Sew Every Day - Feel More Quilty - Not Guilty

I have used my Accuquilt Go Cutter quite a bit over the last several months. It really has been a quick way to work through my scrap pile. I've already started sewing these rectangle pieces together. They will soon become my new Brick Quilt. By staggering the placement of each rectangle I do not have to match up any seams. Right now all the rectangles are sewn together into long strips. Once I get the seams pressed I will start sewing the strips together. That's all there is to this Brick Quilt. Then it just needs to be quilted together. It is that easy. It's super simple.

I've been trying to sew every day. Or trying to get at least a little bit of sewing time in every day. It is one of the ways I am working to get more accomplished with my sewing. I want to make time to sew even if some of those times are short times. How do you make more time to sew? I've found it works to have my machines set up and ready to go. I am fortunate to have established a dedicated area of our home for sewing. My area is in the basement. In fact, that area has expanded to encompass the main area of the basement. I used to have my sewing stuff spread out into several different rooms. With my recent re-organization and de-cluttering I have managed to fit it to one room in an organized and work-friendly way. Granted there are still some things I feel need a bit more tweaking. But overall, I have arranged everything to create a good flow from one work area to another. I even have room for friends to come into my studio with plenty of room to sew together, chat and enjoy an afternoon. It is truly a blessing to have a 'room of my own' to practive my creative sewing endeavors.

I read recently about using a timer as an aid to help in getting more accomplished. The idea is to set the timer to 15 minute intervals. Decide to dedicate the next fifteen minutes to the task at hand, then work on the task till the timer goes off. At that point you can continue with the task, or move on to another task you want to accomplish, setting the timer again for another fifteen minutes. This is supposed to help you stay focused on the one task you are doing instead of being distracted with the many other things you need to get done during the day. I am trying this timer technique with chores like washing dishes and cleaning and straightening up around our home. I can concentrate on one thing for a fifteen minute timeframe, trying to get as much of the task done in as quick an amount of time possible. I've found I cannot always get some things done in the fifteen minutes. But knowing I can allow another fifteen minutes to the task or move on to something else frees me from feeling guilty that I 'should' be doing something else, and distracting me, when I'm in the middle of another thing.

It also helps me focus and get specific things done in a timely matter when I can categorize and prioritize the things that need to be done. I'll keep you posted on how this is working for me. I like the idea of not thinking about, "Gee, I've got to get the dishes washed" while I'm trying to enjoy myself sewing. Or thinking, "Man, I would rather be sewing right now" when I'm in the middle of washing dishes (or some equally boring chore). What do you think? Does this timer technique seem like it is something that would work for you?

Afterall, the goal is that I want to feel more 'quilty' and not so guilty about unfinished chores. And I get some sewing therapy and enjoyment out of every day.