Do you sew/quilt every day?
 

Do you set aside a certain time of day? I'm retired but not as productive with my quilting as I would like and the days/weeks/months fly by with not much to show for it in this area of my life. I'm thinking if I schedule my quilting, I will have better results. Any thoughts, tips, things that have worked for you?? :confused:

I am also retired. I usually get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and head to my sewing room. I try to sew for at least 2 hours before I begin my day. Depending on my schedule, I may go back in the afternoon and sew some more.

At night, I try to do handwork - bindings or applique - while I watch TV.

This schedule seems to work well for me and I am very productive.

I would like to hear from others concerning this topic as well. I need to schedule my sewing time I guess, maybe then I would get my mojo back.

I like to sew for at least 1 1/2 hrs a day. Usually it's in the afternoon. I also sew bindings, applique and etc in front of the tv in the evenings. No set schedule, it's just what I do.

I keep my 2 year old grandson several days a week. He has a play area in my sewing room so we spend a lot of time there. When I don't have him I'm usually at a sew day or class with my sew group at least once a week sometimes more. We take all the classes close to us. I don't like to stay home when I'm able to get out and go. One day I may not be able.

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*** No schedule, quilt when ever I want for as long as I want.
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*** Sometime not at all.
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I'm retired so have a lot of free time to sew when I want. I only make a couple of quilts a year & that's only if someone I know is getting married or if I need a baby gift for a shower. I do more researching on the web for patterns, techniques, tutorials, etc. than I do actually sewing. If it weren't for our fixed income I would do more charity sewing. I have made a few Quilts for Kids as they will send you supplies to make the quilts for only $6 for 1 kit & $7 for 2 kits. All I have to supply is the batting, thread & time & then mail back to them. These kits are good fillers when I'm lacking something to sew.

Still working and showing cars. Quilting/sewing is mainly weekends when there isn't a car show. Most of my sewing and quilting gets done Jun, Jul and Aug and then Nov, Dec, Jan and Feb. Maybe when I'm retired (if that day ever comes) I'll get to do more, but for now that's it.

I pretty much sew daily. It is normally in the evening or at night when I am done with my other responsibilities.

I'm retired. Sew when I want, quilt when I want, eat when I want and nap when I want. My life, my business. I earned it!!

I am also retired but have taken on some responsabilities at home like maintaining our lawn and flowerbeds. I love to garden so no problem there. I try to do outside work in the early morning, rest, do a little house work (as little as possible, hehe) and sew in the evening.

I sew on piecing about twice a week, and on the longarm when I have to do a quilt for a customer or for myself.
I am also on a fixed income but not to worry I stacked two closets full of all kinds of fabric. My mission this year has been to finish UFO's of which I have about 15 with all fabrics needed to finish these projects.

So the answer is I do not have a schedule and sometimes life happens and sewing is not top priority.

I am still working full-time, and have a really LONG bus commute, so I don't get to sew everyday. But I look here and on Pinterest and add to my collection of "must do's". Does that count? :)

Yes, I sew most days. No set schedule or plan... I'm just not diciplined to do that. I sew most afternoons and evenings. The hours just fly by. I have taken over the formal dining room as my sewing space, and my machine is set where I can see and hear whatever TV hubby is watching in the living room, or I can listen to my radio. I get absorbed into my projects and get a lot done. Still, there are so many UFOs around too! <3:sew:<3

I sewed almost everyday until June 4th when a homeless tiny kitten looked me up. She is such a terror, she gets into everything. Now I only sew on weekends.
I work full time, have 2 small dogs the kitty and a 10 year old cat and a cockatiel bird. My plate runneth over.
She will get spayed middle of november and hope she settles down a bit.

I'm also retired. Now as far as a sewing/quilting schedule ..... well, not so much. What I do try and do is spend at the least 20 minutes a day doing something in my sewing area. There are days that nothing more happens than moving fabric around or printing out a new pattern. But then there are also days when I'm working for an hour or more.

I sew most every day. Many times I will do my housework in the mornings then sew in the afternoon. If the house manages to stay picked up and I'm working on a project I may start sewing in the morning and work at it til supper time. I have a very flexible schedule. I do find that if I spend much time on the computer I don't get a lot of sewing done, so I limit the time I spend on the computer. I always have several projects that I'm working on at any given time.

I'm retired too. I'm still finding my rhythm so I haven't been sewing every day. I did do a lot of knitting this summer though. Before I retired, I had the habit of mostly sewing when hubby was fishing or at the movies with his friends. Now, we're retired together and there isn't as much of that time anymore so I've got to just start sewing when I feel like it! I'd like to start walking in the morning and sewing after that for a while.

I'm not retired, and sew a bit most days. I have a home office and telework three days a week (in the office the other two) so I can use my normal commute time for sewing on those day! I'd guess I put in 10 hours of sewing most weekends.

My DH is a "stay at home" husband, so he does most of the household chores while I'm on the clock. It works well for us, this way we both have a lot more free time for doing stuff we enjoy.

Yes I sew everyday. I am a seamstress at a bridal shop so I sew at work. I quilt on weekends. I love to sew.

Oh don't I wish! I still work full-time, so I don't get to sew nearly as much as I'd like to.

My schedule changes with the seasons due to the temperature and light variations in the sewing room. However, my ideal is to get the housework out of the way in the early morning and then work on quilting. At least that works on the days that I don't have outside commitments.

I probably spend 12-15 hours a week in my quilt room.

