All over the country, quilters knew that Super Bowl Sunday also leaves 6 or more hours for glorious stitching – either by sewing as they watch the festivites at home (or not!) or gathering with other quilters to sew and eat and watch (or not watch) or to do as we did – gathered at The Gathering Place retreat in Crosby, Texas for a very fun Box Kite workshop day from the Addicted to Scraps book and enjoy our own endless buffet of goodies that filled the kitchen to over flowing!
Let’s face it. Class was only from noon until 6pm and there was still loads of game time left after we were done. We could do it all, have it all, and keep on quilting through it all!
Yes, someone even brought smoked brisket. This is TEXAS, Y'all! We need SERIOUS eats when we sew!
This was our retreat house classroom!
And there was ample space for 24 quilters to spend the day!
Usually the retreat house holds 10 retreaters, 2 large bedrooms with 5 twin beds each, 2 1/2 baths, a full kitchen, TV and wifi ready for your every retreating comfort. We converted the large sewing area for our classroom space on Sunday because most churches where guilds meet don’t have the availability for a Sunday class.
Cutting with the Essential Triangle Tool!
Mother and Daughter sewing together -
And 3 out of 4 sisters too!
Melissa brought her En Provence!
And I love her back!
You can’t see it from here I don’t think, but the main fabric is the “monopoly money” print. SO FUN!
You can find the rest of our day in the slide show below. Enjoy!
Fill in corner #4 is ON the Mothership!
I finished adding this section while watching the conclusion of the Harry Potter Marathon from my hotel room. But even before that…After being dropped back off after dinner I discovered that there is a Cracker Barrel next door. No, I didn’t go there to eat, but when given the chance to browse, I can find some pretty cool things, even clothes sometimes.
What’s a girl to do when it is still early and she has no wheels?
I bought a sign for the NEW Quilt Villa VA!
We close on the new Quilt Villa in just about 6 weeks. I’m going to have a “REAL” Laundry room, not just a closet with a bi-fold door in the kitchen.
This is my first “Cabin Warming’ gift for the start of our new adventure. And it was 25% off. What can I say? When I shop I still love a bargain?
Today may have some bargains in store, too. The guild girls will be here shortly to pick me up. We are driving to Alvin to wander around and do some antiquing and enjoy lunch out before my presentation at the guild meeting tonight. (And…I get to share the now rectangular hexie quilt as part of my lecture.)
One of the conversations we had in the car the other night on the way from the airport was feeling like you are spinning your wheels on projects and just dabbling here and there, but not really making any progress. “How do you get it all done?” folks often ask.
And that is where today’s Quiltville Quote comes into play:
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
I find that GOAL + DEADLINE = MOTIVATION! For me it’s deadlines that keep me on track. The projects that don’t have deadlines just don’t seem to mean as much to me and they can languish or even be forgotten about while I fritter off eager to try the next thing that tickles my fancy.
Keeping track of my progress, and making short term goals of which units I’m working on next, kitting them up so they are ready to sew, planning my time to keep making progress helps me KEEP making progress.
How do you stay motivated on a project? Share in the comments section below!
Have a terrific Monday, everyone!
21 comments:
I LOVE finishes, so I stay motivated by anticipating the final moments of binding--then, voila! Happiness when I look at the finished quilt! :)
Borders and Quilting back up my Progress. I try not to just do Blob of Borders. Piecing them takes more MATH and effort. A Goal is always good, having a reason to finish for Guild each month motivates me. Getting my Bonnie Quilts done for Show and Tell at the May PNW Retreat is my Current Motivation!!!
HI, Bonnie. Having something finished (or 2 or 3 somethings) for my monthly club meeting is my best motivator.
Christine from Ontario
I love to give quilts to charity auctions and of course to family members who love them. But quilts are expensive to make so in order to be able to gift some I must also sell some to pay for the gifting. That keeps me motivated to get those done and in a manner that makes someone want the finished project. There's my motivation. And there are so-o-o-o-o-o many on my bucket list but I won't start another until I have one finished and I am working on two or three all the time because of leaders and enders. Needless to say, the Bonnie Hunter quilts are my favorites to make.
My LQ group has a yearly challenge. We have 60 days to complete a project that is selected from a roll of the die. We all agree, peer pressure is a great motivator. Agreed GOAL + DEADLINE = MOTIVATION!
Wowow, that looks like such fun!!! Going to tackle this pattern for sure. Ever realize... we all work up intense appetites when we quilt together... food is quilting fuel!!! And quilters make great food dishes and snacks.
Love the smiles
JuileinTN
Hi bonnie
It is hard to stay focused on projects when there are so many quilts out there.
My best idea is just work on a project for a little bit everyday and
You will make progrest. Thanks for your euthsiasm and motivation
It sure keeps me going sew sew sew! Ursula
I mentioned on another comment that my guild has a "bucket list" challenge. I am in the midst of completing my list (due at March meeting). But first, I am going to a retreat next week, and because 2/20 is President's Day, the retreat goes for FIVE days!! So I am pulling out things that can be finished during that time - with one new project (because a friend's daughter just announced her wedding in early June! Yikes!)
