I work full time and frequently have to travel for my job. I pay my daughter to clean the house. I sew an hour here and there when I can, and at least once a month take a whole Saturday or Sunday to do nothing but sew. Fortunately I rarely do large quilts, just lots of wall hangings, lap quilts, and baby blankets. Those go pretty fast.

I also work fulltime. I work 40 hours a week in a very busy department store and I also clean houses on the side. I clean for 4 people a month. It gives me my sewing money so I don't feel guilty about buying fabric. I have wondered the same thing. I see so many beutiful quilts and it seems like they are posting new ones every week. Our kids are grown and gone so it is just hubby and me. I do have my own sewing room...nothing fancy but it is mine. I can leave things out and no one cares. I will usually try and sew before husband gets home or if he is at band practice. Just remember one thing, the important thing is to have fun with your sewing. We are not in any kind of race to get things done. It is my sanctuary to go in "my room" and regroup from my days events.

I work full-time Monday-Friday. The job I have now is the best and least stressful I've had, so lots of nights I still have the energy to sew. And I'm a night owl. My husband is unemployed right now and has been doing all the cooking (well truth be known he's always done the majority of cooking) and helps with other things. But I still don't get near as much done as others on the board as far as quilts. I'm lucky to get one or two a year, but I do a lot of smaller projects like tote bags, embroidery, wedding and baby gifts. Some of the people just amaze me here with all they crank out in such a short amount of time!

I also work full-time...80-90 hrs every two weeks. Hubby works full-time as well. We are both very supportive of each others' hobbies. (He loves to "play" with tractors. I've lost count of how many he now owns....and he is bidding on another one today!!!) We are in on-going renovation mode with our house, so house cleaning is not high on the priority list. I am very lucky to have a husband that not only will pitch in with the things that can't be left undone, (laundry, cooking, etc.) but he will TELL me to go and sew when he sees I am in need of some relaxing time!!! I also work in front of a computer all day, so by evening, my eyes are not always up to sewing. On those nights, after checking in here, I will pick up my knitting as I don't need to see what I am doing for that. (Been knitting for about 55-56 yrs!!!)

Patti

Time to quilt is a prob for me too. My 29 yr old daughter is now raising her 3 kids alone. Daddy used to babysit while she was at work but doesn't now. So I travel the 10 miles everyday to watch the kids. I'm here till late and don't get home till midnight. I try to quilt on the weekends, but even tht hasn't been possible lately. Sooo....I'm gonna make a grandmothers flower garden quilt all by hand...at least I can cut out here and eventually sew the little suckers tog. by hand. I couldn't possible set my machine up here. Grabbing a minute here and there is becoming the norm, although not preferred way! I don't even know if I'm ready for a GFG quilt, but here I go anyway...lol
~Bj~

I work full time and I come home fix dinner and sew. My kids are older I have no little ones. if you have little ones, I would make time when their napping..A little time is better than no time. Plus I sew on the week ends. I have the week ends free.(to sew)..I do the house work in between sewing...

charlene..i too worked for 35 years and raised 3 children and took care of all our parents..etc..etc..time goes by very quickly in life so please dont deprive yourself of your hobby...you may have to try a few different ways until you find the one that suits you best..1. can you sew for 15 min before you go to work?..2. how about late in the evening after all is done..what worked best for me was i picked wednesday..middle of the week..that was my day..no laundry..no cooking..no phone calls..everyone understood that was my day ..it was miy time for 4 or 5 hrs and i actually looked forward to that day...everyone and everything will servive...hope it works and because you are somewhat on a time limit you will find you actually become better organized,,good luck

Hubby retired, but when he did ... both our son and daughter gave us a set of twins 13 months apart. Son also had a 3 year old at that time. Watching 2 sets of twins 4 to 5 days a week & getting older one off to school... WHEW! It's a chore for me.
Women .. do we ever get to retire? Ha Ha
Good news is ... since reading this addicting board & seeing all these beautiful quilts... Granny is going to have 'her' time a couple nites a week & Sundays. Will see what I can accomplish.

The only one imposing on me is myself. I can let things go but not for long. I can't stand the mess. I have to pick things up and sweep things up. My DH helps out a lot when he can. I feel very blessed to have a husband who helps around the house. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who does not get to sew as much as I would love to.