I really thought I'd get a lot more quilts done after retirement. I ended up joining a gym and that takes up 3-4 mornings a week. Then I joined 3 quilt clubs at a quilt shop. So that not only takes up time for the meetings, but more time working on the blocks/projects as the rest of the group. And I'm in a guild so that's a nighttime meeting. And housework, as little as I do!, and fixing supper and grocery shopping take time. As others stated, I think I need to actually schedule times for going down to my quilt room and get to work.

Varies. I will go for weeks/months where i sew everyday then not sew again for weeks. All depends what else is going on in my life. Also, while I may not be at my sewing machine, I do some form of handwork everyday. Might be smocking, knitting or emb. but I am not one to sit and watch TV. Hands must be busy

It's a rare day that I don't do any sewing. I usually make myself do morning straightening and exercises before I begin sewing, but sometimes I'll go in the sewing room early to do a standing task. But I'd rather get other things out of the way and then have a clean slate for quilting. I also do hand work in the evening in front of the TV.

I work in either my sewing area or my art studio every day for most of the day starting right after breakfast. I take a short break for lunch, and then spend about an hour walking my dog before going back into my studio around 2 or 3.

Rob

I refuse to keep a schedule, or "over commit" so that I have to push myself to get things done. I gently roll through life letting the weather mostly boss me around (we have a farm, and most chores are done when the weather permits and/or as required by the seasons). But then, we are often inside during the hottest part of the day when I sew or nap in the air conditioning. Then there are dinner, cleaning, bathing requirements, and I might sneak in a little sewing in the evening if there are no farm chores. I learned long ago, if the tv is off, lots of tiny and even big projects get done. If the tv is on, the whole world stops to watch what is going on, and nothing gets done, and I loose motivation to even begin.

I am like "Misty's Mom" , sew when I want, sleep when I want, whatever.....

No I don't. A lot depends on my mood and how my work day went. Also depends on what project I am working on.

Sometimes I go through a lull and don't visit my sewing room for days. Other times I practically live in there. It all depends. For me, sewing and quilting will never be done on a schedule. It is my hobby and therapy, not a chore.

I wish I could be so disciplined as to set aside a specific amount of time to sew each day. My schedule is so erratic though, that is virtually impossible. I'm not a prolific quilter. Right now just having a hard time getting motivated to finish 2 baby quilts before these babes are HS grads! Hopefully life will settle down a bit again after the new year. A girl can dream!

I work full time with a 45 min commute each way, so I don't sew everyday. I try to sew three to four hours on Sunday and a couple on Saturday if at all possible.

Now that I've returned to quilting, I find that I'm spending about 2-5 hours on five days a week at the machine or doing design work on the computer. I've discovered that the new office chair I bought when I moved from the farm a year+ ago is not so comfortable after all as I feel like the front edge of the seat is tilted lower than the back. It makes my back tired quickly as I brace myself to avoid sliding forward out of the seat. Not sure how I'll handle this as another chair purchase isn't in the budget. Thinking on it.

Jan in VA

Another retiree here, who "plays with fabric" nearly every morning. I don't allow myself to read anything but the newspaper before lunch (or I may get hooked on a mystery novel). This morning I took a stack of squares with me to a Medicare presentation, and folded them in half for a mug rug project while listening attentively to the presenter!
You might try "scheduling" a quilting time for yourself daily, or every other day maybe.
Do you work better if you set yourself a deadline or a goal? My goal from now to next June is to sew up 12 yards per month, finished and out of my stash, whether quilts or something else, or deny myself the pleasure of going to a major fabric recycling sale then.

This is me too. I can sew everyday and then go months without sewing as well. I just do it when I want. I have been better about it lately.

I started quilting about 2 years ago (shortly after I retired). Most weeks I was cutting and sewing 5 hours a day, 3-4 days a week. Then in July, 2015, "life got in the way" (Mother fell, broke her neck) and I was only able to finish 1 baby quilt. There just hasn't been a span of time to sit and sew so I've just recently started doing some hand embroidery on a panel (a couple hours a night) trying to get my motivation to quilt back. I do miss it.

I suggest planning ahead your week of "must dos" and find at least 1 or 2 days for sewing at least 3 hrs each day. I know some people can sit down and sew for 30 minutes ... that's just not me. I need several hours to feel like I've accomplished something. Ha.

Quilting/sewing is something I do because I enjoy it, not because a schedule says I have to do it.

I'm a full time mom of school age children (ages 13 and 15.) I thought I'd be sewing up a storm, but I'm not.The last one gets on the bus at 8:00 and the oldest gets home at 2:30. You'd think I could get a lot done in between, but there are always errands, house work and meals to plan. Not to mention, volunteering at school, church and bible study. Oh, and I spend too much time on the computer. I need to schedule sewing time. Especially now that I'm purchasing a Gammill Charm from a friend. I need to get some quilts done.

I do English Paper Piece every evening, so I guess that counts for something.

I sew or at least go out to my sewing room every day. I don't seem to get as much done as I wish I could. I had visions that when I retired I would get all kinds of quilts made, but that hasn't happened yet. I do do enjoy the process though and I'm enjoying just being out among the fabrics and patterns daily.

I am retired also and I spend on average 4-5 hours a day in the sewing room. Monday mornings I either work on pulling a quilt top together or going to a quilting group at a local church to layer tops for the quilting part. Monday afternoons are MahJongg and Thursday mornings I volunteer at my neighborhood elementary school. Sunday mornings are church. Some days I am sewing most of the day and others I am too busy with other things, like cleaning, preparing meals, etc?

I'm also retired so sew when I feel like it. Even though I'm retired from my away from home job, still have responsibilities - a husband, food, a big farmhouse, garden and yard, some volunteer work and grandkids occasionally.
Quilting and reading are my hobbies and do them when I can and want to - life is good.