BIG - Discipline and order gets me 30 odd machines in one room, but doesn't seem to be helping me be creative.
Prism99 - You're probably right, the FMQ could be a distraction as well. In fact, there's a chance this thread is as well.
Check, I've seen a couple of references to timers now. I have been using one to not forget lunch on the stove when I'm home alone, I'm well practiced.
I have found that I can spend days looking for a project. So I think I will say no looking for a project, but picking one that I've already researched would be a really good place to start.
CarolynMT - You bring up a good point. I wonder if part of why I'm stalled is because I really don't like the cutting phase. I love the design stage ( something you can see when I post about modifying desks and stuff), but the cutting not so much. I don't mind the piecing, but it's the quilting part I like... I'm terrible with a rotary cutter. I know it needs practice like anything else, so maybe this is a good practice for me.
barny - it's so easy to "Waste" a day getting prepared, isn't it?
littlebitoheaven - holy cow! Your DDL IS impressive. I have a little bit of organizational envy.
So far, I haven't run into a jelly roll that spoke to me. I tend to buy yardage for stash. Luckily my "Tastes" don't change much, so I lkely won't get too tired of any of it, and my color preferences mostly go together. Perhaps I will see if I can come up with some fabrics to cut into 2.5" strips, for practice and then for a quick project afterward. In my former corporate career, I was a technical business analyst. One of the things I often told people was "this is not the emergency you're making it out to be. If this system is unavailable for a hour, no one is going to pass away" I worked in health previous to that. That was a situation where unavailability of systems could cause that situation. I think it sounds like I need to embrace what I told people back then. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just "needs" to be done. I do know, fundamentally that quilting is a journey, I won't be great at it at the beginning. Really, I do.
nancysp - sitting in the travel trailer last week during the hot spell (it has AC, the house doesn't) made me realise that there are a few things, small ones that could personalize the trailer. I did like that friendship runner that Fons And Porter has in their magazine a few months ago. I should see if I have enough matching fabrics for it. You're right, a small project where I can learn would help a lot.
CindyA - I think the reason my machines are the way they are is I came at quilting from a different angle. I started working on the machines first, and hung out strictly in the Vintage and Antique Machine forum, then started poking my head out here. I started quilting because I got tired of the couple of clothing projects I'd tried never fitting like they did on the cover of the envelope. I -never- thought I'd be a quilter.
And so far I'm really just a "barely has begun" quilter.
We went to our first quilt show a month or so ago. I found it inspiring, if a little intimidating.