having options or how to manage project ADD

i have project fidelity problems.
also know as project ADD.

i just can't stick to one project from start to finish without switching it up. part of this is because i like variety in my creative life. part of this stems from having a limited amount of time to play with my quilting, also known as splishing and splashing with my stash.

if i do get some time, i'm not going to spend it slugging away at something my heart isn't into at the moment.

this is my hobby, after all.
my play time.
i want to have fun while i'm at it.

occasionally i can be a good girl and stick to something just for the sake of getting it completed. more often than not, i go with what i feel at the moment. since my sewing is not obligatory, i don't feel the need to do otherwise.

hence the fabric floor party going on above: fabric stuffs in various stages of quilt process assembly all over the place just outside my blue sewing room doors.

i like to have a number of projects going at once that are all in different phases of the process. that way i can decide what to work on depending on what part of quilt making i feel like tackling when i have time.

yes, i like my options.

at the moment, my main projects are:

quilting queue:

quilting penny patch 2.0 (which i already gifted in it's unfinished state to my mom for christmas. this is an unintentional family tradition, started by her many years ago. it's just the way my family does things. try to make something for a holiday gift and give it anyway if it's not done. finishes will come later.)

you can kind of see the quilting in the photo and kind of not. currently, in the new year, i mark off one 4sq x 4sq grid at a time. i try to do one of these a day, or at least a couple a week. i've nearly completed 8 of the 14 rows, which means i'm 4/7ths finished with the quilting. a couple more weeks at my current rate will see it done.

since april, when i found out my mom has stage 4 colon cancer, (about a week or two after my husband's accident) and i decided to gift this quilt to her, this has been my priority project. but as hard as i tried, i couldn't make myself do only this. my time was so infrequent and sometimes i couldn't face the fmq. interspersing it with other projects is actually helping me get it done more quickly because i'm enjoying my quilt life more, which means i get up early to quilt more often.

 this beauty has been folded up on the couch just outside my sewing room since april, also. i was doing one row a day right after the accident just as a few quiet moments of therapy at the beginning of my day while my husband was still in the hospital. i was loving it, but set it aside once penny patch 2.0 took priority. a few days ago i decided to add it to the mix, just for fun. one row of those modern loops every now and then doesn't take much time at all.

today i was doing my one row of loops and ran out of bobbin thread right where my finger is pointing - about two loops from the end of the row! ugh. thread burying two stops and starts just for two loops. maybe i'll just leave this row as is.

piecing queue:

my big star hst quilt (here and here), at the back of the top photo.
it still needs the neutral borders put around the star and then the flimsy is done.

i'm also prepairing for putting the backing together, hence the large swaths of fabric laid all over the floor.

A photo posted by @hydeeannsews on Dec 4, 2016 at 2:17pm PST

d3's christmas quilt flimsy is done, it needs a backing also. that's the green piece in the top photo. the top is under my star quilt pieces, which is pretty accurate for where it falls in priority: on the bottom. the stars really have to align if i'm going to give sewing time to kid projects right now. i do try to be a good mommy and fit those in once in a while.

this next project is in a couple stages, so it can be a piecing thing or it falls in the

cutting queue:

my gypsy child hst quilt
(here and here)

there's still this lovely pile of pairings to be cut into 3.5" squares, hsts to chain piece, or hsts to be trimmed after pressing.

i get to just take my pick.

this is my plate of the completed hsts so far.

i need 21 sets like these. with 7 finished, there are plenty more to work at.
(darn. i did mean to crop that dark corner out of the photo.)

so that's what i'm hopping and skipping around in these days.
and as much as i like to go by the spontaneity of what feels like fun at the moment, i do have a method for adding responsibility in the mix.

first, i decide if i feel like some clean up needs to be done in the studio. fabric folding or whatnot. sometimes that happens. if the room is clean enough, i choose to either do cutting/trimming chores or sit at the machine.

when i'm going to sit down to the machine, these ladies keep my moving around.

let me explain.

