Absolutely. That's why I usually have different projects around. I can do what I'm in the mood for.

Weezie, BINGO on nothing seems to go right. :?
I was in a stressful situation last Friday and had a few hours to paper piece, 5 pieces of material to a section, and I am trying to do 11 of them, and wouldn't you know it, the second and third pieces I put on were the wrong fabrics (colors) and I spent a great part of Saturday un stitching and resewing! I was in a better place on Saturday, and they are done correctly now, so I can go on and complete my pandas. :-)
I am still stressed about not being able to post pictures! Spent a looooong time yesterday trying to no avail. Will attempt when I am in a better frame of mind again. :?

I've a P.S. to my earlier post. We all have our crosses to bear and I am no exception. When things are really bad and I am really stressed, my creative juices dry up. (Too bad I'm not one of those people who cleans house thoroughly when she's stressed!) When I'm at the mind-exploding point, I do not want to read and there's never anything worth watching on t.v.

I can, however, hand-quilt when I'm incapable of doing anything else. I've been hand-quilting a king sized quilt for years. It is mindless work (because I have the quilting design plan finalized long ago), so I can poke away at it with my needle and thread successfully no matter how close my mental state is to a complete meltdown.

I only mention this in case one or more of you needs an outlet that's harmless, fairly mindless, and non-fattening.

I feel like I have to be in the correct frame of mind, but often find that once I sit and get to it, the act puts me there. I can't just start new projects because I don't feel like working on the "unfun" part of whatever project I am working on. My motto is "just do it and you won't ever have to worry about it again". I absolutely hate UFO's, they drive me crazy and I feel like I can't work on anything (and I mean anything) else until they are finished.

This has been a REALLY good thread to read. I have been distracted by one project after another this winter. I brought a ready-to-quilt project to AZ (where we spend the winter) from CT, thinking I'd get it done quickly and mail it to my DD in NY for this VERY COLD winter. Then my DIL asked me to mend a quilt I made for my DS years ago that has been loved almost to death by my grandsons. First distraction. Then... the next distraction ...

I realized that I should have made baby quilts for twins born in Oct. I thought it was going to be a fast project when I started it 6 weeks ago! I had made baby quilts for their brother and 2 cousins that were NOT just quick thrown together projects, so I decided theirs had to be 'special' too. My design is a sailboat on a lake with fish below and sun above. Too simple, so the sky and lake are kaleidescope blocks in light blues and dark blues. Big mistake. They are NOT EASY to match, and I'm obsessive. AND THIS IS A BABY QUILT for goodness sake. If I had foundation-pieced the sky and lake from the start, I would have saved myself a lot of unsewing. I HAVE foundation pieced the sun and boats, and am about to design and foundation-piede the fish. Then I'll finally get to the fun machine quilting part.

Then, I'll FINALLY start on what I planned to do in December - my DD's quilt!

geesh, I am reading and going, "oh, I can sooo relate to this"...and then read next reply and think it again...on and on.
I have to be in the right frame of mind or i do make more mistakes, but I also try to push myself to see if the "mood" might change if I actually turn on machine and put something under the foot.
I think I get distracted and start new projects, looking for a new high, which for me, turns into another ufo 'voice', calling to me.
I have this crazy idea, that if I am not in the mood, that starting something new will put me in the mood and I will just breeze thru this and carry that energy back to the project I am now avoiding. Guilt for starting new one, guilt for leaving old one...guilt rhymes with quilt. hmm, that's not the way it's supposed to work, lol.
So it may sound like I don't have any fun. Somehow, in all this, I really do. I am a conundrum. I don't think any of this is my fault.
Think we have those little angels and demons on our shoulders, trying to vie for attention and I get mixed up about who is talking to me. I need to turn radio up and drown them both out, LOL!!! :lol: :lol:

You aren't alone...I have a tendency to do the hard parts and then get bored and always plan on doing the borders- tomorrow!!!

Usually, the creative side of me gets a project going. Sometimes it's a piece of fabric I notice on the shelf. I think I need to do something with this. Then I find a bunch of stuff to go with it or I flip through the patterns and find something to start me off. But I have to be in the mood or everything I sew needs to be ripped out. When it gives me a headache, or nothing looks good, I have to leave. Then I think I will never quilt again, that I'm no good at this, and I go do something else. Eventually I come back, the creativity comes back, and I start again. That is why I'm so slow. I can't do these things on a deadline.
Only for the love of doing it.
Cheryl

Here, here Cheryl!

I don't believe we should force ourselves to quilt if we don't feel like it, for most of us it's a hobby after all... but, sometimes you can kind of 'quilt' yourself into the mood; if I don't feel llike doing any sewing I say, OK just half an hour's quilting so I can say I did SOMETHING today, and three hours later, the time has flown by, I'm completely absorbed and the stresses have melted away! :D

K x

OMG!!! I am so glad I clicked on this one. I feel the same way... I get bored so easily, but I have gotten to were lately I just want to quit quilting (started about maybe 2 years ago) and just do the cross stitch or crocheting. I get so flustered and I have 3 WIP's that I want to finish, well 2 anyway. One is my first Hawiian Aplique, but my quiting lines I do not like, so I am discarding that one. I am trying to be a perfectionist on my quilting (which I do by hand) and I know I am trying too hard. I did have one baby quilt that came out really good (thank goodness, since I gave it to my Nephew for new baby, have a picture somewhere around of it).

Everyone I have talked to told me it takes patience and practice to be good at hand quiling (to afraid to try machine quilting). I have taught myself all that I know with the help from this board. I guess I will be a Newbie for life.. lol

I feel better reading all that you guys/gals have written. Now, I know that I am not the only one that has to have more than 1 project at a time. Thank you all for being here... :)