teddy300 - That is so true. I wouldn't have thought of it myself, but reading it sure does make you think, doesn't it?
Something about how my brain is wired sees that project all cut up and ready to be bagged for a kit, and I "need" to sew it up. I cut the table runner I was talking about yesterday, and it's sitting on my cutting table (in the middle of the living room) taunting me. I can't decide what I think of the colors, I used what I had here, but I will carry on with it to see if it helps me get over the hump. (And yes, those pieces were pressed prior to cutting, they got wrinkled when I shoved them over to cut the black.
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mmb195152 - we do sound kindred. When it comes to classes, I don't take a lot, but before I go, I think I likely "over prepare", and research to death. The result is that I usually understand what I need to do going in, but I balk at getting started.
For classes, I think I really need more "Structure" than the craftsy classes. I have 3 of them in my cart or whatever, free ones, that I've never even watched. It seems like there's no real accountability, and for me, I don't think that's going to work. (And yes, I know that the accountability has to come from me. It's more that -I- won't make it priority. I think I would be more likely to push through the block than take one of their classes. That said, if I get around to watching, maybe I"ll change my mind.)
quiltmom - I think part of the problem with exercise is that the "tangible" result is more obvious to others before it's obvious to us. It's frustrating to be sore, and tired and yes hungry, and not "See" anything for it for weeks to months. I totally get what you're saying. I think I may also be feeling "cabin fever". We had a long winter here, and my hobbies (that don't involve needle and thread) are all summer activities, but I've spent the last few months with a back injury, so I'm "behind" on the summer recreation. Perhaps it's true, maybe I don't "Want" to at the moment, because it's not a summer activity to me. How DO you all manage to press fabric when it's a million degrees outside?
DebbE - I'm one of those people who really wants to straighten the picture at the doctor's office.
I suppose it only stands to reason I'd want to "straighten" something I've made. Hand work is really not my thing. I do take a tablet with me though, that I've used to read or doodle on. I will try to amass some small projects. I think as DH and I are getting older, we're starting to walk in slightly different crowds. Perhaps these new people we're meeting will be more of the ones who like handmade projects.
pegquilter - for a lot of years, I haven't "Scheduled" anything because my time isn't my own as far as business (I'm in IT, so people call on really short notice sometimes and I need to react), but the older I get, the more I realise that this is an unhealthy way to work, because I'm always playing catchup on everything. Consistently missing those sessions is frustrating enough to make a person say to heck with it eventually, no matter how much you want to do it.
Pat G - I think you totally just described my day!
The thing about the time when you hit the machine is it's as driven as the distraction time, isn't it?
joyce blint - one thing to remember is that perfectionism properly channeled isn't a bad thing. Yes, it may take longer to do some things, but at the same time, perfectionism, OCD whatever has all made me a very good IT person, and when it comes to fixing a sewing machine, there's little that bests me. I get them all eventually.
I do find that it's stifling to creativity though.
Geri B - I mentioned that I had found something that I really liked in a quilt book to the friend who taught me to sew, and she immediately (I kid you not, didn't miss a single beat) said "whole cloth, right?" I'm not sure if I just haven't "challenged" myself yet, but the cutting and piecing parts are the parts I seem to "get past" to do what I want to .. What if I just don't want to piece and cut, which I need to do to piece? I remember saying to the same friend once - "So let me get this straight, I take a bunch of perfectly good fabric, cut it into little bits, then stitch it back together?" Part of what really challenged me with cutting the table runner above is that I didn't/couldn't see past the "whole cloth" to cut from. But you are right, I need to step back and learn to walk before I try to run. No worries about the DWR, it scares the beans out of me. I think they're beautiful, but not for me any time soon. NYB too.
debbiemarie - I think what you're describing is "High Self Monitor", it's like a conditioning of sorts. Hard but not impossible to break. I suffer from it mostly late at night, and early morning, when I'm drifting off to sleep or waking from whatever my brain felt the need to process overnight. It's a product usually of our upbringing, and it's a "disease" (I use that word because when you break the word into its parts, it particularly descriptive - Dis Ease. It's not comfortable. Causes us to be uneasy.) of the past. As in things that have happened that we can't change. I try really hard consciously to use what my brain feels the need to dwell on as an opportunity to learn and grow, and hopefully in the process - move on and leave behind what I don't need. It's a process though. I'm so glad to see that you're working this out too.
CAS49OR - I really like the shopping part.
DH asked why we collect so much fabric, and I told him I think that it's the feeling we get from seeing the fabric and having the creative juices start to flow. You want to take a little bit (or a lot) of it home with you. I'm also guilty of doing the same thing at Ikea in As Is, and at Home Depot.... It's not unlike the adrenaline rush that we get when we're riding one of the dirtbikes, only when I crash after a fabric shopping trip, I just need a coffee. Planning and Organization have been a large part of my work for a long time, so it may also be habit. Check, getting a couple of little projects underway this week.
CarolynMT - Believe it or not, I have one of those lists. I made it many years ago. It -never- had anything about sewing or quilting on it back then, but I've changed a great deal, so maybe it's time to revisit the list.
I don't think your quilt is ugly. It's busier than I tend to like, but I really like the "Feel" of it (if that makes sense?) There's a warmth to it, and if you step back and look at the wholecloth of it (there I go again) it makes a sort of sense to me...
Lauray - I feel very flattered that you decided to post on this thread then.
When I started this thread I had no idea that others would resonate so much with it.
suzanprincess - I completely laughed out loud this morning when I read your post. You're 100% correct. At first my brain said "What? Why would someone do something badly on purpose!!" then it began to sink in. That's when I burst out laughing. Thanks for another way to look at perfectionism.