I’ve been a little absent lately; I’ve been a lazy emailer, and a lackadaisical blogger. Truthfully, I feel a little bit stuck, creatively. I’m not missing any deadlines; I don’t owe any bee blocks, I haven’t let anyone down. I arrived at a design plan and fabric choices for those twin quilts. (You guys: I get to use CHICOPEE. I’m finally going to get to cut my gorgeous FQ stack!) I’m even caught up with Penny Sampler class assignments. (That is my Little Village block above–I spent Saturday putting this together. I’m deep into the why-use-solids-when-there-are-PRINTS-in-this-world philosophy. I’m so smitten with the spirit and whimsy of this block!)
Maybe it’s that I’m lacking the pull of a larger project to keep me orbiting around my sewing machine? Maybe it’s the guilt pile of lottery blocks that is asking me to make “just sixteen more spiderweb blocks please” and let me tell you a spiderweb block is kind of no joke. Maybe it’s just all these little projects that just need a few minutes of attention to get done–no challenge, no nose-to-the-grindstone. Maybe it’s all those silly sewing mistakes I made for a solid week a couple of weeks ago.
Or maybe it’s little anxious things: jury duty, the dentist (my kid chipped my front tooth, ah, the wages of parenthood), the where-are-we-going-to-live-come-December–keeping me up at night, making me too anxious to sew. It’s a vicious cycle. When I am too anxious to sew, I put off doing the thing that is the one surefire anxiety solution in my life, making me even more anxious.
Nothing is really wrong here! Like I said, I’m not behind in any sense. I’m just wishing inspiration would strike, and soon.
What do you do when you’re stuck? Should I start a new project? Pick up a lingering WIP? Keep my head down and bee-block-Penny-Sampler until I’m unstuck? Dig into those dang twin quilts already? So far I seem to be just buying fabric left and right, which isn’t the greatest solution.
I’m all ears!
little and lots 
I, too, am allergic to solids! Finally I have met someone else with this disease! What do I do? I either finish a WIP because that really is a boost to my soul or I tackle a simple project and give it away — like a potholder. Everyone needs potholders but they rarely buy them. I need potholder brightens everyone’s day. Or a mug rug if they are a coffee/tea drinker. So whipping up an easy project for someone else usually does it for me. (I will even test a block I’ve been wanting to try and turn it into a mug rug/potholder.) Good luck!
I feel your pain. Mind you mine is directly related to being behind in all kinds of things, and yet, here I am home on a rare afternoon and I am not sewing, knowing that it will make me feel better. My plan of attach, I am going to pull out a WIP and finish it! This I know will make me feel better, because I always feel better when I can cross something off the “List”. Hope your creative juices start flowing again soon. And as I look at the Darth Vader clock I just bought for my nephews birthday – May the Force Be With You.
Oh my goodness. I completely feel the same way! I feel like there are things so many projects that need too be started or finished but have little desire to do any of those things. Sometimes when I am consistently making mistakes or don’t feel like I am sewing “well enough”. What is well enough?! Why do we set such high standards for ourselves? I decided to cut out my Super Tote this morning. Selfish sewing maybe will motivate me more, lol. You will get out of your funk. We all do. I love your houses by the way and hurray for using your Chicopee FQ stack 🙂
I basically felt like that the entirety of August 😦 It’s an awful feeling! What I tend to do is let it run its course. You can never force creativity, or even force yourself to do something you love if you’re not fully “feeling” it. I just wait it out. I’ll work on cross stitch, or maybe crochet, or maybe nothing. Just sit. Watch TV or something. Take a few days or even a week to just…be. And it’ll come back around, you’ll start missing fabric, or be struck with a sudden idea that you can’t let go of, or you’ll realize you definitely NEED a new pincushion, right away, and then you’ll sit and make one and things will start flowing one after the other. Just don’t feel guilty about it!! It’ll make you more anxious! You’re not obligated to work on a hobby, remember 🙂
Maybe it’s the time of year because I have felt this way too. I feel a lot of completely self-imposed pressure to sew, blog, read blogs, respond to comments, etc.
Is it too dramatic or not dramatic enough if I chalk it up to the human condition? I think we’re innately unsatisfied and restless at time. I know I am. For me, the only thing that fixes it is the passage of time. Sometimes a day or 2, sometimes longer. Sometimes I realize later that there were hormones involved!
I was mostly feeling like I had too much going on at once so I looked at my sewing and blogging to do lists and designated some of them as “2014.” Right now I’m focusing on the Penny Sampler and my beginner’s series and a Christmas present. Everything else can wait.
Ugh! I feel the same sort of “ehh, I couldddd see right now, but…” For the past couple of weeks. I have started drawing up plans again for when I get my self in gear and finish up a few things, but I think a mini quilt might give me the start, and finish, to motivate me to keep finishing the things I have started already.
Hey, guess what? Timothy chipped my bottom front tooth when he was younger too. You can join my club 🙂
For me it would be, start a new quilt or find a completely different new vice. I am thinking about cross stitching 🙂 If none of that works…clean. Clean like you’ve never cleaned before. Cleaning can really be a great time to think and clear your head. I feel much better about everything when things are cleaned and organized.
