Tuesday, October 2, 2012

15 Minute Challenge - October 2nd

Some weeks finding time to sew is a lot more challenging than others.  Other times it's the motivation that is lacking.  There's that new book that I'd much rather read or I'm just too tired to climb the stairs to the sewing room.  I started challenging myself to sew just 15 minutes a night because if I let the recliner seduce me into a nap or I don't make an effort to find the time when we are busy, my mood will gradually deteriorate until I'm just not a fun person to live with anymore.  For me that 15 minutes of sewing time each night isn't really about trying to finish that next quilt or use up the stash I can't seem to stop expanding, though those are nice side benefits.  It's really all about finding some quiet time where my "analytical" side can rest while the "creative" side gets to come out and play.   These weekly posts are another "incentive" to keep me going, as I tend to be better about following through if I have to fess up to my activity level (or lack there of) on the blog.  

Where am I going with all of this?  It's October and the end of the year will be here before we know it.  So before Drama Teen's science fair experiments take over our weekends and the holiday frenzy starts up, I'm trying to decide if the 15 Minute Challenge needs to be just tweaked a bit or completely remodeled for next year.  I've focused on just documenting the days I sew for at least 15 minutes.  Mainly because it makes a nice graph (it seems I can't quite completely shut down the analytical side).   I don't really want to make it a goal driven, because that's not really my focus for the 15 minutes.  The Monday design wall posts already document my weekly progress on projects.  Any suggestions? 

Oh I guess I should add this week's report.  It wasn't a bad week. 



I managed to find my 15 minutes for 5 out of the last 7 days.  It's going to be harder this week  to find sewing time as I have an evening work event one night and preparations for the school fun night at least two other evenings this next week. 

How did you do on finding some time to sew?  


1. Kate
2. Amanda
3. Thea
4. libbyQ
5. Lesley

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8 comments:

Kate said...

Hmm, I don't know how I would change it! For me, since I sew all day, I make mine goal driven (organize the stash, hand sew binding, etc) because that forces me to do things I don't like as much - but only for fifteen minutes. So completely opposite of you. But it still works to have the accountability!

Denise :) said...

But you know, losing yourself in a good read is just as good for giving the analytical side a rest, isn't it?! I keep the embroidery hoop by my seat so I can pick it up whenever I'm tempted to just sit and veg. I don't know that your FMC needs to be changed ... maybe just tweaked to include other creative options? :)

seabreezequilts said...

I can't think of any changes either, So I am no use to you. Yours is the blog post that is keeping my blog posts going otherwise there would be no blog posts and it forces me to think about what i have achieved in a week when I don't think I've really done all that much.

thea said...

I really love your challenge. There are many nights when I would just bag it and the challenge makes me do it, and once I start, it's never just 15 minutes. You had a great week.

libbyquilter said...

not a bad week at all~!

i managed to get my sewing time in each day of the week once again. it was much harder this week as we're building a fence and that seems to be stealing a lot of time and energy . . . but i did it~!

for me the 15 minutes has been a way to jog myself out of my daily routines and remember that i love (even need) to stitch.
like you, i can become not so nice if i don't take some slow breaths and move a needle through cloth for a while.
at the beginning of the year i thought that i needed to make a commitment to this challenge in order to establish the habit. it's been a great way to stay accountable and has indeed become a regular part of each day.
often i don't feel like i have time to blog but i make damn sure i have time to get my 15 minutes of daily sewing done. and yes, i very frequently get more than 15 minutes in once i get started.

:-)
libbyQ

Shay said...

I think we all suffer from sewing malaise at one time or another. I havent touched a sewing machine for over three weeks!

Sometimes priorities change or you just get too tired. It's all good , you'll get back to it and frankly you've achieved a lot this year in the way of finishes already!

And where has 2012 gone?

lesleyworth said...

Since I started working towards the 15 minute/day goal, I've been much happier. A block at a time, a bit of piecing, playing with fabric...all of it has definitely improved my mood during the day (and kept my blog going some weeks!! I don't know how you could change the challenge and still keep the original feeling behind it. Maybe add a little to it...15 minutes/day...but 1/week add something new in?

Lynne said...

It will be interesting to see what changes you make, if any!