nanna-up-north

I like Prism99's idea of setting a timer..... I do something similar. I'm retired so I can spend all the time I want at my sewing machine but I have lots of things to do. As most retirees say, I don't know how I had the time to work. Anyway, I'm sure you have several things you'd like to make. Maybe you can't decide which one to start. Pick 3 or four and lay them out. Put numbers on them and ask your DH to pick a number, sight unseen. Then, just start on that one..... consider it a practice run. Don't let yourself 'worry' about anything.... this is just for fun... to get you going. I'm confident that once you start, you will be able to keep going... and going.... and going. When you get stuck, call on us to give you a boost..... I enjoy quilting so much that I have to bargain with myself to get the other stuff done.... Good luck and let us know how it's going.

GailG

I"m not one to advise you or to even give an opinion because I am the most disorganized person there is. In college I had classes on management skills, and also had more of it in other professional areas,but I am still as scatter-brained as can be. It seems I know what to do but just can't seem to do it "the way it's supposed to be done." It sounds as though you are relatively young, since you have twenty more years to work. Well, let me say that as you grow in wisdom, your priorities will change and you will begin to put other things first, or at least fit them into your busy life. Perhaps you need to include your quilting in your "schedule" and treat it as you do your other responsibilities. Going at that pace with not enough recreational distractions (which can include your quilting, etc) can affect your health in the long run. I hope you have many hours of doing the quilting that you love. Other QB members have given you great advice on starting projects. I know once I have a project started, I try to get to it, at least occasionally, if not often. Good luck.

Skratchie

I have a slightly different view on this, because I've been where you are now. It may sound harsh, and it certainly isn't meant to be harsh, but I'm just going to come out with it. Sorry ...

I don't think you WANT to quilt. I think you like the IDEA of quilting, but you aren't "there" right now. When I don't want to quilt, I love the ideas I come up with for quilts I could make but I spend a lot of time "prepping" to quilt - cleaning the house, making sure my space is cleaned up, and my house is in good shape, and my work is all done, etc yada yada. But when I really want to actually quilt, there is little that will stop me, except for a very messy work space. My studio is in our master bedroom, and I find that in order to feel at my most creative, I can't have a lot of laundry lying around, waiting to be washed or put away. And because my room is multi-purpose, I do my best to keep it mostly clean so when I am ready to quilt or sew, there is no reason why I can't just walk in here and go at it.

I found that I spent more time looking at quilting magazines, on Pinterest, on Facebook, on quilting forums, and so forth, talking about and thinking about quilting but not actually quilting. I just wasn't inspired to make anything. I went through that for a couple of YEARS, until I finally found something I really wanted to do. Now I have projects lined up like you wouldn't believe. Very little gets in the way of my quilting right now. I just had to get to "this place" before it all clicked and I decided this was more important than scrubbing the kitchen cabinet fronts, or cleaning the baseboards. :-)

The thing is, when you really want to do something, you'll make time for it. Yeah, you may be afraid of failure, but if you don't fail, how will you ever improve? I've royally screwed up a quilt I worked on for three years for my husband ... but he doesn't really care, and no one else can see the mistakes when they look at it - not even my mother, who has sewn for 40+ years. There's not a person on this board who doesn't have an "ugly quilt" laying around somewhere that they'd rather no one see, but they learned a lot from making it, you can bet.

sewmom

You have gotten a lot of good suggestions in this thread- some of us have been where you are and some like me, have never been nor will ever be there. I am not very organized. I do however have slumps where I don't feel like quilting. I have so many projects going that I shouldn't feel like that.
I like the idea of kits and small projects. My 'go to' no brainer project is string blocks. They are sooo easy, can be made in any size and can be made with scraps or purposely cut strips. They are beautiful and each one is different. Give it a try and see what you think. Pinterest has lots to look at.

ghostrider

I have to give myself permission to fail. To do that, I put myself into 'student' mode and try a new 'something' ...technique, tool, project sample, embellishment, surface design, method, whatever... for as long as it doesn't feel so frightenly new and foreign to my hands and eyes. My brain is the last to fall into place, but once my hands and eyes are on board, my brain pretty much has no choice but to go along for the ride. In other words, I stop overthinking it.

It can take as little as a few hours or much, much longer. I design my own quilts and often do a prototype in 'student' mode just to figure out how I need to make everything do what I want it to do in the final version. If I started with the idea that it had to be just right the first time, I'd never start...and never starting pretty much guarantees I'd never arrive where I want to go.

I don't get hung up on perfection, but I am majorly committed to excellence. There's no way I can deal with 'done is good enough'. By treating each new 'something' as primarily a learning experience, I give myself time to explore without the pressure to excell. As long as I'm gaining ground in some way, it's okay. Once I'm comfortable with it, the committment kicks back in and I'm all set.

I learn from everything I create, all of it. Even if I learn NEVER to do that again!

willferg

I think that it helps to give equal value to both creativity and productivity. It's easy to get caught up with all the things that need to get done, and working on quilts rarely qualifies as "needs to get done." But when you grant yourself the time to engage in creativity, you can calm your soul, revive your sense of play, and in the long run actually be more productive.

I had a boss who used to leave at the busiest times to go golf or work in his rose garden. I was incredulous, but he explained that he often got good ideas during those times. Was my way any better, sitting and stewing in the office?

Also, I personally feel that the time spent looking at patterns, auditioning fabrics, and staring at the mess while considering new organization concepts are all part of being creative. Once I've done enough thinking and pondering, eventually I get to the "doing."

Give yourself some slack, it will all work out for you!

mighty

I so agree with willferg, give yourself permmision and just go for it!!!!

BellaBoo

When I feel anxious or experiencing a mental block, I go take a nap. I don't let it worry me.

ktbb

"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."

Love this comment you made in your earlier response - I too stopped garment sewing for the same reason..by the time I figured out how to make the pattern fit me my body changed.

why not try something where nothing has to fit - make a few dog beds, dog's don't mind if seams don't match or colors don't "go" and they always appreciate the gift...animal shelters love receiving these. Stuff with old clothes, fabric scraps, etc. As another poster said, you can use these as a chance to try out a new block or technique so if it doesn't go right, who cares.

Cybrarian

Wow there have been many great comments and ideas for you to consider. Rotary cutting seems to be one of your barriers, and the only answer there is practice. Maybe that could replace or be added to your FMQ practice. The string quilt blocks are a good suggestion. It is a forgiving project as the strips can be different widths so if you start with cutting 3 or 2 1/2 inch strips you will have the ability to trim if you need to. String blocks can be FMQ practice pieces. When you are ready they can be sewn together for pet beds you can donate to a local shelter. Just a suggestion as you seem most comfortable with a step oriented plan. Could I also suggest a question for you to consider? A common feeling for those working out of their homes is that somehow the work isn't as "hard, important, critical" etc as someone working onsite. Could this possibly be something that has been communicated to you by someone at some point or even a nagging thought you might have? Certainly not the case but attitudes change slower than reality. Hope you find some things here that help!