My husband has had a successful accounting career and as I have watched him work and deal with things, I have learned a lot. Since he retired 5 years ago, I get an even more close-up view of his work habits. One thing that drives me crazy as well as make me jealous is his motto "If you think it, do it." The idea is don't just set something down to do later--do it now. Have a phone call to make? Make it. Remember something you need to do, at least write it down so you can deal with it.
Now do I do this? Not always. I wish I did. There are so many times that I know I need to work on something, deal with an issue, make a phone call and start or work on a project. I am so pleased with myself when I act, not when I postpone things. The guilt gets you. I know I waste time by piling things up and not putting them away or in their proper place. My sewing room is a mass of piles and this weekend I started dealing with them.
Now I know it's taken me awhile to amass these piles and UFO's so it's going to take a while to plow through them. So, I straightened up and organized my countertop and desk...then the table next to my sewing machine. A funny thing happened while I was acting--I got excited to do a little sewing. I had accomplished a lot and it looked so much neater and enticing. What did I do? I REWARDED myself with sewing on something. It put a smile on my face because I was just that much closer to finishing it. Not finished, but closer than I had been 1/2 hour before.
So this is my challenge to you as we make our way into 2014--
If you think it, do it. Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Just think of that smile on YOUR face!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
How to get things done when you don"t have a lot of time
I get asked all the time "How do you get all this stuff done?" I'll let you in on my secrets!
First, figure out what to work on first. If you are like me, you have a lot of projects lined up to do. Which ones have a deadline? Which deadline is closer? Start with that one.
Second, look at the directions. What can you do while making dinner, helping your kids study and so on? I frequently cut or pin blocks together while I am waiting on my family. I keep a small cutting board in my kitchen with a spare rotary cutter and ruler. While I am waiting for the noodles or vegetables to cook, I can be preparing myself to go to the sewing machine. Then when I get to the machine, all I have to do is sew.
Third, ask yourself if there is something you can do waiting for an event. I can embroider, knit, hand quilt and prepare applique with glue stick or thread basting at my grandson's karate class or in the car while riding out of town. I carry that same small cutting board to lay on my lap and work. Sandwich bags make great carryalls to keep the parts together.
If you begin to look at your time in chunks rather than thinking you need a long expanse of time, you can begin to conquer those UFO's one little step at a time. When you do, write yourself a note to tell what you accomplished and put it in a clear jar or vase. When you look at it, you will remember you really did accomplish things. CELEBRATE! With all the projects we want to do, it's easy to think you have accomplished nothing. Give yourself a treat--whatever you love to do, whether it's a half hour to read your favorite author, calling a friend or sipping a latte. Remember to treat yourself when you do something good!
First, figure out what to work on first. If you are like me, you have a lot of projects lined up to do. Which ones have a deadline? Which deadline is closer? Start with that one.
Second, look at the directions. What can you do while making dinner, helping your kids study and so on? I frequently cut or pin blocks together while I am waiting on my family. I keep a small cutting board in my kitchen with a spare rotary cutter and ruler. While I am waiting for the noodles or vegetables to cook, I can be preparing myself to go to the sewing machine. Then when I get to the machine, all I have to do is sew.
Third, ask yourself if there is something you can do waiting for an event. I can embroider, knit, hand quilt and prepare applique with glue stick or thread basting at my grandson's karate class or in the car while riding out of town. I carry that same small cutting board to lay on my lap and work. Sandwich bags make great carryalls to keep the parts together.
If you begin to look at your time in chunks rather than thinking you need a long expanse of time, you can begin to conquer those UFO's one little step at a time. When you do, write yourself a note to tell what you accomplished and put it in a clear jar or vase. When you look at it, you will remember you really did accomplish things. CELEBRATE! With all the projects we want to do, it's easy to think you have accomplished nothing. Give yourself a treat--whatever you love to do, whether it's a half hour to read your favorite author, calling a friend or sipping a latte. Remember to treat yourself when you do something good!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Book, Books, Books, Pattern, Patterns, Patterns
I am a book and pattern junkie!! I love to get new ideas from other people. Maybe I don't make everything I buy, but everything I buy somehow gets into my quilting in one way or another.
Some of our customers have said that they don't feel guilty about buying books or magazines because they are a source of inspiration. They grab a pile of their books, a cup of their favorite beverage and sit down to get inspired and entertained. It's much like watching a show--entertainment not production. What a different way to approach your quilting stuff. NO GUILT!
How do you keep them organized so you can find one when you want it? That's what I need to do. Right now they are just all mixed up on the shelf and I have to look sideways to see what the title is and heaven forbid, some of them don't have titles on the sides!! Now what???
Here's some suggestions from a speaker I heard:
1. Sort them according to subject matter: applique, piecing, hand quilting, machine quilting, art quilts, specialty design techniques, blocks, embroidery, reference (like borders, bindings) and so on.
