One Step at a Time

I had a good day. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that. I did have a bit of a stress in the evening, but, I contained it and moved on, so that too was good. I was relaxed and at ease and was kind with my children. We went out and did some things; we had some friends stop by, and I stopped to sit and RELAX and ENJOY them. I send my husband pages throughout the day, texting him what we're up to and how we're doing. He was happy when he got home because ALL of them were positive today.

Also, I started to lay the binding out and decided not to worry about it. If a corner has a seam, I'll either stop and fix it then and there, or just deal with it. I got the fabric under the presser foot just as my son got up from his nap. Tomorrow, I've laid out sweats and a comfy shirt to wear (if I have jeans on, I tend to do too much, and even though it was a good day, I have big circles under my eyes and I need to rest). Anyway, tomorrow, I'll see if I can start to (and maybe even finish) sewing the binding on my hubby's twin-size Christmas Quilt.

It feels good to be relaxed and at ease.

Suzy :)

Aah... that's better.

I just finished up the task I gave myself for today... prepping the binding for my husband's Christmas quilt. I have about an hour of "free" time in my sewing room, and still have time to spare. Instead of starting to pin the binding on, I decided to make a project list in my sewing room journal. I made four columns, then thought of everything I could to put in each column. Here's what they were:

• Sewing - Things currently in progress - 15
• Cutting - Things that are being / have been cut and are ready to sew - 8
• Materials Acquired - I have the materials and pattern / idea chosen, they need to be prepared - 15
• Idea - I have an idea to create these items, but have to choose materials - 10

This is a big list, to be sure, but it feels good to see it on paper, and it really doesn't seem like as much as it was when it was all in my head floating around. I feel like if I just pick something off the list and work on it a little each week, I'll make good progress. That, and not adding MORE projects to the list. Of course, I think this is the hardest thing of all, because when you are creative, you want to, well, CREATE!!! When your mind gets-a-whirling, it's hard to stop it and it just wants to keep going. So, I guess I'll allow myself to think of new things (which is a good thing to do) and even choose materials from my stash, but I'd like to use more of my energy to finishing the things I've started. Tomorrow I'd like to have the binding roughly placed on the quilt and have the machine set up to stitch it on (changing the presser foot). Perhaps, I'll even start to sew it on tomorrow, but, since I'm planning a late morning / lunchtime outing, and since I've been sick for quite a while, I'm not going to push the actual sewing thing.


Suzy :)

PS: One thing I've found VERY HELPFUL in my sewing room is a little journal I started keeping. Most every project I work on, I jot the date down and then notes on it as I do it or right after I finish. I've been doing this for a couple of years now. It's nice to look back and reminisce, but more than that, it's helpful when I want to remember how I did something (like I wide was that stitch or did I use a special needle or something like that). Also, I save a lot of time re-thinking things, especially the math of a project. The few projects that haven't found their way into the journal (like the Christmas quilt I just was working on), I spend SO MUCH time searching for my notes, but my journal is always in it's home on the shelf. Also, if I have a good idea, I'll jot it down (along with the date) so I remember it later. I DEFINITELY recommend keeping a journal in your CREATIVE ZONE. Mine is just a little spiral bound notebook about 5 1/2" wide x 8 1/2" tall. It's enough. :)

Getting Back ONLINE

I recently coined a phrase to describe something I do when I get too stressed and too tired for too long. I turn off the computer. I turn off the phone ringers. I chill out at home with my boys. I call this "Going Offline". I always warn my hubby first (he panics if he can't get ahold of me or doesn't get regular little text pages). Sometimes I'll warn another friend or two, but basically, if you want me, you'll leave a message and I'll get back when I can.

I know that I went "offline" a while a back... intentionally... but now looking at when my last post was, and thinking of my PC usage in general (not to mention my general activity level), I've been offline in many ways for quite a while. I just read TWO months worth of posts on a friend's blog. I enjoy reading her stories; they relax me and make me laugh, almost as much as chatting with her does. Right now I'm listening to some smooth music on a website she recommended (pandora)... it's also relaxing my hubby. We're listening to music in the style Harry Connick, Jr and Michael Buble.

Today I finished a project I started last month.

Actually, I chose fabric in five or six color ways to make like TWELVE of these. I've finished the borders for two more (same colors) and am ready to stitch their letters on. I started a club with my friends. We're working on projects each month this year, so that come September, we've got our Christmas projects all finished and we can ENJOY the HOLIDAYS with our friends and FAMILY. In any case, it was very nice to finish this one completely. Now, each time I walk by it (hanging on my wall) I smile. I also feel rejuvinated to finish other projects. The project most on my mind is a quilt I created for my husband in December. I designed and sewed it completely in the two weeks before Christmas, while he was at work, and without him discovering it. Then, I quilted it on a friend's long-arm on the 26th. Ever since, it's been sitting; waiting for binding and a label, and he's been very patiently waiting for it... so, I think it's time to finish it. Tomorrow, I'd like to prepare the binding (cut, sew, and press). I think I can get that done.

Now it's time to go spend some quiet time with my Sweetheart.

Suzy