Recovering Slowly and Hopefully Regaining my "ZEN"

 Right after Thanksgiving, I came down with a severe upper respiratory infection and a severe case of bronchitis. I spent 2 days in bed. I worked from home on the third day because no one should have to be around me constantly coughing. The last 2 days I was at work but I wore a mask. I hate wearing a mask. I definitely didn't enjoy trying to breathe through it while struggling to breathe without it.  But I didn't want to make any one uncomfortable with all my coughing.

My morning Zen was replaced with breathing treatments. I also find it takes longer to get anything done when I am fighting bronchitis. So I haven't been creating like I normally would. My spiritually uplifting messages have been Christmas music and movies. So not a total loss. Still my "ZEN" and happiness has faltered.  

So it is time to resume my routine and get my "Zen" back.  Starting today.  I have some Christmas ornaments to finish up.  I am going to get this quilt on the machine and then I am going to probably collapse. But if I get moving I can start to feel more like myself and less like a blob. Plus accomplishing something will also help me feel better. 

Falling Short of Goals (and it's okay)

3 of my WIPS

There are 3 days left in the WIPS-B-GONE 2022 challenge. I have managed to complete 3 quilts. I had given up trying to get 8 done but was hoping to finish a 4th. That is not going to happen. The fact of the matter is I have been very busy. The house needed cleaned up before guest arrived for Thanksgiving. Then we spent a week entertaining, etc. Now that the guests have gone and I have a little time before returning to work, I am sick.  I have no energy whatsoever.  I have a quilt that is ready to go on the long arm but I need to press it and I don't want to set up the big board. Not because it's that hard to do but because I don't have the energy to do it.

I hate being sick. This illness is actually Asthmatic Bronchitis. I am not contagious but I am struggling to breathe. I will have to take a Covid test before returning to work (not fun). Then I will need to wear a mask while at work. I hate wearing a mask as it makes it harder to breathe when everything is normal. It will be worse with the bronchitis. I also hate to call in sick after being out on vacation for a week. It's not as though I don't have the STO time to take. I will just have to see how this week goes.

More WIPS

All this leads up to not getting that 4th quilt done before the end of the challenge. That is okay though because I did get 3 quilts done in the past 2 months. 3 quilts that had been sitting and waiting to be finished for a long time. 3 quilts that are now out of the WIP pile. That is progress. Plus I learned something new with each of the 3 quilts I finished. Each quilt also made the recipient very happy. So while my goals were not quite met. I did progress and that is my ultimate goal.  3 less projects in my WIP pile is a win. Besides I still have a lot of WIPS left to finish.

It's okay to fall short of your goals just as long as you don't give up on them. What goal have you not quite hit? Are you still working on it?

Losing Track of Time (Time Busters)

 I can't believe almost a month has gone by since I last posted.  Here it is the middle of November (almost anyways) and I am so far behind in what I need to get done it isn't funny. Hurricane Nicole blew through our area the past week but it wasn't even much of a tropical storm by the time it got to us.  We just got a lot of wind and rain.  Thankfully no tornadoes or power outages in our area. So I was not thwarted in making progress, well at least by Mother Nature.

In my last post I talked about the WIPS-B-GONE 2022 challenge. I am proud to say that I have worked on my goals everyday. My little daily tracker is looking colorful with all the little spools filled in. But the tracker also shows how close to the end of the challenge we are. I am really not ready for this challenge to end. I haven't gotten as many projects completed as I would have liked. I am not saying that 3 completed quilts is anything to be ashamed of.  I am really happy with all of my progress. I just wasn't as realistic about the amount of time I would have to work on projects as I should have been. I didn't factor in things like, family time, family projects, local festivals, church commitments, and travel. When setting my goals I only took work hours into consideration.  Silly me.

Awhile back (at least 20 years ago) I read a post in a decorative painters forum about "Time Busters". The author of the post was cautioning the readers about paying attention to where your time was being spent.  I can't remember who wrote the post, some famous decorative painting designer, but that article stayed with me. The author suggested that we pay attention to where we spent our time. At that time I was spending a lot of time on the computer playing games, specifically Free Cell. That article made me think about what I was doing with my time.

