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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

15 Minute Challenge-Christmas in July Give Away

July is always a happy month for me.  My birthday is this month and my wedding anniversary is this month.  I'm on track with my quilting goals.  Plus this month the number of blogging buddies who follow this blog has reached and exceeded 50.  So a Christmas in July give away seemed to be an appropriate way to celebrate.  This is the first give away I've done, so I'm starting small.  There are 3 Christmas fabric charm packs up for grabs. 


The charms are Moda Flurry by Kate Spain, Moda Grace by 3 Sisters and Moda Fa-la-la-la-la by French General. 

So what do you have to do to have a chance at a charm pack?  Since this is the 15 Minute Challenge day, write a comment that discusses your biggest barrier to finding time to sew and ways (if any) you've found to deal with it.  I'll pick 3 winners using a random number generator and each will get one charm pack.  I'll post the winners next Tuesday. 

So how did you do on managing your sewing time this last week?  I actually did pretty well considering how much we had going on this weekend, managing at least 15 minutes of sewing room time every day the over the last 7 days.



Most of my time went to cutting out the pieces for the Flurry quilt.  But I also wanted to get back on track dealing with some other sewing room chores such as scanning new fabrics into the computer, pressing washed fabric and cutting up left over fabric scraps into for some as yet unidentified scrap quilt project.  I try to spend a few minutes at the start of my time in the sewing room catching up on one of those chores. 

Share your success (or woes) in finding time to sew by linking up. 

21 comments:

  1. I sew everyday for clients and have a hard time time finding time to sew for FUN! I have a mentally handicapped sister in hospice with cancer that I care for so even client work takes more time that normal. But my angel of a daughter and wonderfully and understanding husband help me find the time even in short spurts that helps relieve the daily stresses of life. Thanks for the chance to win adn GOod Luck everyone.

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  2. My biggest obstacle is letting myself get distracted by other things. (Like reading quilting blogs - LOL) I have started making a list each night of the top 5 things I want to accomplish related to sewing the next day. It does seem to be helping some. I also am itching to start a particular new project, but have forbidden myself to even cut out the first block until I finish the binding on my son's quilt and get this weeks Embroidery 101 block finished. Sometimes you just have to do the "tough love" thing to yourself :)
    Thanks for the chance to win and congrats on all your July celebrations.

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  3. I used to just lay around and do nothing, now I have to work on something crafty for 15 minutes before I allow myself to hang around..works so far...
    And don´t ever say that three charm packs is small start - I wish I could ever gat my hand on just one!!! They are almost impossible to get in Germany.

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  4. First Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary!
    I try to sew at least a little Mon-Sat but during gardening season it's almost impossible. I feel lucky if I get to sew 3 days.
    I'm pretty much a daily reader and enjoy your "pieces" of life. I just recently figured out (not very computer savy) how to comment and actually have it show up. So I'm not sure what my settings are as for replies, I'll try to figure it out. If I can't please keep sharing.

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  5. OOPPS! I forgot to say thanks for the chance to win!

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  6. What a fantastic - not in the least bit 'small' - giveaway!
    My primary barrier would probably be my 'need' to read what everyone else is up to, lol. I Love seeing the possibilities and options, and am often inspired many times a day(!), however this doesn't usually leave me time to do much craft-wise (most of the daytime is also taken up playing and learning with my very active 3yo). My other vice is definitely watching 'my shows' (on dvd) on the computer as the only time I get to watch them is in the evening when Dad is home - and thus of course the tv show selection is his, lol.
    My current way of trying to deal with this is beginning this 15min a day journey (first week just gone, posted and link-ied) and this has at least made me think to do some crocheting or a small quilt block while watching a movie. I've also found some good podcasts that I can play on my old ipod which have kept my mind entertained while I sewed this week. Just trying new things - need to if I ever want to get anything done!
    Happy Birthday and Anniversary!! Wishing you all the best!

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  7. Happy Birthday & Happy Anniversary!

    Although I haven't officially joined the 15 min challenge via tracking the time, I have been making an effort to get in the room and sew.

    I'm doing a couple things to give me "time". First is setting a kitchen timer for 15-20 minutes and be in that room. Then, I am also recording some shows so that I am watching/sewing. Finally, I reward myself with some time in the room - very effective after spending a couple hours going through stuff/shredding/etc.

    Liz

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  8. My biggest challenge has been the daughter who has been living with us while completing grad school and beginning her first job. Now that she is working full time, I can usually find more time to be in the family room quilting without having to listen to the tv. I knew this was only temporary, so I basically just waited it out. She'll be moving into her own place next month.