I work full time too. My husband works odd hours though and goes to bed early, so the evening is mine.

I work fulltime with a 50-60 minute commute. I try to get up early to spend a few minutes on the housework so that if I am not tired when I get home I can spend some time in my sewing room. I try to doing the cooking for the week on Saturday morning and laundry one load a day. Whatever time is left on Saturday is mine to do as I wish, usually something in my sewing room.

I don't have a job now, but when I did work a 40-hour-week job, I also had more demands at home. Thankfully, I was much younger, had more energy and strength, and could accomplish much more than I am able to do now.

When I worked, I did not make quilts. I made clothes and dolls. I sewed in the evenings when dinner and dishes were done. Then, as now, there was not much on t.v. worth watching and we did not own a home computer back then; I enjoy a good novel and have always found some time to read. When I retired from the work force and no longer needed a spiffy wardrobe for the office, I started making quilts.

The main difference between now & then is that now I often have time to do sewing stuff in the daytime as well as the evening and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.

I have been home full time since August - have not done one stitch more of quilting than I did while working pretty much fulltime outside our home. My job just changed to in our home - wife/mom IS a full time job. I do make sure to set aside time almost every day - at least once a week I do some kind of sewing/quilting. I just was hired to do some substitute teaching so I'll be busy with that - maybe now I will make sure I get the sewing/quilting time even more now :)

I'm a stay at home mom and I sew all day long if I feel like it. Back when I worked full time, I juggled two small children, 3 horses and I sewed 'til midnight. I never let it slow me down! Though now I don't think I could do what I use to do when I was younger.

I work 50 hour work weeks during the summer with a 5 minute commute time. I get the troops fed and tell them to do dishes, then I sneak off to my sewing area. I usually wait until I have a little bit of energy back. I don't get more than a half hour of quilting done after supper, because I might fall asleep sewing.

I work 50 hour work weeks during the summer with a 5 minute commute time. I get the troops fed and tell them to do dishes, then I sneak off to my sewing area. I usually wait until I have a little bit of energy back. I don't get more than a half hour of quilting done after supper, because I might fall asleep sewing. Here's what I'm working on now.

I Work full time - since I moved in October I am only about 15 minutes drive from work - before it was about an hour each way.....I sew mostly on the weekend - although I did a small project when I got back this evening.....(I was inspired).. :-)
This apartment is temporary and another move will be in the works eventually - all of my things (90%) are still on storage pending that move...but, I have my necessary items with me - my machine, fabrics and notions...so I'm happy :-)

i am a hospice nurse and my days are full but i have decided that i deserve some time so after dinner for maybe an hour i sew or cut or look thru magazines to find my dream project i do not get alot done at one sittig but it adds up pretty well and the family calls it moms time out they know i will be nicer if i have some me time..i do have a sewing/craft room so i can leave the mess .. i start my day by getting up an hour early having some prayer time then i go on the computer to see what all of you have done great way to start my day.

I work about 50 hours a week. I sew about one hour a night. I just go up stairs after dinner and use it as my form of relaxation.

That makes it hard to tackle anything big, but I like to do the Doll Swaps. I try new techniques each month and it is a small enough to do without felling overwhelmed.

I wish I had more time to quilt too!!!

I teach high school full time as well as the extra duties that go with that. Since I now get up at 5-5:15, there is no way I could sew in the morning. I've never been good at sewing before work anyway. At the end of the day I usually crash for a while before supper, maybe looking at a quilt magazine. Then I am often here on the board or working on tests or plans for school.

Some evenings I can sew a couple of blocks, but I quit cutting out when I am tired because I always make mistakes then. I might plan or lay something out, but the actual cutting has to wait until I am fresh. In short, I am pretty slow in getting something finished unless there is a deadline such as a baby gift. I am amazed at how much some people get done, but I guess I have gone through periods like that, I'm just not in that period right now!

I love any time spent at my machine, though. My DH is very helpful and suportive of all I do so I am very blessed. Weekends, breaks, and summers find me spending more time at our addictive hobby.