I am not suggesting that we need to set ourselves up on a strict schedule. I know me, I won't stick to a strict schedule. Also life has a habit of getting in the way.  Instead I am trying to establish healthy habits. By healthy habits I don't just mean diet and exercise. (I need to do both). I am talking about doing things that help us be healthy both in body and mind.

For example, I am happier when I take time to create everyday. I am happier when I get spiritually fed by something everyday. My husband is happier when he spends time in nature. My daughter is happier when she gets time to draw. My son likes working with his hands and solving problems.  So healthy habits would be things like setting aside time to do the things that create happiness in our lives. 

Autumn Splendor

Being a creative person, I am a bit of a free spirit and don't handle schedules well.  But I do need to some structure to have the healthy habits. I've talked about my Morning Zen before. I honestly believe it makes a difference in how my day goes. Now if I learn to focus that time on finishing projects I can get things done. But I also need to learn to watch what I am doing with my time.

Do you ever get back from work and just flop in front of the TV. I do. Or how about playing games on your phone. Big time buster for me.  The last week I uninstalled 3 games that were on my phone. (I still have Sudoku on my phone though.) How about social media. I can spend hours on Facebook. Especially reading those stories about revenge or fails or Karen encounters. I need to limit that time as well. (I am trying to not read those stories as I feel it gives me the wrong frame of mind)

Scrappy Joy

All that rambling just to say: Figure out your time busters.  Limit them and set aside time to do what makes you happy.

Progress made this month. AutumnSplendor is completed with label. I will be giving it to my Sister in Law at Thanksgiving. Scrappy Joy is completed and I now know who it is for so I will be gifting it this week. The Great Outdoors will be going on the long arm this week. Large Hexie flowers are completed and are set aside for now. Morning Zen will once again be devoted to Izora's quilt. 

Non quilting progress - Kumihimo Braclet class is slowly moving forward.  Going to have to work in a couple of Wednesday nights for the women to work on them.  Fabric ornament class went well but I need to make more for the Christmas Party center pieces. 

Most importantly right now will be getting ready for our company coming that is coming Thanksgiving week. My studio needs to be cleaned up. I need to get the rest of the house (otherwise known as the disaster area) cleaned up and so much more.  Time to put the time busters in their place and focus.    

What are your Time Busters? When do you do the things that make you happy?       

Updates and Lessons

Athena's Quilt

The WIPS-B-GONE 2022 challenge is going well.  I didn't get 2 projects done in the first quarter but I am hoping to catch up in the second quarter.  I finished Athena's Quilt on Saturday and gave it to her today.  That is one project finished. Plus it was started before January 1, 2022 so it counts as a finish for Queen of UFOs as well.

Like I said, I am behind in my challenge goals. I am only a week behind but I am trying to catch up. Last week I managed to get 3 quilts prepped for the long arm. Two of which I also got the digital quilting patterns set up.  

Autumn Splendor

So yesterday, I got the Autumn Splendor quilt on the long arm and quilted. I chose Wood Sprite e2e by Christie Dillon from My Creative Stitches. It stitched out a little more open than I would have liked. I've measured several different open spaces and I am just at 4 inches between stitching. Which according to the HOBB website is the maximum distance between stitches. That is too close for my comfort but I decided to leave it. I used a gold thread and I just love how it plays across the  fabric. I did get the binding cut for it today, but haven't made it yet.  I am really pleased with it so far. I believe I will give it to my sister-in-law. But I do have to finish it first.

Off White and Royal Blue threads

I managed to get Scrappy Joy on the long arm today. I even started quilting her. It seems some quilts are just supposed to be learning quilts. Today I fought with thread breaks right and left. I think I got it fixed though. I had used a smaller needle and once I changed back to the size I usually use, things straightened out. 

I also surprised myself in the thread choice.  I had planned on using a royal blue but was afraid that the quilting would overpower the beauty of the quilt. So I thought off white on top and royal blue on the bottom. I decided to audition the thread. Well on top, the off white thread would disappear except for the borders and on the back, the royal blue would disappear all together.  I was not going to get the results I wanted with those threads.

