Play Time

I finished the Summer quilt, making it the first item completed on the April Short List.

 

Aren’t you glad you don’t have to see pictures of this one anymore?  That quilt started out on the January Short List.  It didn’t take long to finish, but I couldn’t seem to get to it.

Not getting to things started being a theme for the year, which was extremely frustrating.  So much so, something had to change.

I’ve tried a handful of techniques over the years to increase my creative output.  I have enough ideas to fill a lifetime, so when I can’t get them into form fast enough I get grumpy.  Lately it’s gone way beyond grumpy.  Some days I’m not fit company for man or beast.  I know this and understand that I can’t let it continue.  It just wasn’t going to work for me.

Because of my work schedule and family commitments, I didn’t think I could carve out a set amount of creative time each week.  I’ve had success with that in the past, but the extra time usually came through sleeping less.  Fatigue is such a huge factor right now that losing sleep isn’t an option.

Instead I decided to set a time each day to go into the sewing room and do something.  The magic time is 8:30 pm.  It doesn’t matter what I do, as long as I do something.  Once I’m in there I work on the current project until I finish the next step or get to a good stopping point.

I read somewhere that the hardest part of starting a running program is to put on your running shoes and walk out the door.  The hardest part of creating is walking into my creative space.  I get that.  This method removes the need to decide to start.  At 8:30, I walk into my sewing room.  End of story.

I’ve done this for a few weeks now, and I’ve finished two small quilts.  I don’t know that I can keep up that pace, but I do feel better now that I’ve finished a few things.  More later on how I’m using this method in other areas of my life.

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