mental list, which has been prioritized so that I actually get things done. Having it on paper is just too much pressure and I feel like I have to be a rebel and not do whatever it is that is on the list. I focus on the most important project but also allow myself a day off now and then to just do whatever I fancy (as long as it is somewhere on the prioritized list) and that keeps it fresh. I've also discovered that if I give it a few days, that "gotta start something new" feeling when I see a really great project goes away.
That all sound great on paper, but everyone knows that you just have to create when the mood strikes.
I doubt I will ever finish all the quilts I've already started, but I sure am having fun trying.
xo -E
Just love the way that hexi quilt came together. Now come on, get into that baby quilt and get it finished,you haven't got much to go.
ReplyDelete