I had two other blues in my thread cone stash. One was a very pretty variegated blue that I bought to possibly use on another quilt. But the blue tones were just not right for Scrappy Joy. The other is a baby blue thread.  When I puddled the baby blue thread out on the quilt top the thread was visible on both parts of the top but was still subtle.  So that was my choice.  

 

Since I've discovered quilting in zones, I no longer feel like I have to get the whole quilt done in a day.  Today I stitched 2 of the 8 zones for Scrappy Joy.  After the thread breaks and being tired from a very full weekend, I needed a break. So I saved the patterns and will go back to it tomorrow. 

Here are the lessons learned this week.  Sewing everyday will get things closer to finish.  Focusing on one project at a time will get that project done faster.  Practicing a skill will help you improve. Mistakes are opportunities to learn.  Filling in a tracker gives you a sense of accomplishment.

What have you learned this week?

Challenge Progress

 Here we are 12 days into the WIPS-B-GONE2022 challenge and I don't have a finish yet. I have been stitching everyday and keeping track of it on the cute tracker sheet that was part of the down loads.  I love filling in the cones with different colors. It makes the tracker so much fun to look at and it makes me not want to miss a day. I am going to use every little trick I can to stay on track.

Leanne at Devoted Quilter has done a really nice job of setting up this challenge. There are several down loads. One is a list of WIPS (works in progress) that you have. I didn't list all of my WIPS. Just the most pressing ones. There is also a planner that divides the challenge into quarters. A quarter is 2 weeks. I've set the goal of completing 2 projects a quarter. But I am behind. I will be lucky to finish one project this quarter.

I am close to a finish though. I have Athena's quilt off the long arm, trimmed and am working on the binding.  I have turned the binding and am about 1/4 of the way done stitching it down. I am working on this in the mornings as Kim is home and he sleeps in later than I do. The sound of the machine disturbs his sleep so my morning Zen this week will be hand stitching or cutting up scraps. But cutting up scraps doesn't lead to finishing my WIPS.  In fact, it really is creating more WIPS, since I am cutting up scraps for future projects. I feel like this will be a never ending cycle, which is all the more reason to do these challenges as they come along.

As I said I am behind. But I am hoping to catch up in the next quarter.  While I had a somewhat free day on Monday, I got 3 quilts ready to go on the machine. I have made the backs and cut the battings. while home sick today I worked on the computerized quilting designs. The quilt I had planned to put on the long arm next is being put on hold. I discovered I don't have the right color thread to quilt it with. So the Great Outdoors quilt will wait a week or two. That means I need to move a quilt up from the next quarter schedule. I decided to start with Autumn Splendor. (quilt on the far right) I will quilt it with gold and use a leaf pattern. It is one of the quilting designs I got set up and ready to go. The quilt after that will be Scrappy Joy. (on the left) The quilt design is set up for that one as well. I have chosen a swirl pattern for that one.  The thread color is still up for debate. The bobbin will be royal blue but whether I use a neutral or royal blue on the top is going to depend on how brave I feel. That and what I want to emphasize, the piecing or the quilting.

With plans in place I still stand a good chance of finishing the challenge with the goals I have set.

What tricks do you use to keep on track with your WIPS?

Do you ever join challenges? What about Facebook groups?

 

Blog Hopping and A Challenge

 I follow Geeky Bobbin's blog. The main reason I follow her is because she hosts a blog hop in November called UFOvember.  It's a month long blog hop from 30 different bloggers about managing UFO's. I found it a week into the hop two years ago.  Last year, I found it 3 days into the hop.  So I decided to follow Geeky Bobbin so I can be in on it from the beginning this year.  I am glad I did because I enjoy her blog. She is so very down to earth in her writing. You feel like you are connecting to her. 

Any way last week's blog from Geeky Bobbin started off a "Back to School" blog hop. This blog hop is only 2 weeks long and focuses on tips for improving you skills, tips on sourcing supplies (from school supplies), small projects, etc.  It was a pleasant diversion from playing games on my lunch hour.  I have learned some things and was reminded of somethings.  But mostly I have enjoyed reading some different blogs. I don't have time to follow and read all the different blogs out there.  But blog hops give me an idea of which blogs will meet my needs. Plus it starts to feel like I am part of a quilting community.

