I had an interesting experience today, one that I'm sure most of us have had. And the "interesting" I’m talking about wasn't of the "Wow, what an enlightening phenomenon that was!" sort. Rather, it was more in the realm of "Why don't you just shoot me now?" I went back to finish the blarticle I had started 3 weeks ago and couldn't find it in my computer. Did I not save it? When I put everything onto a zip drive did it not transfer? If so, what else didn't transfer? Is it in a different file? If you don't know the feeling I'm talking about, I promise that at some point in the future you will.
One would think that I would be able to recreate at least some of what I had written. Unfortunately one would be incorrect: I not only have no recollection of anything that I wrote, I can't even remember the general topic. And I think that, rather than attribute this blank in my memory to age and/or general obliviousness, I will blame it on the fact that a lot has been happening lately. Or perhaps the shortness of my memory is directly proportional to the quality of the lost blarticle fragment. Whatever—it's gone now.
And now that I think about it, maybe (meaning "I hope") I can blame the same spate of activity for the fact that I am feeling totally uncreative. Can't design, can't sew, can't anything, despite the fact that I have many, many, MANY projects that need work. And as you may already have noted, have nothing to say either, but I am determined to get something, (almost) anything, written before the end of the month. Which is tomorrow. And now that I think about it, many of my readers will be leaving for Quilt Festival in Houston just about the time this comes out. In this case, that might actually be a good thing!
What do we do when we can't create? I don't know what you do, but I usually go back to my formula of trying to get a few things off my UFO list. At this moment I have several quilt tops + backing + binding that are unquilted. (This count ignores the numerous tops without backing or binding—they're not even on the list.) Also fabric for 2 quilts for a pattern I've been working on. Also fabric cut and partially sewn for a quilt for my daughter's long-time boyfriend, which I will also use (the quilt, not the boyfriend) as a teaching tool for a class that's coming up. Oh, and I also need to rip out some quilting that I changed my mind about on a hand-appliquéd piece that I started quilting in April. Okay, so my usual practice is to finish stuff with a deadline first; after that I pick the one that's closest to being finished and just try to work my way through the pile. And in a fortuitous turn of events, the boyfriend/teaching top is actually a twofer—I need it pretty soon and it's also the easiest to finish ("finished" meaning the top only, which of course will add to the list of UFO's). But somehow this decision isn't doing it for me—I still have an overwhelming feeling of oppression. I hate to say it, but I think I just have too many tops + backs hanging in the shower stall of my second bathroom (meaning "waiting to be quilted.") (This might also explain why I have so few visitors, but that's another story. And really, when one lives alone in a house with very few closets, it's hard not to spread out to occupy all the available space.)
I guess drastic measures are called for here. I need to get quilting and I need to get sewing too, so what if I pinned one quilt for quilting and kept sewing on the other one too? The problem is that, unless one has a longarm machine, once the machine is set up for sewing, a lot has to be changed to switch to quilting. And vice versa. Hmm, I do have a backup sewing machine. And I have an extra table which will already be up if I pin. Do I really want the mental chaos of having a second machine set up in my living room? It's not as if I have a lot of company—it's mostly just my kids and they're kind of used to quilt-related chaos. Will it be a constant reminder of what's not done? If so, will that make me even crazier or will it spur me on to finish a few things? For sure the former, possibly the latter. Is it worth a try? Maybe. Do I have enough extension cords? I guess that means I'm going to try. And I guess what I learned today is that sometimes the best cure for inaction is action. Who'd a thought?
© 2011 Jane Hardy Miller
Comments
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Posted by Judy Momenzadeh on October 31st, 2011 at 4:31 a.m.First of all--I think the class using the boyfriend would be great; let me know where to sign up! Second--you eat an elephant the same way you eat an apple; one bite at a time. I think we work at such a frenzied pace that we get burned out; take a break and hit the refresh button.
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Posted by Deborah Tobis on October 30th, 2011 at 10:51 a.m.This story is one that I am very familiar with, I know the problem and I have a solution. There is just so much to do that nothing gets done; who knows where to start first when there are so many priorities... Yes, there is the desire to get to those priorities, but the motivation is in limbo. I don't seem to get anything done although I know that I am doing things, it just is not visible because it isn't what I intend to accomplish. So the things just stare at me whenever I pass by them. I have a new tactic, last night I made a list, (a very long list), and I plan to tackle them one by one, so far it's a big zero, but it's only noon and I have a full gloomy outside day ahead of me. Oh, I almost forgot to add the solution... Start something new; it sparks a new interest and stimulates the mind. Once the mind gets started, it increases the motivation to do other things, (sort of like starting a fire). Gotta get started now.... this blarticle was very motivating!