Be retired, have no friends, hate your family, ignore the phone calls, leave the dishes in the sink, eat frozen dinners! There is lots of free time for you!

My "secret" is that I spend hours a day at my machine(I am partially dis abled so limited in activity).The work I do can be done while sitting and I have a wonderful supportive hubby that keeps most of the housework done.Its a trade off though. As much as I love what I do,it would be nice to get out and about more.I would actually love to be able to do all of my housework myself!

I am here way to much too!

I bet you're right :)

that was my thought too :lol:

For many years I had stopped sewing because I thought I didn't have the time, nor did I want to go to the basement to sew. (I felt like I was in the dungeon) So when I finally pulled out my old sewing machine, I found it had rusted a little and really wasn't working the way I needed it to. My solution was to buy a brand new Pfaff 2170 so I could do everything I ever wanted to do -- and with this expensive purchase there was absolutely a "No Basement" rule. I set up my machine on a portable table in my living/dining room area and now I sew almost every day -- sometimes it may be just for a short time or sometimes for hours on end! Having it convenient to where I can use it certainly helps and I can honestly say, Not only do I LOVE quilting and sewing -- but I have been able to complete many, many projects over the course of the last 3 or 4 years even while I am working full time as a teacher! Good luck to you all and your sewing and quilting endeavors :)

I wish there were more hrs. in ever day so I could spend more time sewing. I work full time nights 10pm to 6am, and then start some housework when I get home get to bed around 9am and sleep till 4pm then coffee computer and start dinner. If I want to see my hubby I have from around 5:30pm till 8pm to so then shower and get ready for work, lotsw more coffee. I only get to sew a bit on my days off as that is when I catch up on shopping and housework I was to tired for the rest of the time. I squeeze sewing in when I can now if I didn't have to sleep I could get a lot more done! I may not get to be very perductive but I enjoy my stolen mins in the sewing room with all my heart! My lack of time is what keeps me from joing swaps and other things I would love to be a part of......someday!

I get to stitch non stop now. Retirement is great. When the kids were at home I rarely got more than an hour or two a week to sew, now if I decide to make a quilt top, I can work on it for hours on end. Have enough prepared soups and meals in the freezer to just pop them in. Thankfully my DH will fend for himself on those days. With the pre made food in the freezer he can get what he wants and heat it up. Not as much cleaning. laundry etc now either with just the two of us messing the place up. Oh yes, he takes care of our four legged kids, all I do is feed them in the morning.
When it was kids, job, school stuff etc. don't expect to have hours and hours to stitch, but just know that eventually you will have more time when kids grow up and you are able to retire.

I have the privlege of a sewing space that I can leave the project without picking up and so I can sew a while and than return and sew an hour or so again. I do my quilts on the machine, usually a simple pattern such as log cabin, nine patch, rail fence etc. I have made several winners circles these are so simple my family are so gracious in accepting the quilts when I give them away so I am blessed. I have probably finished 10 quilts this year. I do have a quilter that does them for me. So I only do the hand work to hem them.

My secret is that I never ever sit down to do hand quilting without doing at least four inches. Now that may sound like a tiny bit to you, but I am vision impaired, and sometimes, four inches is a lot. Of course, most times I quilt many more inches, it just depends. I get the nod to quit when my needle come unthreaded. I can only rethread when I am "fresh".

I have been sewing for my whole life. Never had time when working. I retired 1 1/2 years ago. Since leaving work, I now have a sewing room,(took over DH's office) a new quilting frame and machine, and 3 other new machines. I have finished 1 ufo top. I typically sew until 2:00 AM. Late at night seems to be my most productive time, no distractions. There is no secret, just lack of time for most. I seem to be more busy now than when working.

Perhaps it is a hang over from childhood when Mom taught me that idol hands brought trouble. I just plain get nervous if I am not doing something even if that means housework, cooking or sewing. DH claims I do not know how to relax and maybe so but look what is being created and the children those charity quilts help! It is my way to give back.

DH reads, watches sport, weather and nature on the tv so I head to my sewing room. I am blessed with having a DH who prides himself in getting me everything I need in supplies and equipment, including a beautiful room where I can leave my projects out from day-to-day. In fact, there are days when I feel guilty that since retirement I have so much when so many have so little.

Getting a lot accomplished also comes from belonging to a couple quilting groups. There is nothing better than showing ones work to those who appreciate quilting. And my biggest help is that I never agree to make more than one person a quilt in a specific time frame. Quilting must be my hobby.

I'm more than willing to let the dust and laundry pile up and eat take-out - please someone tell me these are the secrets![/quote]


That's a BIG part of it! at least for me.

Roxanne

I'm single and live alone with my cat. I come home from work, greet and feed the cat, check the mail, make some coffee, surf online... and usually end up in the sewing room for a couple of hours. Some days I don't. Some weekends I spend ALL weekend sewing.

