Hello, and Happy Tuesday, friends! Last week I had on my list to work on the Project Bags I decided to make for sale. It was also Spring Break, so while I did get all of the bags cut and prepped to sew, I didn’t get to the sewing. The kids were with their dad and bonus mom, so when my husband wanted to go out and do some thrifting or run errands, I took those days off. These bags are all about no pressure, so I didn’t push myself too hard to get them done. But it is ME we’re talking about, so…
I told the Mister that I was going to make a “few” bags to sell. In typical Christine style I cut out FOURTEEN bags to make. Six bags from one print, six from another, and since not everyone likes the skull theme, I threw in two Beauty and The Beast bags as well. On the days that I worked on getting them cut out, I could feel the weight of getting these done settling down around me. It reminded me that in no way am I ready to start taking orders again. And I really should have only cut out half of the bags that I did! When I do so many at once I realized I shut down craft wise. I don’t want to do any other sewing, I don’t want to be on the computer much to correspond or get on social media, and I felt myself withdrawing to keep the pressure off. I didn’t even get to reading the blog post link ups from last week until today!
I wanted to have the bags done by the end of this week, but we’ve got a few busy days ahead. I have to remind myself there is no real pressure to get them all done by Saturday, so I will just work on them as I have time this week and next. There are no deadlines here, even though I make it feel that way. At least all of this has brought to my attention that if I make these they need to be one or two at a time, and only every now-and-then, as I want to. You’d think I’d have learned the no more pressure lesson by now! But, again, it is me…LOL!!
We did have a rather long travel day to pick up the kids, so I worked on an Edgar Allen Poe themed cross stitching piece. I am almost finished with this one! It’s called Nevermore Raven by Donna Wolfe and is the chart I chose to participate in an Edgar Allen Poe Stitch Along for the month of March. I’m happy I will be done with this before March is over!
This week’s To-Do list:
- Sew Sugar Skull Girls and Skulls & Roses Project Bags
Now it’s your turn! Write up your post and link up using the InLinkz linky below.
Rules:
- Link up to this To-Do Tuesday blog post using the InLinkz linky below. Don’t forget: you can link up Instagram photos! The link up is open all week, and you can link any post for the week even if it’s written on the prior Sunday or Monday. It simply needs to be related to setting, working on, and/or completing your weekly goal(s).
- Try to visit at least one or two other blogs and leave a nice comment.
- Include a link back to my blog. Feel free to grab the blog button from the sidebar to show that you’re participating in To-Do Tuesday.
- You do not have to follow my blog to participate, but if you do decide to follow me… thank you! I appreciate it!
[inlinkz_linkup id=772715 mode=1]
Stitch ALL The Things 
Hi Christine,
I am so impressed that you can sew in the car! And you are almost finished with it – that is so cool, too. Where do you sell your bags? Just curious – my bestie is a big Beauty & the Beast fan. ~smile~ Roseanne
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Hi, Roseanne! It really depends on the fabric as to whether I can stitch in the car or not. The 28 count seems to be the best for me, and this linen seemed to have a more open weave than I expected. Thank goodness or I wouldn’t have gotten any stitching done! I will be posting the bags on my Instagram account next week. I’ll be doing a Flosstube video about them first, and I’ll send you the link to that when it’s up. It will have the date and approximate times when they go up. And if you really want one and miss out, just message me and I can make you one in the next week or two after that. I have PLENTY of that fabric to make more bags with! (But just one or two at a time and not, say, fourteen! LOL!!!!)
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Amen sister! I always add to my own stress levels by planning too much. I need to learn moderation. But it’s hard when you want to make ALL THE THINGS!!!
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Ah, yes… that’s the word I need to remember more! Moderation! I agree though, it’s hard when ALL THE THINGS are wanting to be made! LOL!!!
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I sew in the car sometimes but not as much as I used to.
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It really depends on the fabric as to whether I can stitch in the car or not. The weave on this linen seemed a bit more open than I’m used to, so it made it easy to stitch on Sunday!
