If I’m just sewing I’m hemming someone’s pants, mending something, making someone something. If I’m quilting it encompasses the whole process- from idea spark to removing from the dryer when a quilt is complete.
as far as time goes- my family lovingly calls me a * Timer Queen* I keep track of my time and have timers set for break reminders- I’ve been known to stay at something all day- no breaks, no food, no water— not a good thing - sometimes needing days to recover from the back, neck, shoulder, knee pains, so I learned my lesson. I set a timer for somewhere between 45 minutes and 1 1/2 hours depending on what I’m working on. When it goes off I stop what I’m doing- walk away. Get a snack, something to drink, go do something else for a little while. If I’m working on a commission or paying task I write down my start/ stop times. If I’m working on my own project I still have a pretty good idea how much time I spend on it.