Perhaps you also have historical books or art and architecture that are inspirational books or fiction like Jennifer Chiaverini. Even though you see book/magazine dividers on my shelf....there is very little organization to my shelf at the moment. I got to get this fixed so I don't have to hunt all the time. It's very time consuming!!
What if you don't want a book anymore? Well, donate to the library for their library sale or find someone who belongs to a guild. Many people would love to own your book.
I am a book and pattern junkie!! I love to get new ideas from other people. Maybe I don't make everything I buy, but everything I buy somehow gets into my quilting in one way or another.
Some of our customers have said that they don't feel guilty about buying books or magazines because they are a source of inspiration. They grab a pile of their books, a cup of their favorite beverage and sit down to get inspired and entertained. It's much like watching a show--entertainment not production. What a different way to approach your quilting stuff. NO GUILT!
How do you keep them organized so you can find one when you want it? That's what I need to do. Right now they are just all mixed up on the shelf and I have to look sideways to see what the title is and heaven forbid, some of them don't have titles on the sides!! Now what???
Here's some suggestions from a speaker I heard:
1. Sort them according to subject matter: applique, piecing, hand quilting, machine quilting, art quilts, specialty design techniques, blocks, embroidery, reference (like borders, bindings) and so on.
Perhaps you also have historical books or art and architecture that are inspirational books or fiction like Jennifer Chiaverini. Even though you see book/magazine dividers on my shelf....there is very little organization to my shelf at the moment. I got to get this fixed so I don't have to hunt all the time. It's very time consuming!!
What if you don't want a book anymore? Well, donate to the library for their library sale or find someone who belongs to a guild. Many people would love to own your book.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
"Creativity is intelligence having fun." quote by Albert Einstein
What a cool way to approach creativity! Think of something you see everyday. Take a picture or draw it. Trace what you have drawn or photographed. Cut it up and rearrange it. Now trace it again. Pick a few colors you like and use them in the dark or medium or light places. You can use fabric, colored pencils or colored paper. JUST HAVE FUN!
How do you translate this into a quilt? Using graph paper, of course.
Assign the squares of the graph paper a size like 1" or 2" per square. Draw and color your idea in squares, rectangles or triangles. To translate that into fabric to be sewn, add 1/2" to any square or rectangle measurement. For example a 1 x 2 rectangle, becomes 1 1/2" x 2 1/2". Triangles must be figured as squares and 7/8" added to them and then cut once on the diagonal. Sew it together row by row--Sometimes you may find that you have a seam you must sew in partially. We can help you with that. Bring it in for help!
Now if you want to be even simpler, you could use fusible web and just fuse your piece together. We carry several different types of fusible. Once you create your picture or block, just quilt it down or zigzag all the edges.
Lots of times we forget how to play and just have fun. It is a huge stress reliever. And guess what? Just because we have drawn and colored and figured doesn't mean the piece needs to be made!!! It goes into your brain and pops out some other way just when you need it. It is kinda like exercise--you do it because you know that it's good for your body.
Well, playing is good for the soul and spirit so HAVE FUN and PLAY!
What a cool way to approach creativity! Think of something you see everyday. Take a picture or draw it. Trace what you have drawn or photographed. Cut it up and rearrange it. Now trace it again. Pick a few colors you like and use them in the dark or medium or light places. You can use fabric, colored pencils or colored paper. JUST HAVE FUN!
How do you translate this into a quilt? Using graph paper, of course.
Assign the squares of the graph paper a size like 1" or 2" per square. Draw and color your idea in squares, rectangles or triangles. To translate that into fabric to be sewn, add 1/2" to any square or rectangle measurement. For example a 1 x 2 rectangle, becomes 1 1/2" x 2 1/2". Triangles must be figured as squares and 7/8" added to them and then cut once on the diagonal. Sew it together row by row--Sometimes you may find that you have a seam you must sew in partially. We can help you with that. Bring it in for help!
Now if you want to be even simpler, you could use fusible web and just fuse your piece together. We carry several different types of fusible. Once you create your picture or block, just quilt it down or zigzag all the edges.
Lots of times we forget how to play and just have fun. It is a huge stress reliever. And guess what? Just because we have drawn and colored and figured doesn't mean the piece needs to be made!!! It goes into your brain and pops out some other way just when you need it. It is kinda like exercise--you do it because you know that it's good for your body.
Well, playing is good for the soul and spirit so HAVE FUN and PLAY!
Monday, August 26, 2013
New classes!
Have you got our newsletter yet? It's full of classes to learn new techniques. Don't be afraid to try something new....we'll make sure you understand everything and we'll encourage you all along the way. Here is a picture (a little blurry) of the Jelly Bargello. Helen McWilliams and Cathy had a private lesson to remember how to do bargello. They used a Hoffman 1895 batik bali pop. Didn't it come out stupendous. This method saves you the fabric selection and the initial cutting. The first class is scheduled for October 17th and 24th. If you have a desire for a class in the evening, just let us know and we'll get one scheduled!
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Jelly Bargello!
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Jelly Bargello!
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