Do you prefer to sew with a group or alone?
 

I never seem to get a of lot sewing done with a group because I like to talk too much. It's awkard for me to be with others and not talk. I do my best sewing when I am alone and can concentrate on what I am sewing. Even when I am cooking or doing laundry, I still seem to get more sewing done. Sewing is a hobby so I justify it by doing things at home while sewing. How do you justify sewing for hours with others when so much needs to be done at home such as cooking, cleaning and transporting kids to different activites?

I prefer doing brain numbing sewing within a group, but intricate cutting, piecing and quilting needs to be done while I'm alone. I get distracted and make mistakes.

If I have to concentrate on something, I do better alone. I "justify" my sewing, by staying out of trouble! :D

I enjoy sewing with friends but do agree that I get more done on my own. If I am sewing with others, I try to have everything cut and try to take more of the brainless work. Anymore I don't feel guilty about the housework, if it is there when I leave it will be there when I get back.

I seem to get in a rut and don't sew for a while..then I go to a sewing group and I get started again. I think I do my best work alone or with just one or two other avid quilters!

I've never sewed in a group unless I was taking a class but I can see where it would be a problem with the talking thing. I'd probably have that issue

I don't justify anything that I want to do. It's like when I either spend time with the kids or clean; the kids will always come first because the cleaning, cooking, etc will always be there to get done or redone. If I need to stop and start the meal I'll do it or if something is bothering me I'll stop and clean that. Like this weekend I set the embroidery machine up in the living room so that I could hear when it needed thread changes or bobbins and cleaned my upstairs and kitchen. I normally always multi task anyways because it's so easy for me to get distracted. I go to work, pay the bills and the rest I do on my terms most of the time.

I get a whole lot more done when I load my stuff up in the car and go sew with my friends. I don't feel the need to "justify" anything I do or don't do. Nor do I feel guilt if some house task isn't done. I'm not a housemaid whose entire existence is cleaning, cooking and laundry. In my world if you're not capable of cooking yourself a meal and doing a load of laundry by the time you're 12 you can go naked and starve.

I prefer to sew at home, but it's not really because of the talking in a group sewing situation. At home I have everything handy, my sewing machine is at the correct height for me and recessed into a table, the cutting table is large and at the right height, the lighting is good, my chair is ergonomic, and I can either listen to a book on CD or turn it off if I need to concentrate. If I get tired of sewing I can leave it for a few minutes or a few hours and it will be just where I left it when I come back. If I go out to sew I have to lug all my things, run the risk of forgetting something, have to deal with uncomfortable chairs and cutting tables, and I don't get much done. I love chatting with other quilters, but I'd rather not sew with a group.

I only sew with others at quilt camp or as others call them retreats. I find a lot of these ladies just want to get down to sewing and save the chatting for meals or during breaks. It was hard at first for me. But now I relax and get done what I can and savor the experience. I'm off to another camp in the begining of November. I like the mini lessons they have and the chance to shop at different vendors as well as seeing the great group of women who attend. The free gifts are wonderful too!

Because these things will ALWAYS need to be done, and I need to take care of ME too, not just my family and my home. Cooking and cleaning can be put off a day or two, and my kids have another parent (Dad) who can transport them.

One of the things we need to remember as wives and mothers is we are human, not superhuman. To better serve our families, we need to nurture ourselves just as we nurture them. If that nurturing takes form in a quilt retreat once a year, then I don't have ANY problem in justifying it. I don't feel guilty; I feel energized and reinvigorated, which helps me to get back to my daily routine with enthusiasm.