GailG

:lol: Oh, this just cracks me up because it really rings a bell with me. I also tend to start things anew before I finish a project. I also start another book before I finish one that I'm reading. But here's the twist: I feel guilty because I DON'T FEEL GUILTY! I see friends around me who are of the notion that something must be finished before starting another thing. When I speak to them about my multi-"in progress" projects, it just disturbs them to no end. They will say,"How can you keep track of it all?" or they'll say, "I like to finish what I start before I start something new." Inwardly I will think, "How boring." I'm almost 71 (this month) and my attention span is almost like the first graders that I taught for so many years. :wink: It's my life, it's my house, it's my project. I feel I can do as I please.

And-- if I am having a sleepless night (perhaps my afternoon nap was over-extended), why should I toss around trying to fall asleep. I get up and work on one of those projects. I'll sleep whenever I get sleepy. Do I sound like a basket case? Perhaps, but I really am having fun and I'm definitely not bored.

Debd

Why not start a sampler quilt that is made up of leftovers from current/past projects? Use a different pattern for each block, or try something ambitious like a Dear Jane. Select a consistent background fabric or color, and let each square represent a project, or part of a project. You will be starting a "new" project while working on a current project! And eventually you will have a history quilt of your past quilts while trying patterns for new ones!

PattyH

On the other hand, I wish to be more like you. I currently am working on at least 6 projects and hope that one day I will finish ONE of them. My sewing room always looks like a wreck because I have projects spread everywhere! I'd rather be more disciplined to finish one at a time.

redmadder

When you are designing, start two at once. Then you can switch back and forth with no guilt. After all, you planned it that way!

liminanc

I can relate, I am 52 and it took me until I was in my late 20's to realize that I was a good person even if I didnt clean my plate. LOL. That is a large part of it "good children" only do 1 project at a time etc. and everyone wants to be good. So tell yourself it is ok that you do more than 1 project at a time, that you will still be a "good" person. Silly but it works. and good luck

Candy Apple Quilts

I was the same way. I thought that if I liked the project, then I should like it enough to finish it. Then a girlfriend of mine convinced me to try having various projects going. I didn't want to look around and see clutter, so I put each of those projects in their own little white boxes, so I could keep all of the parts together. Remember the expression "Out of sight, out of mind"? :lol: Once I had everything boxed, I never went back to finish the projects! So I am once again a One-At-A-Time girl -- and proud of it! :lol:

Edie

Usually I do only one quilt at a time, read one book at a time (which I don't do much anymore, since I listen to audiobooks (I believe that falls in the category of multi-tasking. I am probably one of the only people on this earth that cannot just sit and read. I would much rather sit and sew, or bind or embroider and listen to a good book. I can hand sew and watch tv, but I cannot do my quilt making and watch tv. In other words any hand sewing I can watch tv, any machine sewing or piecing, audiobook. Also, a friend gave me a 45x45 cross stitch embroidery Christmas quilt, 16 colors, shaded, the whole ball of wax - I take it with me if my husband has to go to the dr. or if we go on an overnight or if I just want to sit outside and enjoy the day. I have to have a hand thing to do and a machine thing to do! But I do not start another pieced quilt until this one is done (my brain is working on the next one, but not my hands) and I will not start embroidering something until this Christmas quilt is done. It is even marked with little dots when you hand quilt it! It'll take me years to get that far. I am not even through with the first shad of red and there are three shades of red. So doing more would so confuse me! Edie

grandjan

If it isn't affecting your work now, I wouldn't worry about it. People just have different habits when they work. I have a dear friend whose sewing room is chaotic, with bits and pieces of her current "idea in process" scattered everywhere. There is something about it that appeals to me but I tend to put things up when I'm done with them, keep the surfaces clear. Like you, these are habits I learned in childhood. But they are just processing habits. None of this prevents you from making beautiful quilts. It's all in what's comfortable for you.

grann of 6

I totally understand. My mother was a big one for saying "anything worth doing is worth doing well." So whenever I try to shortcut something or do something in a hurry, I think of my mother. It really slows me down and forces me to do a good job; not necessarily a bad thing.

I might suggest just breaking the rule once and see that the world doesn't come crashing down around you. I find that if I have a couple projects going at once I can go back and forth between them if I get bored and start not doing a good job. I recently got a long arm quilting machine and find that if I do just one quilt top at a time I am having too much time between quiltings to get better at my quilting. So I am currently making several quilt tops so I can do one after another on the machine to improve my techniques.

catladyquilts

I have the opposite problem, I will finish the top and am ready to move on - just do what you like and ENJOY the process. Don't get hung up on how others do things, someone will always be able to quilt better or use a different colorway, just enjoy it and make it your own. with each step we take we learn