Way to go Patrice! My sentiments exactly. I spent 30 years being a fanatic, but retired. Now I just move it and sew when I want. Haven't heard from you in a long time. How are you? I just finished a baby quilt today-now will get up tomorrow and quilt it. It is one of the ones for Downey Softner. If you haven't get on their web site and they will send you a very simple quilt to make for the babies in the hospital. They send you all of it but the batting and it is even cut out. Even the label. The fabric was lovely and so cute. Everybody can get one. They ask if you can, send one back with your stash. It was very quick and easy. Call me.

Peg-TX
Innova 18" :thumbup:

There is always hope for you working girls when the day comes that you can retire. I worked 3 careers all at one time & couldn't think of touching a sewing mach. I was lucky to touch the washer & drier. I had to reintroduce myself tothe stove.
I learned to quilt after running into a grp. of quilters in our RV park. Now my work is piling up since it's so hard to part with it.
Pat

I am a slacker I retired in my 30's and all I do is what I want when I want. I was missing too much of the good things in life like watching my kids grow up and being a part of their life so I quit my job 11 years ago and haven't looked back since.

But I also paint high end show cars so I have a pretty big load right now. Needless to say I dont have much Slacker time right now, but if I dont want to go out to the garage I dont have to.

Oh and I dont care what they say even being retired there is never enough time in the day to get things done.

Billy

Billy, you are so right. Being retired doesn't mean you sit around & twiddle your thumbs. You still have to cook, do laundry, buy groceries. Even if you're in an RV, you still have to do all of those things which cut down on quilting time. Real life goes right along with you. LOL
Pat

Honestly I do not know how I did everything I am doing now and was working 65 to 80 hours a week. I admit that I had a lawn service to take care of the landscaping and cutting of the grass and my wife had our nanny but still I did a lot around the home and worked on my hot rods. We always were busy and havent really slowed down any. Or maybe we have and I just dont know it yet LOL!!!

But I would not change the first thing I was able to see my kids grow up and was able to spend time with them and their school activities.

Billy

I am lucky enough to only work part time, four days a week. But I find that having to schedule my free time makes me more productive. I didn't seem to get as much done when I wasn't working, I think it is cause I didn't value my free time as much. But I have not been away from a job of some sort for more than a couple of months, and those were for medical issues. I used to work three part time jobs for a total of about 65 hours a week and made much better use of my time. I think the less I have to do, the less I want to do.

I work full-time and then some and commute an hour each way in addition to being on-call 24x7. Quilting is my therapy, my escape, and I try to find a little bit of time nearly every day to devote to it. I don't have time to complete projects for charity yet, but that can wait until I retire. And I'm not in a bit hurry to finish projects, but rather enjoy the process however long it takes. And I try to learn as much as I can. I love it. And I enjoy learning all the tips and tricks that everyone here so willingly shares. Thanks!

i went from full time work to partime work from home , my hubby works 2nd shift 11- 9 pm so that is my time frame to clean house, shop, cook dinner and get in some quilting , and now with summer coming on i get to add work in the yard time in there somewhere!!! seems like i got more done when i worked !!

I hear you!! It has been a real task to start "unloading" of all the extras I do since I've retired (12 years). The guilt really bears down on my soul, but volunteering and tutoring have just about taken over my life. I'm beginning to be able to say no a lot easier, but it's still tough. I just have to remember that I'll get more sewing done if I drop some of these other projects. Of course, since I am not tutoring anymore, my "stash kitty" is no longer. I have really begun to shop in my stash -- so I suppose that's a good thing.

I am really enjoying this thread. I'm happy to see that I'm not the only retiree with dust bunnies. When I was working, I looked forward to the time when my house would be neat and clean with everything in place. Ha! And yes, I do the "FlyLady" thing, but not as well as it should be done. But her system gets me back on track when things begin to get out of hand. And yes, I do shine my sinks and tie my shoes.

:lol:

I have worked 10 to 12 hour days most of my life, until I became disabled last year. would gladly work if I could. Penny....PS I did all my craft projects on week ends, I am just learning to quilt.

A girlfriend sent me an email a few years ago that helped me immensely....I am posting it in a new thread so that folks not reading this thread might see it as well. Heading will be "Dust if you must".

Patti

Okay I took some of the advise. I got up off the couch last night and cut out a purse. I will be putting that together tonight after work.

I still work full time, albeit from home - I put in 12-14 hours a day....so my sewing time is on weekends, and some evenings whenI am not drop dead tired.

