Posted on Sunday, February 1, 2009 | By Lisa Swenson Ruble | 2 Comments

A Procrastinator’s Top Ten List

Sometimes life gets in the way of even the most exciting quilt projects. This past weekend, I finished the top for my baby quilt (yay!), but haven’t gotten up the motivation to work on the other projects for the baby room, even though my due date is fast approaching. 

So, in the spirit of my personal procrastination, I present a top ten list of tasks that get in the way of quilting (and solutions!).

1.  Excuse: The house needs cleaning. Solution: In my case, more procrastination. My husband is still doing home improvement projects, spreading sawdust through the house. No point in cleaning yet! In general, hire a cleaning service or add to the kids’ chore list.

2.  Excuse: Must-See TV! Solution: Three letters…DVR. As an added bonus, you can watch the shows more efficiently by fast forwarding through commercials.

3.  Excuse: It’s time to make dinner…the family’s hungry. Solution: My personal favorite is the slow cooker. Minimal effort in the morning, good smells to come home to, and voila…instant dinner!

4.  Excuse: I only have an hour, and that’s not enough time to get anything done. Solution: Spend that hour pressing fabric or cutting pieces. Sort your pieces into piles for each block. When you next have time, you’ll be able to start right in on piecing, regardless of how long you can work.

5.  Excuse: I’m out of thread (or batting, or fusible web…) Solution: What punishment…head to the local quilt shop. While you’re there, stock up, so if next time you run out at midnight, you don’t have to wait impatiently until the next day.

6.  Excuse: Laundry….my husband has started turning his already worn socks and underwear inside out to wear them again. Solution: Laundry should never be an excuse. Either you can put off doing it (and go buy more underwear!), or you can sew while the loads are washing/drying. As for ironing, let’s face it…it’s overrated and the variety of wrinkle-free clothing available is great. I proudly admit that I haven’t ironed a piece of clothing in several years!

7.  Excuse: I’ve just reached the suspenseful part of the novel I’m reading. Solution: Multitask and borrow books on tape or CD from the library.

8.  Excuse: I don’t have a project going right now and I need inspiration. Solution: Consider this an opportunity for a learning experience. You don’t have to be making a quilt; pull out some scraps and practice a new technique, like paper piecing, curved piecing, or thread painting. Don’t worry about perfection because you’re just working with scraps!

9.  Excuse: I’m just not movitated. Solution: The solution here, actually, is to do something else. Quilting shouldn’t be a chore, and if you’re not in the mood, don’t do it or you’ll be unhappy with the results.

10.  Excuse: I think my water broke and I’m going into labor… Solution: This is not my solution yet (only wishful thinking on my part!), but I think it’s the one excuse there’s no solution for. Except, of course, if it’s your first baby because supposedly that labor is always long. In that case, I’m sure I have time to sew a few pieces before leaving for the hospital!