Box quilts look like fun - but I must finish some other things first!! Hope you find something fun while antiquing today, Bonnie.
Such fun!! ALVIN!!! That is where I spent 5th grade - High School and met my Sweet Man of 33 years. Glad you are back in Texas and enjoyed the guild girls. The laundry room sign is great! Very excited for Quilt Villa VA. Hugs, Allison C. Bayer, Plano, Texas USA.
Hi Bonnie, I haven't quilted for a year and a half due to an accident, so I started in Nov, on Mq and am just finishing up the borders, then I will start putting it all together, meanwhile, my challenge for this year and next is to make some lap size quilts for my "family" members, and there are a lot of family members, so keeping that in mind I will try to make a quilt a month for the next couple of years, but I have already asked members for colors and type of décor they have in their homes, so that I will have something to choose from and give them something that they won't "stick in a closet". I have one mountains majesty 1 playing with Jacks, and who knows what else, the colors are bought and the sewing will start, I will also have a baby quilt, two quilt of valor, and so far 2 wedding quilts. Needless to say I have quite a challenge in store for me. I want to get it all done as soon as I can, as I have macular degen, in both eyes, and I really don't know how long I will be able to see, but I'm taking advantage of all I can do now!
Having the ability to post weekly on the linkup my progress on your latest mystery quilt kept me on target. And I'm really glad you waited so long for the final linkup. :)
My current motivation is to finish Texas Tumbleweeds and Razzle Dazzle by Feb 22 when I will be taking a class with Bonnie in Denton, TX.
I am currently working on several bindings. I have been binge watching old quilt cams to keep me motivated. It has really helped. Quilting with friends at retreats or at home always keeps me motivated as well. Thanks for all you do.
Rhonda
I am currently working on several bindings. I have been binge watching old quilt cams to keep me motivated. It has really helped. Quilting with friends at retreats or at home always keeps me motivated as well. Thanks for all you do.
Rhonda
I love working on so many different projects. They are all different techniques and are at different stages. But, I do get most finishes completed because of deadlines. Whether is be for a donation ar a class or even a gift deadlines definitely motivate me...
Hi Bonnie:
I am usually working on several projects, and sometimes I do find it hard to finish any of them. Having a goal and a deadline is what works for me, also. I belong to another online group that for the first six months of this year, we have chosen six projects, named them, and assigned them a number. This list was then given to our leader, who draws a different number each month. That number corresponding to your project is the project you are to work on that month. You take a before picture, and a finished picture. For each project you finish, you get your name put in for a drawing at the end of six months. SO, this year,. I hope to end up with less than I started with. Of course, En Provence is one of my six projects to finish this year.
Donna
Kasilof, AK
Where the days are sunning and bright, the nights clear and cold!
No matter how many goals I set for myself I am always distracted by the next exciting project to start. So many starts and not enough finishes. Sad to say I have over 55 UFO's and counting. I really need help.
I always have at least 5 projects going at one time.So I take progress pics on my phone to review for later.I also give myself 1 day/week to work primarily on just one for at least 3 hr.(usually Sunday afternoon while hubby is watching football.) Sometimes I just want to see its completion...like En Provence!
I set easy goals for this year-work on a project for 1 week, then if not done and I am not tired of it, continue the next week. I have ADD and get bored easily-this way I have a fresh project to play with each week! So far, have finished bindings on 4 quilts, a tote bag from last year, gotten the borders on 3 tops that are now ready to go to the quilters and made napkins for my daughter to take to work with her lunch! That's about twice as much as I got done all last year (of course, some "life happened" last year to derail for a while!)
Love the music with the slide show....great to work out to for a short time!
I absolutely LOVE the hexie quilt. I have been watching your progress and am amazed at how much you got done. Are you calling it completed or are you still going to make it larger. You are my inspiration in piecing quilts and making hexies. I love hexies and love making them, they are my warm weather and my on the go grab bag. I have not seen one of our quilts that I have not fallen in love with. I admire how you can take small snippets of fabric and make vduvh beautiful quilts. A huge thank you for all you do, you are truly appreciated b many.
This year I decided I had to start getting things finished! I have so many UFO's at this point that I refuse to count. It seems like I get easily distracted by the next cool project. So, I cleaned out my sewing area and put away all the projects I was working on into storage except 4. These 4 are in various stages right now, A quilt for my son sandwiched and ready for quilting, my En Provance Quilt in the process of piecing, a group of card tricks blocks ready to have sashings added to become a quilt top and I am still working on a Katja Mereck Millefiori quilt that is hand pieced so I can always work on that whenever I can't get to my machine. This way I am never bored because I can switch between the different projects, but am still getting them finished. Also, I printed or drew out pictures of the finished products and have them hanging over the sewing machine to provide inspiration and keep me focused. I've just started this system, but so far it is working for me. As I finish projects I can pull out others from my stash of UFO's.
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