What Are You Working On? is for all things hand-made, home-made, and creative in a variety of mediums.
Several weeks ago there was a
DK Quilt Diary that asked how many projects do you have unfinished. I posted that I had 3 unfinished quilting projects and was working on all three. Then, one afternoon, I cleaned up a bit in my quilting area. Finding several more projects that I had started and put aside for more urgent, deadline oriented projects: VA Quilts, Warmth for Vets, Hats & Scarves for an Orphanage, Baby Quilts, etc. All of these took priority. They all had a deadline. I looked at the pile of projects, mostly fiber oriented (but writing as well) and contemplated the concept of where do we find time to work on projects that have no deadline.
Below is a lap quilt for us that I finally finished after two years.
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Some of the projects I've never finished are from classes I've taken. You know, the ones at quilt conferences, where you get maybe half the project done and bring everything home, meaning to finish it in the next week, and then a year later all the parts are still in the folder, nothing more done on them. And there are the projects that I get discouraged on. I started a tumbling block quilt for a girlfriend. All those Y seams. Got about 1/3 done and put away. And then there are the projects that just get set aside because so many other things have higher priority -- i.e. a deadline.
That was the case in the throw above. I started it two years ago and only finally finished the binding this week. Too many other things with deadlines coming in between. Another project below that has been at least two years in the making got finished a couple of weeks ago.
It still has to be framed of course, but at least the needlework is finished. The pattern is from the American Needlework's Guild.
How about you? How do you motivate yourself to finish a project without any deadline?