no, not the junk in the trunk kind. i'm talking the overcommitted, stressed out, and feeling a little crazy kind. i am feeling way over my head in sewing deadlines+obligations at the moment. deadlines+obligations i have brought upon myself by joining swaps+bees -- why do i do this to myself?!
i LOVE blogging and being a part of the online community! but sometimes these self imposed obligations get a little stressful and quite frankly take the fun right out of sewing+quilting. you know what i mean?
so i'll just be over here, trying to get caught back up -- digging myself out of my sewing area. :)
anyone else feeling overcommitted at the moment? what helps you get caught back up?
xo, megan.
Take your time - no stress here. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm behind I send Wally out to the movies with his brothers and Allie to stay overnight at my mother in law's and spend a few hours (I like to work late into the night) jamming to some music and sewing up a storm. Also, go ahead and hit "delete all posts" on your google reader. Whew, one less thing. :)
I am also feeling the stress of overcommittment.
ReplyDeleteThat stinks! I'm not currently overcommitted but when I am, I like making a list with all my due dates, then make a note of how difficult each task is. It helps me see it written out, scheduled and ranked. Then I start the hard stuff, maybe work on it for a little while then take a break and start something small that I can finish. Maybe pick up the hard thing again or start something else. Good Luck!!
ReplyDeleteyes...YES...YES!! There are sooo many good things to do in Blogland...for charities and for blog friends and neighbors. There are so-sew many QALs and SALs and then, there are all the give-aways and blogHOPS. I get SEW easily distracted and I want to help in ALL the ways possible. Then, I fall short of my commitments and end up beating myself over the brow with....well, a (floppy) measuretape.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing some MAJOR organizing...that reaches into several rooms over several thousand sq feet of house. Not to mention, family and at home office work. But, it's sooo hard to give up blogging and the internet. It's my window to the world in many ways. I have cut back in the last several weeks...only doing 2-3 posts. And, I've not been able to answer all comments, which saddens be a bit too.
But, YOU have a wonderful blog!!! I am abSEW-LOOT-ly...pause-IT-tively sure that there will LOTS (LOTs and LOTS) of us here waiting with open arms (lap-tops)...when YOU decide life has cleared a path for you to come back. =)
hugZ,
annie
anniesrubyslipperz.com
I've had that feeling before, not fun at all. I hope you can focus and work your way out of it. Maybe make a list of all your commitments in the order they are due and then start at the top.
ReplyDeleteI now try to only take on one swap at a time. Much better for my stress levels, we do this for fun, right? :-)
Ah man, it sucks to feel that way. When I feel that way I usually take a break and do something totally unrelated. It helps to clear my head and help me re-focus instead of feeling frantic and overwhelmed. Typically I'll go for a hike or take a good book and hit a coffee shop for a nice cup of tea an some mellow music. :) Hope you're all caught up soon. I enjoy checking on your blog and feel inspired by you.
ReplyDeleteI get behind all the time. I end up not answering email/comments. Then I spend a day in my sewing room and get about 1/2 of what I wanted to get done, done! Just remember, you started this because you love it, so remember to do just what you love. the rest will take care of itself.
ReplyDeleteYes, just posted about that...my sewing room is a mess at the moment, purging...and I have projects that need to get done...sometimes for me, a cup of tea, and a stare out the window at the woods brings some calm, and remembering that it all works out in the end...
ReplyDeleteHope you can relax...
Cindy
Absolutely! I missed the boat on the Modern Mini, joined the half square triangle BOM and Craftsy BOM, not to mention I'm participating in the Covert Robin swap and work a full time job that keeps me away from my sewing machine 11 hours a day! I'd rather work 4 days a week please, so I have more time for sewing!!
ReplyDeleteI feel it too! I get bummed when I can't participate in everything i'd like to, but then when the stress hits, the quilting becomes less fun and thats not what I want either.. usually a day of completely closing myself off to the world gets me back on track :) good luck!
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ReplyDelete...well whatever you do, don't ever get a longarm..actually it's not that bad, I do love it....but am WAY behind on customer quilts and I'm talking way behind! We all definitely need to remember why we started quilting and to stay fun with it!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it!!! Just wrap these up and set a limit to swaps in the future. :)
ReplyDeleteErr, yeah, I know what you mean! I think I need a swap break for a wee while too!
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel for you. I've just finished a pillow for the swap - it took forever and unfortunately was not that much fun by the time I was finishing. My decision now is to stay away from swaps and just enjoy sewing for myself.
ReplyDeleteI've joined up to a few things, but the deadlines aren't until the end of the month so I make plans and schedules up as I go. I'm new to quilting as well so haven't really had the confidence to join swaps/bees/challenges. I think I'm in 2 things or so. Along with those all the other things I'm making are on a nice neat list so I know what I have to make and keep my weekends open for maximum sewing time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to work the early shift so I get home at 2 which gives me until dinner time to sew something together. =D
Yes! I definitely feel it right now. When things get crazy, I will make a mental list (sometimes a physical list) of the things I have to do and their respective deadlines and I will pick the thing that has to be done first and just work on it until it is done (rather than working on multiple projects at once). This takes a lot of discipline for me, but it sure feels good to actually cross things off of a list.
ReplyDeleteum, yeah. i wish i knew the answer ;(
ReplyDeleteDefinitely know what you mean! I have two swap deadlines in the next few days. I have a new book on CD to listen to so that helps me sew more since I get caught up in the story. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah. I joined my first swaps in January (three at once -mistake!) And the swoonalong. And I have commissions I need to get done. It's under control now, but Feb was a very tense month. I had been flitting between projects but that made me stress more, so I ended up tackling each one until it was done - having finishes made it feel better and I was much more focussed only working on one at a time. You'll be fine - maybe prioritize and see if some can be left till later?
ReplyDeleteLOVE Emily's reply up there. Pretty much the same thing I do. Crank up the music or some really good episodes of This American Life and just get it done. (I just finished her block today - eek)
ReplyDeleteI spent way too many months stressed about deadlines like these, which is why I stopped joining most of the swaps and only continue with the one bee. It's nice to have a year with not much obligation and lots of time to do your own thing before joining back up.
I so know what you mean, I only posted resently I was going to stop blogging because I was feeling so behind, mostly in housework. SO yes, take time and get caught up so you can come back out to play with the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way right now. I was going to join the NY BEauty QAL today and finally had a talking with myself. "No more QAL until you are caught up", that's what I said to myself. I felt a peaceful feeling and a cloud lifted off of my self-imposed deadlines! Ah, take a breath and relax, it does a sewist good!
ReplyDeleteYup, I'm so feeling the same way. I'm trying to finish all the things that are lying around before starting anything else. Sure, this means that I don't always see a lot of progress on things everyday, but wrapping up the little odds and ends makes a difference in time.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. I'm just trying to finish what I have already started which means having to give up or put off projects I really want to do. It's the only way I know to relieve some pressure.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! What helps me get caught up? STAYING OFF THE COMPUTER! :))))
ReplyDelete~ Lynda
Uh, Yes! The story of my life for the past two months. I can't wait for all these swaps to be over. I think a little self restraint is in order. :) that and i'm ready to do a lot of ” me sewing”. a good friend of mine gave me the idea today to sort all the good swaps and bees into 1-must join, 2- make it for myself, or 3- just say no. lol. Sounds like a lot of people are at this point right now. If you figure it out, let me know! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes! You are not alone. I am feeling the same way.
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