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  9. Happy birthday, anniversary, and 50 followers! :)
    I shouldn't really have any obstacles to sewing, since I stay at home and the house really doesn't take that much time to keep clean. I thought it would be harder in the summer, but my little guy is very good about doing his chores so he gets computer time and I get sewing time. That makes the cats the biggest obstacles. They make it hard to get off the couch when they snuggle, and they will do their best to thwart sewing by sitting on the fabric. Pains. ;)

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  10. When my children were in school, I would sew when they're not home. Once summer starts, I sew and try to keep up with whatever movies they wanted to watch.

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  11. My biggest barrier to sewing time is my four-year-old son. Sometimes a great idea comes to me in the middle of the day and I have to wait until he is sleeping to sew. I have a job which I work while he is sleeping also. I divide the time as best as I can. I tend to join quiltalongs and block swaps and such because they are just "one more block". I can fit them in and still end up with a quilt. Thanks for the chance to win the giveaway! I LOVE Flurry!

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  12. My biggest barrier to sewing time is me. I just don't want to get up and do it. However, last night my excuse was that the devil cat had plopped himself right down in the middle of my cutting mat and I couldn't continue. You may ask why I don't move him .. but he is called the devil cat for good reason .... Congrats on the 50 followers! and Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary, too!!

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  13. Congrats on 50 followers and happy birthday and anniversary. It's my birthday this month too.
    I have two barriers that really stop me sewing. The first one is the computer. I love reading blogs and finding inspiration, but I have so many ideas I don't know where to start. The second, I love playing with fabric and take hours sorting through my stash and deciding on which fabric to use. I don't think your give away is small at all, it's a great give away.

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  14. Happy Birthday/Anniversary and 50 followers Kate.

    I know how much you LOVE cutting fabric so this week has been full of achievements!

    Seriously at the moment my biggest barrier to sewing is falling asleep on the lounge every night. Maybe I should get off my butt and go straight to the sewing room after dinner!

    (or start sewing when I wake up at 5am!)

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  15. My biggest barrier is tiredness. If I am tired I just can't get it all together to sew and I usually give in to it. So the next day I can get on with it. Usually it isn't a good thing for me to sew when I am tired anyway.

    Love Flurry I have a layer cake that I am planning on doing something with in the near future.

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  16. Happy Birthday, Anniversary and 50 Followers! A giveaway is such a nice idea. Because I sew at my kitchen table and leave my stuff out all the time, it's usually pretty easy to get going. And having multiple projects gives me the variety I need.

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  17. These past three days a heavy head cold has stopped me from sewing!

    My secret is - retirement; no kids at home and most of the day home alone! I think that might be a bit drastic for many of your readers though!

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  18. Congratulations to reaching the 50 follower mark, and happy birthday and anniversary. My dh's birthday is this month too.

    I think my biggest barrier this time of year is the heat. I find it difficult to get things done when it's hot, and have been trying to get my all my work and errands done in the morning. By afternoon I am zapped. That's actually where the 15 minute challenge has been my biggest boon.

    I tell myself I can do something for 15 minutes and then rest again for 30 before doing anything else. In those 15 minute periods this week I managed to get bills paid, laundry done, and some sewing done too. Thanks Kate!

    And thanks for the chance to enter your contest. Not small at all.

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  19. Oh, what fun - I love Christmas fabrics! My greatest challenge is that my sewing room, which is really lovely, is in the far reaches of the basement, and sometimes, I am just too darned lazy to walk down the stairs, around two corners, and down the hall into my haven. Once I get there, I'm golden, but getting there is another story. My fix for that is keeping a hand sewing project in a bag next to my bed. On days when I can't muster the energy to go downstairs, I still don't have an excuse for not sewing because I KNOW I'll be heading to bed eventually. Actually, I should be on the bed working on some hand quilting now, but I had to get my daily fix of Shay at Quilting in My Pyjamas and her post led me here and, well, you know how that goes. Happy July, and thanks for the chance to win!

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  20. I love the fabrics and the names of the fabrics. My biggest challenge to sewing is life in general. Work has become a real challenge with lay offs- but, yes, I am lucky to still have a job. Then coming home to DH, DD, DGD, dog, cats and furry house. Trying to fit in exercise and sewing before I start watching the back of my eye lids is a challenge.

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  21. I'd say that I tend to let myself get too distracted by other things in life, doesn't matter what it is. The more I have to do, the better organized I am, and find more time to sew! Sounds contrary, but for me it's how it works!

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