How I Got Motivated
 

I had not sewn in about 5 weeks. Oh, I THOUGHT about it, but just did not get into the sewing room. Well on December 16th, I decided that I would TELL myself that I was making a birthday quilt for my favorite news correspondent. It worked.

It is another Boxed Squares in many of the same colors as "Tropical Nights" that I made earlier this year. I did the cutting in just two days, and many of them are joined already. I even ordered the fabric for the backing. It arrived today.

Now I am telling myself that I will ACTUALLY send it to him when his birthday is getting close. Hope I don't chicken out.

I haven't been quilting much lately either. Mostly doing handwork like embroidery. Maybe you will inspire me.

I haven't done much quilting lately either. I have cleaned up my sewing area and have spent hours on the board and on quilt shop sites. I finally sewed an Advent Calendar for my DGD and pieced eight blocks together. I still just want to look at patterns and fabric even when I have UFOS and plenty of patterns and some fabric. Sigh...I just don't know what is wrong with me. Starting a project right now seems overwhelming. I think I will just look for awhile longer and see what happens.

Wish I had time to get to my sewing room. I am working on 2 quilts at the moment and am soooo close to completing them if only I could get to them. But the CW quilt I am hand stitching gets a little time late at night. It is too hot to have anything bigger on your lap this time of year.

Oh Merivale, you made me smile. We lived in Sydney from 1981-85. I remember cooking a turkey in my tiny kitchen in Turramurra on Christmas Day (can you say homesick??). The temp outside was 38 degrees. We called DH's Mom who lived in Regina, Sask. Canada. Her temp was -38 degrees!!

I think we sometimes get so busy with Christmas activities, sewing, cooking, baking, shopping, etc that we just can't face another project. Maybe not being in the mood to sew kind of resets our clocks so when we have time to take a deep breath we can get back to doing what we love.

I've actually had this problem for a year. I work for a start-up company that is about 2.5 years old. Love my job, but we need another person. By the time I put in between 9-12 hour days, my motivation to do ANYTHING else has stayed somewhere else besides with me and my hobbies. I started a quilt for a baby before she was born. She'll be 3 this year and her little sister is on the way. I need to get my quilting mojo back!

Happy Quilting,
Susan

I haven't really sewed since July. Long stretch for me. I have been knitting a lot. Hope I get inspired soon.

Is your quilt for a local news person or a national? DH teases me about my favorite in a kind and loving way, of course.

I go thru spurts of sewing/quilting.I have been in a lull-but have a denim/flannel rag quilt in the washer right now.

A bit of new fabric does it for me. :)

hugs, charlotte

I have been doing alot of small projects lately with dry spells in between. I really feel I would like to get to work and make a quilt!!!!

I have two tops that need to be sandwiched. I have two sets of embroidered squares that need to be pieced into wallhangings. I have an I-spy baby blanket that had the blocks all laid out to piece, and then the cat messed them up and I haven't had the enthusiasm to figure it all out again. I'd love to get any or all of them done!

I haven't 'been in the mood' for a long time now. Yesterday I made myself sew some 3" blocks together for some sashing for a bed runner. I ended up doing more ripping than sewing. I guess I will just 'wait'.

At least, by the sound of it, I am in good company!

I'm thinking of joining a group on a blog that I follow. They number all their UFO's and monthly draw a number and have to complete the project that they have with that number. Maybe that will get me going and finish some of these UFO'S. I have my doubts, but it's worth a try.
Sue

Haven't had a chance to do much quilting sense the end of October. We did some traveling the end of October came home for a couple weeks traveled some more in November came home for Thanksgiving and then Christmas was here and all of the things that goes with it. Just hasn't been time for sewing. Hopefully when our 9 year old grandson goes home on the 1st will be able to do some sewing. Have to finish a queen size "Trip Around the World" before mid January so we can take it to our son in Miami, FL for his birthday February 4th.

I like to lay our an especially pretty piece of fabric and just pet it and go through my stash and find pieces to coordinate and press them and pretty soon I just have to see how it looks in a block or drawing and I'm off to the races!

Nice to see I'm not alone in my lull. Is anyone here doing the Downton Abbey quilt? I'm going to Florida for 3 months and plan on taking the stuff I need to work on this quilt, hopefully. I'm doing Sybil's colors.

