At posting! I come home in the evening after working a long day, and either die (after putting a frozen pizza in the oven) or spend a couple hours working on a customer's quilt with no time for my own. I don't know how you other working girls do it, how do you keep up, how do you find time for your OWN projects?
I thought I'd have morning time..after all my first client isn't until 10am, but wait...there are linens to wash from the day before, and dry and fold, and the house needs cleaning, and I need to leave 45 minutes before the time I need to be there for work to allow for traffic etc...there goes my morning quilting time!
What to do what to do? How can I get myself out of this slump. I feel like kicking myself out of my own blog ring because I can't live up to the parameters we set on keeping blogs current!
I did piece ONE block, for a block lotto I do with a small group. That felt good, and shoot, it only took me about 20 minutes to piece it, so why can't I find 20 minutes a day? I am supposed to be the organized one.....
Other news...I am saying good bye to my living room furniture because DH and son decided they want a POOL TABLE! *gasp* So, the living room doesn't really have much living going on in it anyway, we use the family room for that, but I did have it set up very victorian and was a great place to display my quilts. I've got two nice wingback chairs in there (one will go to our bedroom) some beaded glass lamps, a pedestal duncan fife table, a queen anne style camel back sofa with claw feet and a really nice coffee table with leaded glass inserts also with claw feet...and my hinterberg 3 rail quilt frame (that I will admit, only gets used for quilt DISPLAY as I don't like to sit at it anyway.
I also have an antique radio cabinet that I think can be moved to the front hall, but the treadle machine cabinet with the eastlake door on it? (this one doesn't have the treadle visible, the whole thing folds up into itself and it looks like a table) is going to have to go somewhere too?
I guess the quilts can STAY on the WALLS at least!? And if I have a pool table, I have a place where I can lay out blocks?? I'm not sure hubby and son will be happy with little thread bits all over their felt table surface! *LOL*
I'm counting down the days to the family reunion in MN. I haven't seen my mom in 4 years. That is way too long. She lives in Idaho, I live in South Carolina. Neither of us live in an easy to get to place without many layovers at airports, neither of us by a najor hub airport so it makes travel expensive. I know it's no excuse. Need to remedy that, so I am going to be at the family reunion to see my mom with both of my boys.
I guess I better get those massage table linens in the dryer and get this day going. I've got about 1 hour before I have to leave for the clinic....what can I sew? hurry! Help me get inspired!
Bonnie
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
22 comments:
If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.
Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.
Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It's called a wonderful husband who is perfectly content to do 95% of the housework while I sit and sew!
ReplyDeleteI know I couldn't do it without it, I tried with my first husband and it was impossible, I wore myself ragged and felt totally shut-down as an artist.
Maybe change your routine? Try getting up 30 minutes early and start those linens as you're drinking your coffee, etc? I've been know to rise at 4:30 to sew because there just weren't enough hours in the day and I can't keep my eyelids open past 9pm no matter what time I rise!
Good luck, let us know what works.
(And my email reply doesn't work...I can't figure how to fix it!)
Bonnie---I think it's just called LIFE!
ReplyDeleteWe get so involved there's just no way we can get everything done that we want to.
My wonderful DH told somebody the other day "our house is cluttered, but it doesn't matter 'cause Mama is happy". I took it as a compliment.
Just do what you can...the rest doesn't matter.
I, too, have a House Husband. Well, seasonally, I guess! My husband is a retired teacher; in the summer he paints for a sorority at Purdue, so I try to break my winter habit and do more at home. But, in the winters, I come home to clean laundry, a clean house, and often dinner ready, or at least the preliminaries started, so I can jump in and finish the meal.
ReplyDeleteI also live about 4 minutes from my office, so my lunch hour is "mental health" time. I just come home and sew to my heart's content.
And, my Dad always said, "the things you make important are the things that you'll get done."
Working outside the home and doing the creative things you want to do for yourself is HARD. Sometimes you just feel the working day has sucked all the creativity out of you and you're so tired that you can't be bothered to start anything because if you did you'd want to finish it and you know time won't allow for that. So maybe the answer is to set small goals like a block a night or something - those small achievements do add up in the end, but you just can't do everything.
ReplyDeleteHang in there Bonnie, When you build up your clients you can say that you only work on thursday and friday ( for example) .. and then you can plan your time.. It is now so allunexpected when you need to go to the clinic, how many hours etc.etc. You feel that you run behind.. Maybe it is now the time that you need to choose which days you work and which not.. That will give rest , I am sure :-)
ReplyDeleteHughs , lucy ( who is counting down for the trip to the US and you !)