Oh, that Spyder Solitaire is addictive, for sure! I know a few people who are addicts, too!
Angela

I used to spend much of my retired time reading. Now I'm at the sewing machine, too. I don't go to the Book Club anymore...was once such an avid reader they thought I'd really contribute to the group. Well, then the quilting thing came into my life and there goes the Book Club. They just don't understand!
So here I am, typing away on a quilting board and then I'll go to the sewing room and continue my project. Life is good.
Angela

Well, a person just has to stay away from this site to get a lot of quilting done! LOL

I always sew with a good book on my MP3 player! It's called mutli tasking! Now I don't feel like I am wasting good sewing time! Just finished Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and now am on to The Girl Who played with Fire.

I get off work at 2 o'clock and hubby gets home around 4:30. If I'm not watching my grand daughter I'm usually in my sewing room. Sometimes on Sundays I get to sew most of the day.

I suffer from this also. I believe that I have a problem making decisions and then having confidence that they are the "right" decisions. This is very impairing. So afraid to make a mistake. My DDIL keeps reminding me that when she was "new" to the family and was struggling with (fabric) decisions, I told her to "just go for it. It's only fabric and not the end of the world." Can't seem to take my own advice. This board helps a lot.

After working all day I usually can only squeeze in a couple of hours to quilt at night...and what am I doing now???LOL

i've been off since the 19th of december, so i've had lots of time to sew/quilt. But, my house has gone to he** in a handbasket :roll: :oops:

I do go back to work jan 4 and the house will be picked up & cleaned by then...

My secret - no kids, live by yourself and don't do anything for anyone that you don't want to do!!

And have a cat as a furbaby - they're more or less independent...She does want food once a day - and gets it most days!! ;) :thumbup:

I think it is called retirement. Work can sure get in the way of fun time.

I don't know the secret either,just know that since I discovered this board I seem to have even less time. :lol: :oops:

I have a different work schedule work 6 days and 3 off. My 3 days off go quite fast as usually one of those is spent being with my granddaughters. But for me it's a little planning. Since I am a morning person, my work and errands have to be done right away and usually an extra job so as to keep up with things. But then the afternoon is mine to sew. Don't watch much TV so if my husband is in the garage, it's sewing time again. During the football games that we watch together, I am doing hand sewing.

Ditto - but it is fun time

I find if I socialize a lot that takes me away from quilting, uses up my energy. Programs on TV are lacking in interest I gladly escape to work with color and patterning in my studio.
I am mad about colors and fabrics so this is fun, not labor. But, perhaps I should consider the fact that I am still new to quilting and the keen interest lingers.

No kids, I do work. I cheat and have a cleaning lady. Not a cook and no family to cook for.

My hubby works Tuesday and Thursday nights. I quilt from 7-11. Then he also works Sat all day so I quilt all day and if I can grab a Sunday I do also. That's 16-40 hours a week. I better get something done!!!

Haven't read the thread, but I do the same. The house is done 1st & supper planned. DH is retired & if we'll be home, I'lll prob sew....or read...or check my mail.I'm a very early riser, so most of my work gets done before I sit down to have my tea & read some posts.I don't sew by hand, so eves are either watching TV with DH or reading posts on diff sites I belong to.There are days when I sew off & on most of the day & other days, several in a row, when I don't sew at all. So,whatever works.

One quilter told me that she never went to bed until she spent 15 minutes quilting. I took her advice to quilt 15 minutes a day, but not before bed! (yea, I am usually cross-eyed by that time)

I always keep a packed travel baggie with a hand-sewing project for those long sitting/waiting times and traveling.

I also keep ongoing projects in various stages. Sometimes I feel like assembling blocks, sometimes quilting or cutting.

I sleep very little -approx 4 or 5 hours per night. The other part I'm either on the board or sewing.

Football is my secret. My wonderful man watches football, yells at the players, helps the coaches, all from the living room sofa. So when he plays ball, I go to the sewing room and know I won't get interupped.!

:)

I'm a terrible housekeeper. I don't do something until it HAS to be done (like we've run out of clean clothes or are having company) and my standards are not nearly as high as they would be if I didn't sew and quilt!!! However, my husband does a lot, has never complained about anything being messy or undone.

I tend to sew in streaks, so when it appears that I have been sewing like a crazy woman, I have. :oops:

Well I have been off of work since Sept. with a back/hip issue. That has freed up time for me to set and sew. There are days that is is hard to set so I do not get alot of sewing done but on those days when it is hard to stand I set and sew. HUbby had hernia surgery so he spends alot of time on the couch watching tv and dozing in a out. If I feel good I will take my self to my sewing room and play. I let the house go sometimes and just play. Of course it is only me and Dh and the 2 furbabies so the house does not get to bad.

Wow, Now I can reply. That was strange. I hear you also, more ufo's than I'll ever finish

I Love Quilts but I am afraid to start one I was in a group at church last winter but we did not get them finished and it confuses me on the cuts and instructions so I get on hear and admire all of yours.

:lol: My problem is that I spend more time staring at what I've completed than I do working on what I have left to accomplish :lol:

Y E S and you can learn a lot, I keep telling myself that what I LEARN will make me more efficient at the sewing machine. :-D