On The Devoted Quilter's blog, Leanne mentions an upcoming challenge she's sponsoring.  It's called WIPS-B-Gone 2022.The challenge runs October 1st to November 31st.  The goal is to see how many Works in Progress we can complete in 61 days.  We're supposed to sew everyday. She included a tracking sheet for us to mark off each day we sew.  Can't get things done if we aren't sewing, right? We're suppose to post progress on Instagram. That is going to be where I am lacking. Social media is not my strong suit. Heck, it's not even my weak suit.  

I'm not going to list all of my UFOs/WIPS. I decided to just list those that are close to completion or are currently being worked on.  Like many quilters I have many projects in the works. Too many to count right now. But I have few that are close to completion. I have 6 tops that are ready to go on the machine. There are 2 tops that just need borders. Then the one top that I am piecing.  Those will be my focus. If I get all of them done (and that's a big if) I will move Emerson's quilt from the planning stage into the piecing stage.  He's getting pretty anxious about it.

On October 1st, I am hoping to get Athena's quilt quilted and then I can work on binding it that week.  The idea is to try and get the quilts on the machine and quilted on the weekends and bound during the work week.  We'll see how well I can stay on task.

This is not the only "UFO" group I am in.  I am in a Facebook group called the Queen of the UFO's. I have only had 1 finish this quarter so I need to get moving on these UFO's.  Also, I'd really like to go into UFOvember with fewer UFOs than last year.  I hoping this challenge will help me with both of those.

How do you motivate yourself to finish projects?

English Paper Piecing

 I am in charge of the activities for our Women's group at Church. (I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our women's organization is called Relief Society.) The problem arises that I don't know what to plan for these women.  Most of these women are older and really just want to get together and socialize. So I decided a few months ago that I would plan activities that we could do while sitting and talking.  That means coming up with things that we can socialize while doing.

One month, we worked on our Branch (think congregation) scrapbook.  There were 6 of us and we all had a good time even though none of us are scrap bookers. One month, we tied a quilt. There were only 3 of us but we got to know each other a little better.  The whole point is to get together and do something.

This month I decided to introduce the women to English Paper Piecing (EPP).  I had been listening to an old "Just Wanna Quilt" podcast. The guest was the CEO of Paper Pieces.  During the podcast I learned that the company would send out a free kit to people who wanted to try EPP.  So I decided to look up the company website and see if they still gave out the kits. They do!

So I planned out how I was going to ask for 16 kits. I figured I would explain that it was for the woman's group at my church. I figured I might have to give them the address or maybe my Branch President's name. Just so they could verify that I wasn't getting them all for myself. 

I went on the website and did a search for "sample pack".  Up pops the page to order it on.  I put in 16 for the number of kits. (I wanted be sure to there would be enough kits) Clicked add to cart and that was it.  I could just check out. They didn't want any explanation on why I needed 16 kits. I did have to pay shipping and handling but it was only $5.50 and well I got 16 kits for free.

The sample pack comes with instructions, 7-1 inch hexagon papers and 7 squares of fabric. Basically all you need to make one hexagon flower.  Just add needle and thread.  

I took the sample packs to church yesterday and introduced the women to English Paper Piecing. I explained that I started doing EPP as a quilting project that I could take with me. I also told them at first I wasn't interested in even doing EPP because it seemed fiddly to me. I told them that I was not a hand work person because it takes too long and I like to see progress. I then showed them the project I have been working on. I joked that it was going to be my millennial project because it would take me a millennia to finish it. But I have discovered that I really like EPP.

At first they were hesitant.  It looked complicated to them. One sister then commented that I was an excellent teacher. So with some trepidation, they all dove in. We talked, we asked questions, we ate and I think, we all had a good time. Some left with their flowers finished. Some left planning to finish at home. A couple took an extra kit with them.  I call the activity a success.

I have truly become a fan of EPP and will probably order some more paper pieces in the future.  I definitely plan to browse the website some more.  I'm thinking I would like to do an apple core quilt. Who knows what will strike my fancy.

What quilting technique have you put off trying because you thought it too complicated or fiddley? What technique did you discover you liked when you weren't expecting too?