How do you get out of this kind of slump where you want to sew, but always find making excuses not to? I have looked at books and patterns until I am nuts. :roll: Went to the Quilt Shop this weekend and bought a bunch of new fabric and pattern books thinking that would help. Nope....got home and here I have sat. Well I have done housework & stuff but no sewing. I have machines out the wazoo, embroidery machine, LA machine, stash that I will never get sewn up in my lifetime and a very generous hubby. So I am at a loss as to how to get out of this. I have a few Christmas gifts that I am excited about making that I ordered, so hopefully they will be just what I need. Any of you ever go through this? If so, how did you pull out of it?

push push push you to get back in your sewing room

:D I need more than pushed....I need a swift kick in the behind! ;)

I read somewhere that if you are in a slump there are a couple of things you can do. First, go to a museum and look at the art. The other thing suggested was to try another art form. Take a cake decorating class, pottery, knitting etc. Sometimes trying another art form can jumpstart your creativity. I sometimes get in a slump, too. One time, I watched "How To Make An American Quilt" and watching those women quilt got me going again.

Make a small charity quilt - Project Linus comes to mind, so even if it's only 20 in x 30 in they will be happy to accept it.

Perhaps making it for a good cause will jump start you - donating always gives me a lift.

** Snap out of it Sister Quilter **

Someone check to see if Gramof6 has a case of the Summer sewing blues....{{{ Huggs }}}

I don't know a person who dosen't at times slow or pause, I force myself to finish or work on a soso project, by that time am ready to go on something I really want to do. (If all else fails I clean the room till it kicks in again) and if your is clean I know of one that could use some work;)

Lol...this works for me too.

Sometimes just some mindless sewing will do the trick. Cut up some of your scraps into simple squares or strips and make a quilt to be donated to charity. I always have a quilt like this on the go and often stitch on this if I'm tired, between projects or lacking ambition. The Downey "pattern", a 8 1/2" focus fabric square alternated by a co-ordinating 4 patch is easy, quick and useful!

I give myself some time - usually will spend it reading (my second love) - then I will force myself to spend some time in my sewing room - usually that works for me - but don't be hard on yourself - because it will come back - you just need some down time.

When I get in a funk, I take a class and it gets me going again.

I find that if I am in a quilting class or in a quilt along group for UFO's that I have signed up for or just a quilting bee get together ... I intend to get lots done as I feel I am being held responsible for myself as I am watching others get projects done which enables me all the more to get mine done.

Hope you come out of your slump soon.

I do the same thing this time of year, once the kids go back to school and the house is quiet I will be back in the groove again.

For me, just pick something up and get started. I soon get lost in the hum of the machine and a block just goes together. It doesn't hurt to have a little slump and get other things done...kind of recharges the batteries.

Just start out small,, like a tale mat, mug rugs etc. and before long you will be back at it,

I have all the stuff I could ever want for quilting and I've been in a slump too! This week I think I'm coming out of it though. I started cutting 5" squares for a scrappy quilt like my mother used to make. So far I have cut enought for several ful sized quilts. Maybe I'll thread my machine and get started today. Slumps happen but we always have our quilting to go back to when we're ready. I try not to feel guilty, my stuff is just waiting for me.

"You must be one with the fabric"
"Meditate and finish the project in your mind"
"Imagine the moment of placing the finished quilt into loving hands"

"may the force be with you!" :)



(just woke up, please excuse the........ whatever :)

Just go sit in your studio, find a simple project & work on it a little. Keep it simple & don't try to do it all at once. This usually works for me. Hand or machine work, you never know what might help.... good luck!....

When it happens to me (and does way too often) I like to pull out fabric and organize it. I actually like to iron so I press it and refold it. Always find something I forgot I had. It doesn't always help but I do feel better. Also I will drag out sewing/quilting notions and organize them. I have them in more than one place! Sometimes I find something I thought I needed to purchase on my next expedition!