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Christine, I just noticed that you are a fellow member of the Bitchy Stitcher’s TNRPIMPQ Movement!! No WONDER I like you! 🙂 I love the Edgar Allen Poe cross stitch. I just hope that you were not driving and stitching, because my kids tell me that’s dangerous…
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Hi, Rebecca! Yep, I’m a member of the quilt-however-the-eff-you-want-to-quilt tribe (to use my own words for the traditional neo retro post-industrial modern punk quilting movement… which I had to look up again today because I forgot what the acronym stood for)! I laughed out loud at the last sentence… Yeah, I would think driving and stitching wouldn’t work so well. Definitely passengering that day!
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So, you have that no pressure attitude in your mind, now you just need to implement it! I’m cheering you on! I can’t stitch in the car, gives me a headache. Can’t read in the car either, something to do with motion sickness. Glad you can and get stitching done while traveling!
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I was doing so great with this attitude until yesterday evening when my husband looked at me, gently rubbed my arm (his way of trying to “smooth” the words over that is about to come out of his mouth…it’s his biggest ‘tell’) and said, “So… When are you gonna get to work on those bags?” I had literally just pressed “publish” for my post, so I laughed and told him he should read it and he’d find his answer. He came back a little sheepish not meaning to add pressure, but said he was just curious as to when I was going to work on them since I had not gone out to sew at all yesterday (I was catching up on my emails, blog posts, and answering questions on several social media accounts). Silly man, it’s a good thing I know he never means things the way they come out of his filter-less mouth. Hahaha! As far as stitching in the car, I learned I can only do it on 28 count fabric that has a loose weave. The linen I’m working on is super stiff (I think it’s Wichelt), but the weave is open enough that I can see the holes okay. I do end up having to turn my head slightly to the left though so that I don’t catch the landscape whizzing by… or I would end up car sick!
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Those bags are going to be fantastic! You could always just make a couple from time to time, like you said, and then save them up to sell all at once a few times a year. Also, your EAP piece is looking fabulous!!!!
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Thank you, my friend! I will definitely do it that way in the future. Now that these are all cut, they’re going to be in my way (and driving me bonkers) until I get them sewn and gone. I finished EAP last night, I LOVE it!!!
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When I’ve made the project bags, I’ve done 10-12 at at time, too. I still have the binding to stitch on, on 2 from the last large batch. Those weren’t needed quickly, so, they got put aside. Now I need to make a new set, for kids, using kid fabrics, for my family reunion. I like your Beauty and the Beast bags.
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Thank you, Cheryl! I think I just wasn’t quite ready to get back into assembly line sewing. They are slowly, but surely, coming along!
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Christine, thanks so much for hosting this goal setting linky. It will help me to be more accountable for the goals I am already setting. Now if only I could be more dedicated to my weight loss goals.
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Thank you so much for linking up, Deana! I feel you on being more dedicated to weight loss goals. Same here!
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My new theory is half. I like working in a series of the same thing like chain piecing, but like you, I bite off more than I can chew! So half means I can still do a line of something, and if it’s all good, the next line. But I don’t get as bogged down, and then have half as many unfinished projects to catch up. We are all a work in progress! enjoy yours.
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I really need to take that to heart. I thought I was ready to do a bit of assembly line sewing, but nope. And I did bite off more than I could chew. But I am still working on these and just doing them at my own pace. I set a goal for the day and if I don’t make it, I’m not being upset about it. I did what I was able to do and that’s good enough!
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I admire people who can do production work but I don’t think I could, no matter how wonderful the results. I think it’s good you realize that you can do a few at a time. It may be slower progress but it will be more pleasant.
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I really thought I was ready to get back to working like this, but I wasn’t quite as ready as I thought. I’m just taking it slowly right now, and I get done what I get done!
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It is a good idea to reduce your goal to doing what you can. I set my goals high and achieve more because our it, and I don’t beat myself up for doing my best. After all, we sew for pleasure anyway.
Thanks for the link y.
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I’m working hard this week to just make myself do what I can, and not worry about what doesn’t get done. I like the idea of setting high goals, but not beating myself up about not making them when I did my best. Thank you for those words of encouragement!
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