once apon a time, i hated changing threads or feet for projects and mostly just worked through whatever needed doing until a change was required. now i don't mind a bit the few seconds it takes to swap out feet or thread. mostly i still let the bobbin dictate what i do by working on a project until the bobbin runs out. that's my signal to move on. i keep my machine projects rotating by the bobbin and it really mixes things up for me, satisfying my taste for variety.

by the way, that pink thing holding the bobbin and spool together is the june tailor thread mate spool and bobbin pin. it doesn't actually fit the aurifil spool snugly, it's sized for standard spools. but it does help them stay in place well enough to keep my threads together.

the grey thread (aurifil 5021) is for the big star hst quilt.

the blush pink thread (aurifil 2415) is for quilting the loops on the triangle quilt.

the white thread (aurifil also) is for quilting penny patch 2.0 or piecing the gypsy hsts.
note the two bobbins here. i got to a section stopping point on quilting and saw the bobbin was pretty low, so i simply removed it and set it aside for piecing at another time, and put a full bobbin in place when i started quilting again. no way was i going to start quilting with only that much thread on the bobbin because it would require a stop (and burying threads) quite soon. piecing with it wouldn't be such a big deal.

in addition to the bobbin, i have a set amount of each project i will work on at a time: a row of loop quilting, a 4sq  x 4sq section of orange peel quilting, a set of hst pairs. i make myself either change projects or go do something else when i reach the end of a project's designated allotment. this keeps me from sitting at the machine too long (bad for the body) and from getting lost in the quilt studio when i have other things to do.

winter break has given me a nice chance to pick up quilting again. i hope it continues when our regular schedule resumes next week. if i can just get myself up a little earlier in the morning, i like to work for a small amount of time on whatever project the bobbins dictate.

how do you decide what to work on?
do you have a rotation method or just decide what you feel like?

free-for-all february

i was on my way to fix my neglected toenails, when i stopped by the sewing table. that was the end of that for a while. hee, hee. sidetracked! my entire life is often sidetracked by sewing. sometimes this is funny and sometimes it's simply not. balance and prioritizing are a constant struggle in my world.

i tried to help with a portion of that by fabric fasting. january was good, february turned into a nose-dive, fabric purchasing free-for-all. the month is over as of today, so i'll be climbing on the wagon and starting over again. i should probably extend by a month (or 6) just to make up for february. who knew you could do an entire year's worth of fabric shopping in one month? i keep vacillating between contritely wanting to be honest in this space while being completely ashamed of myself, and feeling brazenly rebellious for busting my self-imposed limits. i did get some really great new fabric, after all. i'm like all jekyll-and-hyde{eann} about fabric fasting this month.

liberty lifestyle's practically extinct "bloomsbury gardens" collection found at jones and vandermeer

most of the last bits of my orders have arrived. i found some more meadowdot (allowed - always) and some liberty (not allowed just now) on-line (thank you, jones and vandermeer! - great shop),

small photo to minimize impact of large quantity already strategically piled to appear less

as well as one last fabric.com order (for current wips and not) that i just don't want to talk about. i am not sure exactly why i feel compelled to report every single bit i've purchased this month. i don't normally show my purchases, preferring to focus on my makes in this space. why couldn't i just say "i broke the fast" without completely humiliating myself by airing all my dirty laundry? all this talk, however, is the mourning of the damned, not the sorrow of the true penitent - meaning i am reveling in my purchasing sin.

one of the main reasons the idea of a fast appealed to me was that it would allow me to use the lovely fabrics that i had before they got completely lost in the stash vacuum. that is important to me. well, now i have even more that need to be used. so i am recommitting with my reasonings in mind.

hello, march!
let's fast.
wish me luck.
maybe the luck o' the irish will work for me.

eye of the storm

well, it was clean . . .