My advice is different. Don't sew. Don't find a small project like a mug rug or potholder. Do other things. Spend some time looking through old photos. Find a good cookie recipe to bake. Get the family involved in a huge jig saw puzzle or a board game. Tell yourself you are not allowed into your sewing space until Wednesday. If the weather gets better and if your health allows, schedule a few walks this week.



Don't feel guilty about anything.

why do you feel it is necessary to always be quilting? I haven't touched my machine all summer, and it is a machine I bought last Sept, one that I could finally learn to embroidery with. And I haven't even tried to do that yet! Instead, I have enjoyed outside activities, a lot of reading on my Kindle, or the QB, and saving up interesting quilt patterns. Come the dreary days of winter, I'll get back to sewing. It is a hobby, not something I feel I have to be doing all the time.

For me, a slump is something that doesn't feel good. It sounds like you are okay with spells of not quilting. When I am in a slump, my head and my heart are at odds.I want to quilt but lack any motivation, for example. I have times where I don't do much sewing because I'm reading, but I'm fine with it. Other times, it doesn't feel good. That's when I need something to spark the desire again.

When this happens to me, it usually means I'm overwhelmed with something else in my life or overtired.

Setting goals for myself helps.

I've found that doing something totally different can help me get going again. So I typically have projects of several different kinds going on.
Of course it doesn't always work out as planned! Was going to try to get a few more of the small trees out of the way of where I want the extension of my driveway to be. Tackled one that was a little too big (and turned out to be too hard as well) and broke my big loppers. So now I can't do any more on that until I get to a garden center for new loppers.

I get in slumps, or lulls, all the time. Same with knitting. Sometimes I can't bear not to have a project going, and sometimes, I can't bear to start one! I think sometimes we go in cycles.

Carol I think you hit the nail on the head. I used to be on another forum for a brief time and they tried to convince me that I needed to be sewing every single day & not letting things just sit in the studio. I quit that forum because they were so hard core. Maybe a part of that has stayed inside my head. I mean the stuff is not going anywhere. So it is "okay" to not be in there using my sewing thigns everyday? I do have a project on order that I am so very excited about! When it arrives, I think that will be the jumpstart I need to get recced up again. Thank You all so very much for your replies. I feel more normal now. :thumbup: In the warm months I do love to work outside, go to the grands ballgames, read, run around with my DH during his slow time from work. I do not like cold wind which we do have here so colder months is my best time to stay in and sew or quilt. I love to handquilt but who can tolerate a quilt up in their lap handquilting when it is 110 degrees out? Not me! :D Thanks again. Yall are the best!

i think summers are hard as there are so many other things to do just make a small wallhanging even xmas ornaments and before long youll be back in groove

I go through times like that. Sometimes its because I am putting off doing somthing I think will be hard or when I am "mad" at my quilt - meaning it isn't going like I want. I just give it time and do other things. Sooner or later I get back to it.

Find something really easy, even just a pillow case or something like that. Or a 'Racing stripes' quilt top. Just something that you can accomplish without a lot of effort. That may get you started.

I just look at all the beautiful pics of quilts on the board and that gives me plenty of inspiration and motivation!!!

Gather a few handsful of your favorite fabrics, and do something simple
like the Yellow Brick Road, Turning Twenty, a 9 Patch (alternating with a
solid white square), work up some miscellaneous blocks for future
projects, etc. In no time you will be back in the groove!

Oh good, sounds like you feel better! Being in a sewing slump really isn't much different than say being in a cooking slump. It always passes though and sewing should be a fun thing and not a required activity so forget any "hardcore forum" thoughts and enjoy whatever. No wonder you left that place. :thumbdown:

Quilting is supposed to be enjoyable, fulfilling and fun. If it isn't, something is wrong. I don't beat myself up for not finishing projects. I don't pressure myself to sew every single day. But if I'm missing it, then I need to find out why. I struggle with depression and sometimes that's what is going on. Depression will keep you from doing things that you like and that are good for you. So we need to kind of push ourselves to do what will make us feel better. But if you aren't longing for it, then just enjoy what is interesting you right now. Don't any of you be hard on yourselves. The world does enough of that.