Exhibit A
As much as I would love to work through my Work in Progress list without adding anything else to it… the reality is that I’ve added 3 things to my list lately.
1. I’ll be quilting another quilt for a local quilter so that she can hopefully have it ready to gift in time for Christmas.
2. Remember when I asked for input on what to do with some mini charm packs? Well, Wednesday afternoon I pulled out a Chic Neutrals (Moda) mini charm pack and sewed them all together into a small quilt top that I plan to gift to my niece as a doll quilt. I quickly sew basted around the edges to secure the top to batting and backing fabric. I plan to take this as my first hand quilting project to work on while I am traveling to and from Houston for Quilt Festival next week.
3. I received my grouping of the Cloud9 New Blocks to piece into a quilt to donate this week. I think they are going to create a stunning quilt and I can’t wait to arrange them and link you to all the fantastic tutorials again.
So, while I had a list of 12 WIPs and I have completed 5 of those so far, I’ve already tacked on 3 more to the end of the list! Honestly, I said “yes” to piecing the charity quilt over a year ago, and I can’t help wanting to make and support others making handmade gifts for the holidays. Do you think I can stop adding to the list for a while??? (Yeah, I kind of doubt it, too.)
Exhibit B
I know I shared a quilt that I was able to work through pretty quickly at the beginning of this week, but even though the quilt only too me 6.5 hours, that was spread out over 3 days. While it might be possible for me to carve 6.5 hours of quilting only time out of a day, that is really, really rare for me. And I want to be honest that not every project goes together as planned the first or second time around.
Chakra Mini Quilt Commission – WIP
Yesterday I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes getting started on the Chakra Mini Quilt commission project (the next item on the to-do list!). I am definitely working on my #FlowQuilting free motion quilting skills, but my approach to these chakra medallions is to be pretty planned and methodical (my original attempt at more free form quilting turned out poorly, so I learned that a bit more planning for these purposeful pieces is needed for me right now). There are some parts of the first mini quilt that I will use in pretty much the same fashion, but even when I was re-creating the yellow chakra design that I wanted to re-use, I was super thankful for the ability to remove the Mark-B-Gone pen from the fabric yesterday as I was planning out the quilting design.
Chakra Mini Quilt Commission – WIP
And to be perfectly honest, a good bit of time was just me staring at the empty outlines and trying to come up with ideas to quilt. Some ideas start out seeming like a good idea until I try to figure out how to make the quilting continuous.
Fingers crossed Olive behaves herself when I start quilting with 12wt in the bobbin. Which, come to think of it, would be a good idea to test on a sample before diving straight into this mini quilt. I’m glad I wrote this post and hopefully I will remember to do just that!
Exhibit C
Burn out. I think we all face it in life at different points for different reasons. I am currently feeling creatively excited and engaged, but I am physically dragging. I have been exhausted and experiencing more headaches than normal which has been making me mentally foggy (leading me to write things like “truck show” instead of “trunk show” in blogs posts and requesting 5 yards of fabric instead of the 3 yards I really need…). I have been attributing that to lots of different things, like the fact that I am working on a big truck project with my husband in the evenings and weekends which is keeping me up later at night and more physically active than ever. However, I had my normal yearly physical and blood work this week, and I learned that my thyroid / pituitary gland are not currently in the best harmony. Somehow just having that bit more knowledge makes a few other pieces of information click, and I hope with just a few adjustments I can start having a bit more energy again.
I find it fascinating how life balance tips around. Learning to subtly dance to compensate instead of leaping around and capsizing the boat is still a work in progress for me, too. 🙂
Thyroid can leave you exhausted and sleep leaves you feeling no better, but with a small pill every day things improve rapidly. I have been on this treatment since 2000 and am doing more than ever lol.
The fabric for the charity blocks is so pretty and the blocks look fabulous can’t wait to see it all together, and you’ve inspired me with what to do with the mini charm packs I’ve had in my stash for ages lol thank you xxx
Overload!!! Thyroid in-balance can be a huge problem, and a thought? Did they check your Vitamin B12 levels? If mine get below the 50% of minimum and maximum, I feel below par. Little pink hearts, truly lovely.
3!!! You said you only added 1… lol, glad to see the pink hearts, this WIP of yours is lovely can’t wait to see them complete. The paitence you have, i wish I could sit/stand long enough to do something that complicated. Hope you get the headaches all figured out so that you can just keep moving and running which seems to be your MO!
Important to keep your own chakra good too – does that make sense !
Hi Yvonne, I have read good recommendations above and agree.
Oh, I so understand thyroid troubles! I’ve been dealing with them since I was a teenager. Take care of yourself, friend!
Hope things balance out for you. The Chakra is going to be amazing – and taking time on it will only make it better – so no stress. as for adding to your WIP – isn’t that normal for quilters? Ha ha! Enjoy your trip tp Houston
Agreed about the thyroid pill! Sometimes you just need to take a break. I have had a couple of weird days lately and consequently have gotten much less done. But I’m better for it.