 

i have had one over-the-top busy week. there is a local special event going on and we have hosted friends and family nearly every day, including cooking dinner for large groups of people 3 different nights. it's been exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time. having over 30 people to dinner necessitated that i pack away most of my sewing supplies in an attempt to convert the room back to a dining/entertaining space for guests. well, that attempt failed. i did get it well cleaned and organized, but i ran out of time to complete the reversion to dining table. when i moved my sewing stuff in that room, it was with the idea that it was supposed to be quickly and easily converted when needed. however, we haven't entertained enough people in ages, so i never put that theory to the test until this week. and i failed miserably. the best i got done was to have the table free of everything but my sewing machine and i pulled out the dining chairs to the front of the room as a barricade/seating spot. good thing it wasn't a formal meal! by the time the last event was over last night, i had pulled out a bunch of fabrics so my sister-in-law could make selections for her new baby's quilt and the room was starting to look pretty much like it always does (see above).

 

in the middle of all this chaos, i did miraculously find some spots of time here and there to sew. i made all the mini blocks for my february sugar block:



first, i made a few extra blocks for the back - which means i messed up on a couple by making them the wrong size. as relaxing as i can find it to work on complex sewing at the end of a long day, i usually make mistakes because my brain is so tired.

when making the block, i used two of the same fabrics from january's block and some of the same prints in different colors. i like all the fabrics, but when i was done with the block, i realized i hadn't placed fabrics well. those red corners are just too loud and proud, drawing all the attention away from the star in the center. i haven't sewn them together because i'm undecided whether to make 4 new blocks with quieter centers or just live and learn with it the way it is.

on the one hand, i am using this monthly block to focus on precision a little at a time. on the other hand, i don't want to get hung up with every little detail as i'm learning. if only i knew i could use these blocks elsewhere in the top, i would happily make new ones. but the rest of the top is a mystery, so i'm wavering. also, those red corners might be just fine when mixed in with the whole top. there's just no way to know right now.

saturday was one of my in between days where i carved out some time to sew in the middle of all the prep chores. i just needed to get going on gypsy wife! but it seemed the world was conspiring against me. the 5 yr old was begging to go to the park, and when i said to her, "but mommy wants to sew," i immediately knew it was not the right response. give up one of our precious spring days at the park with my daughter to sew? hearing those words come out of my mouth brought that quickly in perspective. 5 year olds and spring days are both fleeting and precious.

however, the mr decided to go to the park with the kids, so i was dismissed. i probably should have gone anyway. but the 11 yr old didn't go and wanted to spend time with me. so i sent her to my stash to select fabrics for a baby quilt she's going to make for a fund raiser. i thought it would be a good way to use up some of the older fat quarters i'm not so crazy about anymore. however, she didn't dig to the back of the stack, she brought out this lovely bundle from the front:

some of my heather bailey "nicey jane"! ouch. i'm still not sure i can let her have these because i know this is all i have of the two floral prints. at least i can say her taste in fabric has improved drastically. perhaps what i'll have to do is buy the quilt myself, which i rather want to do since it will be her first quilt project.

we got the fabrics pressed and squared, then i had to run to Costco before it closed. on the way there i witnessed a pedestrian/vehicle accident where i actually saw the car sitting on top of the victim. the two pedestrians hit are, thankfully, alive, but in critical condition. seeing something so tragic occur before my very eyes left me quite shaken up. i mindlessly did my shopping then came home to collapse on the couch. my husband kindly took over all dinner duties and let me rest.

after dinner, he let me just sew for a while. i must say working on my colour wheel block for gypsy wife focused me in a way that really calmed me down. my faith is always the thing that gets me through stressful situations or intense time periods, but the meditative act of piecing and sewing is an additional way for me to cope. in fact, i am often able to think over what's troubling me or about how my faith applies to my situation while i'm sewing. as long as i don't let the sewing take over my time or muddle my priorities, it can be very helpful.

i got everything done to the point where the block is ready for assembly. it's pretty bold and loud, but i like it. i think the soft floral will give the crazy colors enough buffer room in the top.