I work full-time, 80 hours every two weeks, I work 10 hour shifts. I do not necessarily work 4 days each week, I work 8 days every two weeks, may work 5 one week and 3 the next, etc. It is a very stressful job and I have to MAKE SURE I get some sewing time in each and every week. I also maintain a home for my husband and myself. It's not always easy, but you gotta make some time for yourself, no matter what you do!!!

I teach full-time at a high school (five different classes = five sets of DIFFERENT lesson plans, grading, prep-work, etc), coach the high school speech team (practices mon-wednesday from 3:30-5:50 tournaments almost every other saturday) a wednesday night college class 6-9, a thursday night college class (5-8) and I usually spend all day sunday prepping/grading the college stuff.

Saturdays are spent doing all the errands that need done that the business world won't allow a teacher to complete (We're open 8-5, come in during those times...)

Last night I literally collapsed when I walked in the door at 7pm and slept until 6am this morning when the alarm went off. The schedule will catch up with me like that, and while I lost the entire evening, I feel better today.

I'm lucky that the bf likes to cook - but I'm the one who cleans the apt. And believe me -- you can tell I've been quilting lately -- the apt needs some attention! There are dirty dishes, garbarge to drive to the dumpster, dusting/vacumming, and about 6 loads of laundry to take to the laundromat.

My key is to schedule time to quilt. Or I'll use it as a reward (If I do all the dishes, I can cut for the next set of blocks) to get the other yucky stuff done.

=) Not ideal, but it's what I've got for now...

I too work part time. I teach nursing at the local community college. I teach 2 weekends a month this semester. I have 17 students and it will end this weekend. Woo Hoo! Oops, sorry! I do enjoy my work, I do the psych part, which everyone dreads! I am mentally exhausted after the day but, I remember I am almost through this semester and will have the summer off. I teach a sewing class at my church 2 Saturdays a month. The past 3 years I did my BSN and MSN and was tied up with that doing projects and seminars and practium hours. But, that is over now and none too soon. My husband has retired but, stays with his Mom 2 nights a week. Those are my time to be alone with my sewing. I make dolls and purses and scrubs and quilts and other crafty projects. I have a large sewing room and best of all it has a door. If I want to close the doors and walk out and leave my mess as is and ready to pick up whenever, I do! My husband bought me a new Brother, Disney embroidery machine for Christmas about 4 years ago and I plan on getting aquainted with it this summer! So, I sew whenever I get a few minutes in between grading nursing packets. I do not have to do much housework, it is just me and the hubby and he pulls his share of it too. He will cook, wash dishes, run the sweeper but, no laundry! I spend an extra amount of time on this board learning tips and tricks of the trade from the others that sew as well.

I have a small advantage of having a hubby who leaves for work at 6:30 and I don't leave til 9:30. I usually take about an hour & a half in the morning for sewing, then eat and get ready for work.

I've never posted here before, have just read and been inspired by all the other posts.....you are all so wonderful. But can't help but respond to this, because it resonates so much. Like Teacup I work all week (about 55 hours) and when I get home I'm exhausted. So if I'm too tired to cut or piece, I go to my sewing room and look at fabric (I have a lot). Sometimes I take it out and refold it. Sometimes I just touch it. It makes me feel good. I might touch my sewing machine just to remind it I still appreciate it. And then I read these posts and think about what it will be like when I retire. :-)

isn't being salaried wonderful (??) i am salaried also, and have worked a couple doubles in the last week. i also sew primarily on the weekends, and try not to be too caught up in the amount of stuff i get done, but how well i do it...

it also helps to have very good & patient recipients... i recently mailed my oldest & best friend's christmas (09) gift out, it was a small wallhanging. she called me to tell me she loved it, and how nice it was to get a christmas present in april, so the season is extended...

Boy I hear you. I work nights and it can be hard to fit quilting time in too. Sometimes I set a clock for 2 or 3 hrs and do housework or whatever needs to be done then I give myself an hour (ha ha) of me time.I think being creative and letting yourself ,helps you feel rejuvinated and better able to handle the day to day "stuff." I also have the luxury of having an understanding family-they don't complain about the ironing board being a piece of living room furniture! I also don't have little ones at home anymore (boo hoo)
so that helps.
Maybe you could find quick projects for that instant gratification.
Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself, you count too and creating makes you feel better.