I wish I had some magic answer for you. Then maybe I'd get out of my own quilty slump. I have started getting up just 30 minutes earlier and making that MY time. Right now that time is being spent getting my quilting "stuff" in order. Then I have a small quilt I want to handquilt so I plan to baste that this weekend and will spend my 30 minutes each morning on that. It's not much but it's a start. So pick something that's important to you and maybe give yourself 30 minutes each morning to make 1 or 2 blocks and pretty soon you'll have a completed top.
ReplyDeleteBonnie - you poor thing - juggling work, life and quilting is hard and you probably did more than most even before you started on the massage line - maybe you should rationalise - for example do you have to launder the linen yourself - could you get it done for you and maybe it's tax deductible as a business expense. Sometimes you have to try and think outside the box. It really is the worst though when you can wheedle a little window of time to be creative and then can't find inspiration - you are an inspiration to so many hope we can all help you through this
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that it will all fall into place soon. Don't pull yourself from the ring girl...we've all been in a spot once and a while. So what if you end up posting once a week while you get settled. I think we've all been there!
ReplyDeleteSiobhan
Give yourself time Bonnie, it will all eventually work itself out. Once you get yourself established you will be more able to prioritize your time with both your job and home life. Hang in there and Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat can you do at work? between clients, on your lunch?
ReplyDeleteI pieced a log cabin using the quilt in a day method mostly on my lunch...
I cut squares (for the first two rounds) and stripped the rest, pinned a dark square to a light
went home sent them through the machine, poressed them, brought them back to work, pinned the next round to the 2 patch - whacked off the extra (QIAD method) and repeated until my blocks were done in about a week....
Applique is also fairly "doable" at work....
NOT working is how I get quilting done. But that's not going to help you. You aren't working one full time job, you are working TWO! Do you just do your linens or all the linens for the whole place. It's a thought to have extra and sent them out once a week or so.
ReplyDeleteHope you get it figured out soon.
Personally I think your on the right track - frozen pizza! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad your ok and have a great time at the reunion. Hang in there - you'll get it figured out for you eventually!
Lucy's got a great idea of eventually just working at the clinic a couple of days a week.
ReplyDeleteCan you reduce the amount you long-arm? Limit it to quilts you enjoy working on with fun quilting rather than routine stuff?
Glad to see you post and glad you've been away cuz you're just busy. Hope you find a place to put all your living room treasures.
I'm so glad you posted because I've been worried about you. Your lack of posting lately is not your usual behavior. Now I understand why. I guess it's a good thing your massage business is keeping your busy, but having no time to quilt is really a bummer. Maybe nows the time to try some folk art appliqué as you can carry that with you everywhere. I know you've been wanting to try it. Even if you aren't quilting please drop by a couple times a week to let us know you are OK and still alive.
ReplyDeleteI guess it could be worse, though... just imagine if you were desperately trying to get massage clients and nobody was taking you?
ReplyDeleteThat 45 minutes drive there and back - that's a large part of the day - would you ever be able to find space for massage closer to your home? *giggles* perhaps on the new pool table?
I think I'd get a big piece of flannel to spread on the table to catch all your threads. Make it easier to pack all your bits up and move them quickly too!
Boy! Lots of good advice for you, Bonnie. Just know that it happens to all of us...at some point...for whatever the reasons. Please do not pull yourself from your own Maverick Ring!
ReplyDeleteYou are a busy gal after all, so blogging is probably not highest priority. You are working hard, so don't be hard on yourself about keeping current blog wise.
ReplyDeleteAs for the living room, in a few years you may just get it back !
Hi Bonnie, nice to see you back in blogland. It has been awhile..LOL. It's gotta be hard to have that many demands on your time. Given time(no pun intended) you'll get it figured out. So glad you are getting to see your mom this summer and especially with your sons there too!! As a mom, I can tell you, we really do appreciate the effort..*VBS*
ReplyDeleteBonnie,
ReplyDeleteGive yourself credit for the block you made. Anything that you do is progress.
Changing the living room around is a good idea. I too had a formal living room - although it sounds like you did quilty things in it - and I converted it into a sewing room, although it continues to disguise as a living room. Using the space you have is always good rather than fitting someone's idea of "should."
Bonnie, you have my complete sympathy and understanding. I recently took a new job and am working WAY more hours than I was used to and am now struggling to find time to quilt. It will all work out in the end.......eventually! Will just take us some time to adjust! Meanwhile, don't run yourself TO ragged!
ReplyDeleteBonnie,
ReplyDeleteI can totally sympathize. That's why I told my friends I was in a "I hate piecing" mood. But it passes, and you find the time. It just takes a little while. You have a lot on your plate right now. Relax.
I know how you feel after working all day, making dinner and keeping the board of health from coming through the door, there is little time for quilting...
ReplyDelete