Monday Musings - the Akrasia Effect

After a productive week of getting things under control in my sewing studio, as well as at the quilt shop I am continuing to think about the effects of procrastination.  I read this interesting article about the Akrasia Effect, and it let me to reading several other articles about why we procrastinate and what we can do about the problem.

 One of the suggestions I read was that when we are putting an unpleasant task off, that we can break it down into more manageable bits so that the task isn't as overwhelming.  Another good suggestions was setting a timer for a small amount of time, and see how you feel after that 5 to 15 minutes.  Often after 15 minutes you get into the task and can work longer.  I have found both to be very helpful in motivating me to work on something that I have been putting off!

One of the projects I was able to finish up this week was getting the Row by Row pattern done for the shop, as well as the sample.  It was a bit of a large task, and I wasn't super excited about doing it for a while, but once I got into it I found that I enjoyed it and ended up being enthusiastic about the design in the end.  I'm not going to show you that quite yet, but once it's public I'll share!

Yesterday I finished up my Lewe the Ewe baby challenge quilt for the Quiltsy team - I had finished the top last weekend, so it didn't take too long to quilt it and bind it yesterday.  I only had a fat quarter of the fabric I liked for the binding and had a close call using it!  Only a 4 x 2 inch strip was left after I finished.  Whew!

Hope your Mother's Day was good - I enjoyed mine.  Make some time to quilt today - it's good for you! 

Monday Musings

I have been working on my tendency toward procrastination and thinking about what makes me resist doing certain things that I know need to be done.  I wrote about some of those things on Saturday, and the feedback I got really made me think about diving into those type of thoughts a little more deeply.  I know for me, that when something seems really difficult I am apt to put it off - and most of the time the task is quite achievable, even if it might be challenging.  I found this quote (by unknown) and thought it was perfect!

The best way to get over that hill is to start climbing.

So with that in mind, I tackled the task of enlarging that too snug cover for my Quilter's Planner!

I didn't want to take it apart and add to the lining and the cover, then sew it all back together again, so I decided to be really crazy and use a quilt-as-you-go technique to add a section.  So with a small amount of fear and trepidation I used my rotary cutter and sliced it in two!

 

Then I measured how wide a section that I needed to insert.

This piece will be on the lining side of my planner.  I added 1 inch to my desired width for seam allowances.  Sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance on each side of the strip.  I have to be honest here and tell you that I sewed one edge to the wrong side.  Then I tore out the correct side and ended up with both sides wrong and had to tear them both out!  Yes, it happens!  When I finally had it all sewn satisfactorily I pressed the seams in toward the new strip and measured for a strip of fusible fleece to be inserted in the gap.

I cut and inserted the fleece, then folded the ends of the strip on the lining side over the edges of the planner.  I cut a piece of wide ribbon and pinned it over the added strip, turning the edges under at the top and bottom.  Then I topstitched it all into place It got a little crooked as you can see from the lining side:

But it looks great on the outside, and that's all anyone will see!

Now the cover fits perfectly on my planner without feeling too snug!

I am glad I spent about a half hour to take care of this right away!  What relatively small project are you putting off today?  Set a timer for 15 minutes and work on it - you might be surprised and get it finished and crossed off your list before you know it!

Linking up for Monday Making!