two almost-assembled blocks might not seem like much sewing for one week, but it's certainly a lot more than i expected to get done considering all we had scheduled. we have an equally busy week ahead of us. i'm curious to see if i'm able to fit any more sewing in.

we've worked the kids hard this week, getting them involved in all the cleaning and cooking, but we gave them some good down time, too. the latest creative craze for my girls has been producing their own lego mini figure movies. they set up the individual scenes for each frame shot to tell a short story in about 60 seconds. of course the creation part takes a lot longer than the final product but it is keeping them engrossed and entertained. i love when they become so involved in a project that stretches their imaginations and minds.

considering the hoard

on a day when 10.75 yards of my favorite fabric arrived in my mailbox, i ordered some "rare finds" on etsy, and spent half my morning reading about fabric selection and stash building (parts 1 and 2) at blue elephant stitches, ironically i also happened apon yet another of rebecca's brilliant ideas: fabriholics anonymous. she's come right out and admitted the problem many of us have with fabric buying, not only admitted it, but pledged to do something about it! brave, brave girl.

liz and i talk about this from time to time. we joke our friendship is built on our naughty buying habits. well, it did start that way. and i had another conversation with someone (amandak, maybe?) a few months ago about this very topic and perhaps the need for some help from each other in our community to stop the madness and the enabling. rebecca has addressed the issue and fleshed it out for us with some great guidelines for a 6 month fabric fast. i borrow from her page:

GOALS:

- To use the Stash I already have!

- Finish UFOs without distraction by shifting to other new beautiful fabric.

- Stop the insanity of constantly buying the latest and greatest fabric.

- Save the $$ I spend on stashing.

- Destash the fabrics that I realize I am never going to use.

FABRIC FAST RULES:

1) No fabric purchases for 6 months beginning January 1, 2014.   

2) At 6 months reevaluate status and decide whether to keep going for full year.  Evaluation July 1, 2014.

3) Create a UFO list and complete them!

4) Exceptions

• Backing: purchasing a backing to finish a quilt top is permissible.  However, attempting to use fabric in your possession for a backing is preferable.
• Books and Magazine purchases are allowed as they are not fabric.  Notions acceptable too.
• Swap Mama Fabric: if hosting a swap you are permitted to by fabric to execute swap duties, but you may not join a swap simply for the sake of being able to buy fabric!
• Quilts for Publication: if you are making a quilt for a publication and need certain fabric to execute it correctly then that is a major exception - who can blame you?

there is a link up on her page if you want to join in and pledge publicly. i'm pretty sure know i need to do this, but am not quite brave enough just yet. i'm thinking if i modified the rules a bit, i could do it.

my list of quilts i want to make as soon as i'm done with the kids' quilts for Christmas is already about 6 projects long. and i have the fabrics for them, too. there is just no end in sight to finding more projects and more fabrics to buy. fortunately, i'm not aware of any lines coming out that i'm dying to own. but i'm sure that's only because i don't know about them.

 i guess it's just time to come clean on this. i missed the "show me yours, i'll show you mine" confession link party this summer, so this is where i personally stand with my own stash & addiction:
 

 i was doing pretty well in my bawthroom sewing area, had the table all cleared off and everything stacked on the shelf. but then i cleared out the dining area and it all ended up on the table. there are several boxes under the table, too. no more room there.  i'll leave the actual amounts here to your imagination.

i'm not even going to try to classify all this garbage. the majority of what is on the shelves, i purchased online or at my local store in the first 6 months or year of becoming a new quilter. i just wanted pretty fabric and bought a ton of it. patterns, too. looking at it now, i know there is a good portion of it i won't use the way i originally intended to, if at all.

i've changed a lot as a quilter in the last 3 years, or at least i understand myself and my style a lot better than i once did. i could eventually use all of this, even if for charity quilting, which i'd like to do. but the reality is there is a good chunk i'm not so excited about anymore. i destashed bits of it in Lucy's fugly party earlier this year, but i could realistically get rid of more if i made myself.

