Watson

I've been having goals in mind lately and I've had to finish a bunch of things for gifts etc, then I've been feverishly drawing and making blocks, discarding designs, buying fabric and realizing it just isn't what I wanted..... All because the deadline is coming up for entries for the Quilt Canada show.

And, I've got absolutely nuthin'.

It occurred to me while I was sewing together a paper pieced block today...and not enjoying it... I don't want to do this. I want to make something quick and simple and scrappy and relatively mindless right now.

And, I feel a lot better now that I've got no deadline looming. Even though no one was expecting anything from me but me, I had to give myself permission to let that go.

I'm going to make a string quilt, I think. We'll see. Who knows? I've been in such a funk in my quilting life for quite awhile now and I think that was why. I was putting pressure on myself. Quilting was becoming one more duty. But, this is my hobby and I'm not going to let it turn into something I "have" to do or another stress in my life.

I'm off to sew scraps together now and that makes me happy.

Watson

Iceblossom

I'm a big believer in doing what makes me happy when I'm quilting. It's a hobby, it's entertainment, and its supposed to be fun. Being on a deadline or doing stuff for other people isn't so much fun.

I have a couple of projects planned that I really want to do, but I just haven't felt like them. So I go into slice and dice donation mode and make up a couple of crib or twin quilts until I'm ready for my "serious" quilting.

So go in and play with fabric. Here that nice calm Bob Ross voice tell you that this is your happy place and you are completely in control of your own destiny and if you want to do something that no one else understands or appreciates -- well, you should have fun doing it!

Trapunta

Good for you! I learned long ago not to sew for a deadline. It's my hobby and supposed to be enjoyable. The last thing I want is to introduce stress into the process. When I rush, I make mistakes and become frustrated. Forget about deadlines. There will be another show at some point. Or not. Enjoy the process.

bearisgray

Good for you!

Even self-imposed goals/deadlines/expectations for non-essential activities can become downers -

Gee - I'm a failure because I did not finish that "whatever" I promised myself that I would finish last month -

So? The sun rose and the sun set without any input from me. Am I "disappointed" with myself? A bit - but not that much - especially considering that the "whatever" was probably started years ago, anyway.

Tartan

​Sometimes a deadline can encourage you to finish but sometimes it’s just too much pressure. Quilting is supposed to be fun.....go have some fun!

my-ty

For me, goals and deadlines are vastly different. My goals are things that I want to learn, improve or try with no specific date. Or they might include how many projects, I want to complete in a year. If they are not met, then there are no consequences and thus they do not give me any stress. I use them as guidelines to improve my quilting skills.

Some projects do have deadlines (baby quilt, quilts for competition, etc.). Although I enjoy doing these projects, they do increase my stress levels. I try to minimize these projects (or give myself plenty of lead time) because they rob me of the joy that quilting gives me.

It sounds like you have too many deadlines and it's time for you, to step back and reevaluate what's important to you.

sewingitalltogether

Wow, you understand me. I want to do a red and white/light grey quilt for Christmas. One that is quick, simple, scrappy and relatively mindless. I've been asking myself is this what I want to do today? If the answer is yes, then I go into my sewing room. If it's no, then I tell myself that it's ok to not sew every day. Seems to be working.
Now all I need is a pattern to go with my stacks of red, white, grey and maybe a bit of green. Any suggestions?

TheMerkleFamily

'The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.' - Pablo Picasso

Michjmf09

Good to know I’m not alone in this!

ekuw

I too can relate to how your feeling. I don't make quilts for any particular reason. It's just my creative outlet/passion/obsession. I have a "bucket list" of quilts I want to make and a few quilts kitted up so to speak. I've got fabric and patterns together ready to go. Even thought they are ready to go, sometimes those are not the quilts I am ready to make next. That is actually where I am right now. I made a holiday table runner and am leaning towards making a simple Christmas quilt. Probably because the holidays are approaching, but I really don't have a recipient or reason to make a Christmas quilt other than that's what I feel like doing at the moment.