Hi Laura, I felt like that all August. I can’t really say what it was…but I know things were getting on top of me in my day job. Also I was trying to fit way too much into a day, creating much stress! Although I was kind of sewing the enthusiasm wasn’t really there. I was sewing to get projects out of the way rather than for the love of it. But as things in other areas of life sorted themselves out so did the quilting lapse. I think you know better than anyone what the solution is, maybe just take a bit of time off to work out where to go next or to focus on other things.
Laura, as you are finding out, you are not the only one!! It seems like summer disappeared and for me it was incredibly busy. Not many things were getting done in the creative side of life. I am hoping that September will bring more comfortable weather which is always good for sewing and knitting. I am going to start and hopefully finish a new project between Wednesday and Thursday…..that should help. Finishing a work WIP is also a great motivator. Your house block is something you should feel proud of and happy to be done…..the quilt will be stunning when you are done with it!! Appliqué will be easier than you think!!
Ya know, it’s supposed to be fun. If you don’t feel like doing it, then don’t. When you do feel like sewing again, get back to it and enjoy the hell out of it.
It must be that time of year – I am already hanging out for Thanksgiving….next vacation days.
I have been in a little slump with wanting to finish things or having so many ideas and just can’t get them started. Especially quilts themselves.
I agree it is for fun take time for yourself….did you use that gift card??? I still haven’t but I am booking it this weekend 🙂 Take a deep breath and try a couple of things to get out of a funk.
I am finding choosing a small project I have always wanted to do is helping pick my interest back up – I have a pillow I want to do from pillow pop book….so that is what I am focusing on first.
I hope you feel better in the next week or two.
the gift card…the one you had for a massage or something a while ago. Thought I needed to clarify I agree it is for fun take
so, i was going to say – buy fabric. but, then you ended there. sooooo, i got nothing? no, hmmmm, it sounds like you have so many wonderful projects that it’s almost like check out zone. BUT, but, but don’t stop any of them – especially this penny sampler because i am smitten. you make me want to embrace no solids. also – did you say chicopee. did.you.say.chicopee. you using chicopee is going to be amazing. i can’t wait!!!!!
actually, i have no advice, so ignore above except for the compliments. i think it’s this time of year when we all must repeat… “summer.will.come.again.” or is that just me?!
I totally understand the funk! It’s awful. I abandoned my machine for a bit last winter and went whole hog on Subversive Cross Stitch. I managed to gift naughty sayings to all my friends for Christmas that way.
Or take up a new knitting project, because a Washi dress could use a cozy cowl for the fall.
And I can’t wait to see what you do with those twin quilts! Your fabric stacks were gorgeous and Chicopee is always amazing. (No pressure! All in good time!)
Enjoy some time out – when you want to sew again, it will be fun. I had a funk a month or so ago and then, all of sudden, it went away. And all was well again 🙂
Have a break, read that pile of books, take walks in the new autumn air, spoil yourself with a bunch of flowers, and just focus on the little things. Sometimes I think as bloggers we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to complete this large wonderful projects all the time to show. We should be sewing and blogging for ourselves.don’t forget though – chocolate always helps.
As everyone has said, it comes and it goes. This is meant to be an enjoyable part of your life, so don’t feel pressured into doing anything your not in the mood for.
I find if I have a lot of WIPs and UFOs I start to feel a little overwhelmed and less interested in what I’m doing. I also find having a messy house or busy schedule or lack of sleep very demotivating. Perhaps your commitment to make the twin quilts is making everything feel a little too much like work, and less like fun. Or maybe you feel pressure to blog regularly – if so, you may be interested in the Slow Blog Manifesto… http://www.knottedcotton.com/p/slow-blog-manifesto.html
Good luck. I hope you feel inspired soon 🙂
I hope you get over your Quilter’s block soon. I find it hard to sew when I have other worries on my mind. Just enjoy the last days of summer with your little girl and I’m sure you will be motivated to sew soon.
I hope you feel better soon. I’ve been there and sometimes we just need a break. Go to the movies or for a walk (that works for me).
I’m stuck too. I think once the weather gets colder I’ll be more inclined to sew. I hope I haven’t permanently lost my sewjo. I have a lot of fabric I need to sew through before that can happen.
It truly is an epidemic. I’m going to work on Barbie clothes today with my daughter. I’m hoping that she will help me to feel a little inspired to do something.
I think it’s just such an in-between time. Not quite Summer anymore and not quite Fall, yet. Enjoy a beverage of your choice at your leisure and let life happen.
Love that house block. It is perfect for that penny sampler quilt. I have to say that when I’m stuck I find that the best thing is to clean up all of my craft stuff. Every last pattern , scrap of paper and fabric stack and leave the one thing out that I don’t want to put away. I work on that until it’s done and then repeat until I get my mojo back. I find that chaos in life leads to chaos in craft which makes me not want to deal with my sewing because I am sick of th chaos. Hope you find some inspiration soon!