my weakness has been precuts (!!!) and sales, online or in person. I've actually gotten a lot better at this, but many of these pieces made their way to me when they went on sale somewhere. maybe it's safe to say that i don't buy a whole lot of fabric anymore, but that i once did and that's my main problem.

so that's the ugly truth hiding away upstairs. let's look downstairs in my public space:

 on the shelves are 4 wicker baskets containg some bits of fabric: liberty basket, purl soho basket, epp project basket, and stuff that just needs to be put away. not much here and acceptably organized.

under the table are several project or scrap boxes: hst diamond project box, 4sq baby blankets project box, epp project boxes (one fabric, one paper pieces), triangle binding scraps box, selvages box, string stuffing scraps box, "paris daydreams" project box, "twirly" project box. each of these boxes is either a project i'm right in the middle of making or is a permanent site for a long-term collection that is slowly building up over time. i'm okay with all of these boxes. this is within the healthy realm, but it needs to move upstairs and out of sight simply for the sake of our home's aesthetic appearance.

oh, there is also the bag (on the right) that contains my pull for penny patch 2.0 and baby boy quilts for my two newest nephews. i ran out of boxes. all of these fabrics are spoken for.

so the downstairs looks pretty good. it's the huge hoard, and let's face this, too - it's a hoard, not a stash -that is the real problem.

if i look at my purchasing over the last 6 months or so, it has become more responsible, but is still on the unhealthy side considering what's sitting around. i almost always only buy for a specific project these days. the three exceptions to this type of more responsible purchasing are favorite fabrics, zakka, and stash-building.

1) i've found lately that i'm coming close to running out of some pieces i really like and know i will use more of them if i can get it. so i go look for it when it runs low. this is fairly intentional and reasonable stash purchasing.

2) my new little collection of Japanese/cute novelty prints for patchwork, please! style zakka projects is perhaps the biggest exception to my healthy buying. i've been gathering a little pile of these fabrics, mostly in fat quarters, for a few months, here and there, online. i probably have enough to fill one project box.

3) i've bought a few quarter yards and precuts of fabrics purely for stash after considering them several times before purchasing. it was more thought out, but not really "necessary" buying.

fortunately for me, i haven't traded any real necessities nor have my children done without so i could acquire all these fabrics. all spending has come from a regular personal discretionary fund of my own. the fact that i can technically afford all these fabrics in no way justifies my purchase of them, my consumption for the sake of consuming. oh, i did have plans for a large number of these buys, but i can't produce fast enough to keep up. penny patch did make a small dent in one corner of the old stash shelf. but there needs to be more of this happening. perhaps what i need to aim for is getting all unused fabrics to fit on my shelving before i consider more purchases and new projects.

so to what am i willing to commit?
i need to work from stash. honestly, i have enough to keep me busy for months with just the few projects i want to do next year once . . . you know, my 7 current projects are done. let's revisit rebecca's list with my comments and modifications in color:

GOALS:

- To use the Stash I already have! check! use the items from my stash that i really love before getting new stuff. i'm gong to have to discern between what i will likely use and what will be put away for charity.

- Finish UFOs without distraction by shifting to other new beautiful fabric. check!

- Stop the insanity of constantly buying the latest and greatest fabric. check! the only things i'm aware of that i really want are the new anna maria horner line and the blender true color fabrics from amh and heather bailey. lucky for me, they aren't moda and will likely be around for a bit.

- Save the $$ I spend on stashing. check! while i whittle away at my stash, i should be spending my fabric budget on some worthy projects and causes instead.

- Destash the fabrics that I realize I am never going to use. i am torn on this one because i feel i can use any fabrics i have for charity quilting. and I'd like to do this, eventually. i will have to think on this more before making any commitments.

FABRIC FAST RULES:

1) No fabric purchases for 6 months beginning January 1, 2014.   ouch! okay. i can do it for 6 months.

2) At 6 months reevaluate status and decide whether to keep going for full year.  Evaluation July 1, 2014. check! great idea! it's not forever, there is an end in sight!

