Just my musings about life, quilting, my family and my dog.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

So Many Quilts, So Much Stress

It has been dawning on me over the last few weeks that I am starting to feel controlled by my "hobby."  Quilting is my passion.  It makes me happy, relieves stress, and makes me feel Oh So Virtuous to have pretty things to show for the hours I hole up in my studio.

In preparing for Judy L's UFO challenge, I dug through my stuff neatly organized storage and found 12 UFOs in about 5 minutes.  The startling realization that I could identify 12 UFOs in so short of time shook me up a bit.  I started paying more attention to my piles other areas of carefully organized craft materials and I have identified MANY more UFOs, PIGS, and parts for potential, but as yet unidentified, additional projects.

Now I am feeling pressure to finish these projects and get things cleaned up around here.  Then....something new and pretty will catch my attention and before I know it I've got another project started.

Bits and Parts that could some day be some really great projects.


Here is what I am committing to myself to do about this stress:

1.  I will complete each month's UFO.
2.  I will use a UFO as the leader/ender while I am working on another project (I tend to just make 4-patches as UFOs).
3.  Since the bits and parts that are hanging around my studio stress me the most, I will come up with a design and spend one evening a week completing that project.

That's enough for now.

Does anyone else ever feel like this?


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6 comments:

  1. Ann-MareeFebruary 12, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    Hi Chris I can relate! I am still trying to get finished Finn's UFO challenge..not last years but the year before's! So many new shiny things take my eye. I have reached the stage where I no longer lust after the newest range, or the biggest FQ stack...I am finding that I do have a piece of fabric or a FQ that will don the job nicely..who knew! LOL Ann-Maree in Sydney

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  2. pcflamingoFebruary 12, 2011 at 5:10 PM

    I am really stressing about my UFOs and piles of future projects right now. I'm working on a commission piece and have to force myself to ignore "new shiny things" (as Ann-Maree said) and stick to my existing project. I'm so easily distracted....

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  3. Karen (Misiz C)February 12, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    Constantly.... Last night I gathered all the cut fabric, partial units and completed blocks for one of Bonnie's patterns and put it away for now... I was experiencing the same anxiety. It helps me to have fewer projects staring back at me. =P

    Using one project as a leader and ender while working on another is a great way to feel like you are accomplishing more. I do the same thing. Good luck with your plan ... the main thing is to keep it fun.

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  4. Crafty Maine MomFebruary 12, 2011 at 6:50 PM

    I have a running list for each project I am working on. It was very long about a year ago. I have ticked away at it and I didn't start a new project till there was less that 15 to do quilts.

    It really helped me to get it written down and organized. i was able to give a couple of quilt tops away because I really didn't want to finish them but another quilter really did.
    Good Luck!

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  5. DevonMaidFebruary 13, 2011 at 6:01 AM

    UFOs and WIPs I understand ... but what's a PIG?!

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  6. Barbara Ann Beamer JonesFebruary 13, 2011 at 5:35 PM

    I am SOOO with you on this one! If you check out my previous posts on my blog, you'll see my partial "list" of UFOs in pictures - while sorting recently, I found a few more! Ughhh!!

    I moved all my baskets and plastic boxes into my main room, where they stare blankly at me whenever I enter the sewing room - it's a bit overwhelming and unnerving, to say the least! However, I did pull out one of the large baskets and set to work on it. After finishing the block construction, I laid them out on the family room floor. I now have all the blocks joined into rows (14 blocks in each row) and the rows pinned together into sets of 2 (14 rows, 7 sets) ready to sew together.

    The way I've got this figured, if I do a little when I can and a lot one day of the weekend, I can get these projects wrapped up in, say, oh, 10 years or so! ;)

    And that's not starting anything new . . .

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