Yvonne, you are always amazing, adding and finishing items on the list. Hope you get inbalance soon.
I know you will figure out what you have to do for yourself Yvonne. I’ve been pretty exhausted this fall as well and seem to be back to holding colds for a long time. I’ve been putting it down to starting an exercise program and a longer ragweed season than normal this year. The elusive quest for balance and a rounded life.
I’m really interested in seeing how the Chakra quilt turns out, and the hand quilting.
Yvonne, take care of yourself and get you Thyroid back in norm. The world will seem much easier once you do. This comes from a mother of three and grandmother of 4 who was diagnosed with Hypo Thyroid when I was 29, I’ve been on meds for the past 31 years but I keep on going, just like the energizer bunny.
I get exhausted seeing all the projects you have going on…I can only imagine how you feel! There has to be a time when you shut down to reenergize yourself. And you will. You will know when it’s time. It’s so easy to add more and more projects to a list, we want to do it all! Have fun in Houston and it’s nice to see your hand quilting!
Hope you are feeling better and that you can enjoy Quilt Market without feeling exhausted. I love seeing the colors of the cloud 9 blocks all together. That is going to be a great quilt!
I wish you the best in finding balance creatively and physically. I used to be able to quilt 4 hours a day. Lately I’m lucky to have two, but I’m still very happy with that. My family has needed more time lately and they are my biggest priority. A doll quilt is an excellent idea for mini charms. I love the looks of your marked quilting designs.
Good Morning Yvonne! I love your blocks and look forward to seeing the layout and final quilt! I hope that this quilt designing all comes together because it does look fabulous! Have a fantastic creative day!
That is good that you are aware of your body and taking steps to get things back in balance. I’m so glad you have a hand quilting project to travel with you, the Cloud9 blocks look fun together, and the quilting in the mini looks like it will be amazing! Take care and have a productive day.
Look after yourself. Enjoy Houston, relax and have fun.
No matter how hard we try, sometimes that to-do list gets larger than we’d like and I agree, sometimes it’s hard to say no. Glad you found more info out from your physical and that things balance out for you soon.
I hope you’re able to get some rest and feel better soon. Having a diagnosis can certainly help as at least now you know what’s going on, right? The little doll quilt is adorable, and a hand quilting project will be great while you’re traveling. The chakra quilt looks like it will be amazing. Oh, and I spy my block in your charity quilt pile 🙂
I’m sorry you’re feeling run down, Yvonne, especially on the cusp of Quilt Market! I hope once you get back and rebalance a bit, you have a great November… especially since you keep adding to that list! ; )
I just love that photo of all the Cloud9 blocks! I can’t wait to see the finished quilts.
I sure hope you start feeling better soon. The burnt out days (or even weeks) are the worst. Nothing wrong with a little rest and healing time though. Take care of yourself!
Love the doll quilt!!! And, so will your niece!!! My list grew considerably as I made some quick gifts–potholders, placemats, pillowcases… Today has been marathon finger food making for a party tonight–bloody eyeballs (stuffed mushrooms), mummy jalapeno poppers, severed fingers (puff-pastry wrapped little smokies with almond fingernail and BBQ sauce “blood”, spider topped (olives) deviled eggs, and devil (red pepper horns and paprika) deviled eggs. I’ll start baking in a little less than an hour I’m going to go finish some placemats and get off my feet! You take care!!! I’m loving your chakra wall hanging!
It always seems to take us by surprise when we continue to go on overload and suddenly our body just refuses to go along anymore. Slow down, get some rest and the projects will wait for you.:-)
Thyroid – small organ but so important. Glad you have a good doctor. Also, be careful about the solvents and other chemicals you may be using on your truck project.
Love your quilts – they are so joyful. I follow avidly. Thanks for blogging and for not moving exclusively to newer technologies.
Neame
I hope you get things sorted out without any trouble. I know you are a sensible and balanced person. You will do what’s right for you 🙂
Hugs!
I love your honesty and sharing, I can relate so much! It’s enjoyable to see your projects and hear how they are going. Hope you feel better soon.
I am only human too. I started something new yesterday. I blame tiredness for the impulsive decision.
I hope the pituitary and thyroid are better soon!
I think finding balance in life is something we all have to keep revisiting, but I hope you get things into equilibrium. Saying ‘no’ to things is always hard but sometimes it’s good to practice!
Sometimes it takes a physical diagnosis to make us slow down and accept we are demanding too much of ourselves! (Says she who’s just posted about sleep and the lack of!) Take care and enjoy a rest as your body and mind restore balance ☺
I had my thyroid removed~when I get “dingy” I know (now) that my medication needs to be reviewed~happy to discuss if you have questions!
I think sometimes the best thing we can do is realize and accept we are only human. So important for us to listen and keeps ourselves in balance, but it sounds like you are on the right track. I cannot wait to see this Chakra Mini finished.
I hope you feel better soon. I’ve not been sleeping well either and feeling sluggish. I need to work on not adding more projects to the WIP list. I can’t wait to see the Cloud 9 blocks pieced together. Good luck with Chakra.