3) Create a UFO list and complete them! already working on this. find some of the cool link parties for motivation.

4) Exceptions oh, yeah, i have some of these!

• Backing: purchasing a backing to finish a quilt top is permissible.  However, attempting to use fabric in your possession for a backing is preferable. definitely agree!
• Books and Magazine purchases are allowed as they are not fabric. actually, i have more than enough of these. i'm waiting for lee's vintage quilt revival this month, and then no more until i have begun using the books i have.  Notions acceptable too. agreed! i tend to buy these on an as-needed basis anyway.
• Swap Mama Fabric: if hosting a swap you are permitted to by fabric to execute swap duties, but you may not join a swap simply for the sake of being able to buy fabric! i'm not a swapper, no issues here.
• Quilts for Publication: if you are making a quilt for a publication and need certain fabric to execute it correctly then that is a major exception - who can blame you? not me either! however, i retain the right to shop in the middle of a project for more bits that might be needed for that specific project.
• there are two kinds of fabric that i now know i use that i don't have stashed: low-volume and solids. so i will retain the right to determine if i need any more of these two types for specific projects. if i find any i really like on a bargain sale, i will consider at length my desire for them before giving in.

there. that feels reasonable. i can commit to this. i guess i better go sign the roster.

how do you feel about this, friends? where do you stand? how about only commiting to the fast until either your current quilt is done or for only 3 months? could you maybe at least think through your own habits and decide on some few ways to be more responsible?  i hope so! let me know if you need a sounding board or cheering section.

and thank you rebecca lynne!

assistants for blog updates

tonight while trying to post and work on parts of this blog, i have not just one, but two visitors sharing the chair with me. mommy first, blogger and sewer second. i find it amusing to take some self timer photos of the situation. it captures the chaos of the moment pretty well, i think.

one already behind me

inviting the other onlooker in

now i have one in my lap to type around

the more the merrier? not getting much accomplished on the blog front, but it's fun trying. i'm adding a glossary of sewing terms page, rearranging the 4 sq blanket page, and working on the next part of the tutorial. all with lots of help from these ladies!

mommies multi-task

a few years ago i started doing my online writing without caps because i was often on the computer answering emails while trying to nurse a baby. it just simplified life a bit for me. the habit stuck and still comes in useful, especially when i'm required to do some holding and typing simultaneously.

there's nothing like being a mom. it comes first in my book. but sometimes it's nice to be able to do small mommy tasks at the same time i'm doing something i wanted to do for me.  i'm always up for a cuddle with a sweet little warm body while i type a blog post. for a while i've brought reading with me while i sit by the tub and the kids bathe. now of course, my sewing table is right there and i sew while they get clean. being a hobby photographer and a mom goes together perfectly, too. what more beautiful, motivating subjects could you find than your own kids?

 moms are pretty good at multi-tasking, even when it's not combining fun with work. but there are always the times when we have to stop our tasks and focus on the children, even if it's just for a snuggle when they're sleepy or when they need a story. i don't want them to think i'm not available when they need me or that they are less important than what i'm doing. sewing is not compatible with baby holding. that's when i have to put their needs first and put the stitching down. reminding myself how fast my motherhood years have already flown by and how short are those left helps me shift my focus back to them.

i just read a quote from the famous english preacher and hymn writer, john newton, author of amazing grace. he was constantly interrupted by parishioners needing his assistance. he said something to the effect that "when i hear that knock on my door, i know God is going to teach me something." i'm as guilty as anyone of ignoring my kids at times or getting grumpy and frustrated when they interrupt my creative flow. i'm trying hard to teach myself not to be.

designer heather ross just posted a funny description of her dog's reaction when time slips away from her and he feels neglected. she's pregnant with her first baby. i wonder how she'll cope with mommy multi-tasking? we all have to find our way to a balance that's right for us. congratulations and good luck to heather. i'm sure she'll be brilliant with mommy multi-tasking just like she is with all her other creative pursuits. can't wait to see her new children's book!