I'm happy (and a little jealous) of those who can enjoy quilting anytime they chose because they're 'home full time'. I'm sure one day I'll be able to sit in their sewing chairs ... but 'I wannnnnnna' be there now! :(

My question is for those who 'work' 30 or more hours a week (outside or inside the home).

How do you appease the quilting bug inside you ...
when 'YOU HAVE TO' be somewhere else most of the time?
when 'YOU HAVE TO' do all the things necessary to run a home?
when 'YOU HAVE TO' do something for everyone else in your 'spare time'?
when 'YOU HAVE TO' get seasonal things done?

Do you sew something every day?
Do you set aside one evening/day/afternoon a week?
Do you feel strrrrrretchhhhhed between wanting to and doing?

What do you do?

Well, for years when my 4 kids were teenagers I went to work full time. Luckily I had a cooperative husband. He and the kids helped with the housework here and there. My husband cooked during the week and I cooked a big Sunday dinner. I found time to sew at night; made my DIL's wedding gown, sewed for other people making window treatments etc. I look back and wonder how I did it; have just decided that if you want to do someting bad enough you will find a way to do it. My husband recognized that sewing was a part of my life he couldn't take away from me. He didn't expect me to prevent him from playing golf or bowling. Now that I am "retired" it seems I am busier than ever. I babysit my grandkids and the neighbor kids at a moments notice, and do all my own yard work. I am a widow so I don't have help with housework any more, have to find time to do it when I feel like it. Just muddle through and try not to feel stressed about that which you cannot control.

Well Quilting, heres my story. I was working 40 plus hours a week and quilted/pieced for a half an hour every nite after dinner, if I decided to eat that day.(I lived alone) Then my hours got cut to 32 hours a week, so I took that extra day off I had, and sewed half of that day. Now I am married, and unemployed (not by choice, the unemployed part hehe), and find it difficult to find time to sew/piece/quilt, because Im cleaning, doing twice the laundry(hubby is worse than any woman I know about clothes)and everything in between. When I do get time(like when he has golf league nite)I rush upstairs and hit the sewing room. It makes me apperciate it that much more! :D

I office out of my home so ... the distraction of having my sewing room so close ..... it always seems to call me.
It is somethimes very hard to stay on the task that I have assigned as a priority.... but I do make a list either the night before of that day of the "chores" ... I find this is really helpful in keeping me focused. While looking at the list it starts to be come apparent where I might be able squeeze in some quilting time. But I use it as a reward or an incentive so I complete my other tasks.
Sometimes its only a few minutes for quilting and I will just do small things that make it more productive when a bigger piece of time comes, like cleaning the cutting area, winding bobbins( I hate having to stop and wind bobbins in the middle of something) , cutting one part of a project, pre-washing fabrics etc.
I get the most satisfaction out of those big pieces of time because it is enough time to really enjoy the process. but the small stuff I can do allong the way can contribute to a wonderful "real session".

I teach so an hour in a quiet room at night is therapy.

Unfortunately, 'home full time' does not mean I can piece/quilt any time I like. As someone else stated, there is always something to be doing for someone else. (I AM grateful for the 'someone else'!)

But I have a slightly different perspective on this. For a while I taught sewing/quilting. It was full time, and more. My projects, no matter the scope, were pushed to the side, left in the dust, whatever, of teaching and being at home for my family.

So now, allowed to be home and work on my own, I find I cannot spend all day piecing/quilting without revisiting the stress of previous experiences. I set priorities each day for the tasks at hand, factoring in the quilting as part of the day. I should have done this years ago!! :roll:

Thank you quilters for your perspectives...makes me feel like I'm not feeling this alone.

I do those small tasks like LORI does...I do appreciate the 'someone elseS' in my life...

I'll write those to do lists with a bolder pen now and make the time I need.

Thank you :)

I work outside the home, 40 hrs per week. I sometimes have withdraw symptoms. Before I went to work full time I sewed/quilted everyday; sometimes ALL day while the kids were at school. I no longer get to do that. There are nights when I just go into the sewing room and sit. I'm tired and really don't feel like sewing, but I feel better just spending time in there. I usually see something that needs to be done or organized while I'm sitting. Don't finish projects very fast, but I try to do a little at a time. They get done eventually and it satisfies my NEED at the time.

you snuck in after I posted above.

I found making crazy/crumb blocks helpful when I don't/can't think straight but need a fix. I have 54 'uncut' blocks done... without thinking!

Going now before I'm late!

Well, I've always worked full-time, not much help from the husband around the house, so needless to say my house doesn't get cleaned as much as I'd like. I also work a part-time job. I just started quilting but I am a cross-stitcher/needlpointer and have been doing that for about 20 years, I would take projects with me wherever I went (kid's baseball games, hockey games, auto races, etc.). Can't do that with quilting. I have my basement set up with my machines and cable TV so if I'm not too tired I will work from the time I get home till dinner, then maybe I'll go down after dinner until about 10.