I spent most of last year in a "hiatus". Nothing worked and the sight of my sewing things didn't energize me. No amount of rearranging, playing in fabric, etc. inspired me, just made me anxious. Some of it came back slowly and now I can at least look at things and maybe sew something. I just waited it out.

There is a "finishers group" on Facebook, it is from a fabric store in the southwest. I joined it some time ago but haven't got round to looking at it let alone finishing anything.

I have many unfinished projects from a craft fair in Nov. that I need to finish, however, I spent most of Dec. finishing an applique and pieced quilt for our DGD's full size bed. Fortunately, I finished the top before shoulder surgery, but I did some marathon quilting and manage to finish it on Christmas Eve, just in time to give it to her. The smile on her face and the big hug and kiss I received when she got the quilt, made it all worth while. However, I've been giving my shoulder some down time to heal before starting new projects.

I hope you don't chicken out. That sounds like something that would make your newscaster very happy.

I am preparing to move to a smaller apartment with less room for my quilting, so I am getting creative with storage. I have been in a lull since my finance' passed away from a sudden heart attack the beginning of this month. My wish for everyone is to hold your loved ones close. I will be okay and will get back into the quilting groove, but now is my time to regroup and discover all the wonderful quilts I will be making next year. Happy New Year to the most wonderful friends in the world! All of you.

Hello. Just wanted to say how much I enjoy seeing the things you make. Keep it up my friend.You and Jim have a Happy New year. Your Owl pattern was deliciously uplifting. Helen

I find that it helps to have a project list to encourage me to move forward. I completed lots of fun things before Christmas. I participated in a boutique craft show to benefit my favorite non-profit community organization that does wonderful work in the area. Then I made the boxes, lots of them for small friendship gifts, seven table runners, etc. So, it was easy to let down and be non-productive. But, with the new year coming I'm working on my list and am eager to get started. My list includes new projects and completing some that are UFO status. I feel better without stuff nagging me. I'm anxious to get started!

I received some beautiful batik fat quarters at Christmas (per my request), and I knew just what i wanted to do with them. I started on a square in a square pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting's February 2013 issue. But no matter how careful I was, the corners kept getting cut off. I hate that. So discouraged. That's why I'm knitting a sock right now.

Thanks to all of you. The responses are wonderful. Let's me know that I am not the only one who gets out of the mood from time to time.

RedGarnett222, I am hoping to get a picture or two from him when I send it. If I do, I will try to post it.

Marvel, thank you. I got the pattern for the little owls from KiwiAussieJen in wonderful Aussie land. I had a lot of fun making that top. Must get it pinned soon and finish it up.

I recognize that I have caught this sewing | quilting problem. I have so many bookmarks, pdfs on the desktop, not to mention all the subscription bookmarks on this Quilting Board. My son got on my computer yesterday and was overwhelmed. No wisdom here.

I too need to get motivated. Like you, I think about it a lot but just can't seem to get going. My goal is to get something started on New Years day. Hope I follow through.

I need to keep at least two projects going at the same time to keep quilting. One can be a big project that will take a lot of time and effort, but one of the others has to be something I can finish in a week or less, like a table runner or a wall quilt. I find I must have the satisfaction of actually finishing smaller projects to keep me going on the bigger one. Works for me.

Oh Boy....I have felt the same way....I had all these grand ideas of making quilts, scarves, placemats for christmas. My son, daughter-in-law and 4 month grandson came a week before Christmas and there went the ideas...nothing like a grandbaby....now it's back to making those projects and will give them out next Christmas...

Okay, it's a new dawn, it' a new day... 2014 is underway. I finished drapes for our living room today which were in the making for about a year. One UFO off my list on January 1st. Now I can start a new project guilt-free.

I've been in a complete slump for the last 3 months. I decided that I will spend time in the Mom cave daily (when I'm in town) in 2014, even if it is just 15 minutes.

So last night I worked on basting the quilt that is causing my quilter's block, played with my HQ Sweet Sixteen a little while. Taught my 13 year old son how to use Mollie (my Sweet Sixteen), pressed a table runner/wall hanging so that it is ready to be sandwiched, and pressed 42 blocks for a quilt-along which ended in October. I then got stuck with layout ideas for the 42 blocks (I find that scrappy and I do NOT get along well), but I think I pushed through that with pen and paper last night - so I should be able to get those laid out/sorted out tonight and maybe even start sewing the rows together.

Also listened to The Phantom in the background and part of Men In Black.

Cheers, K