Sunday, September 18, 2011

Toooooo Busy


Playing with bento blocks, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Hey, everyone. :)

I've been too busy to sew. Too busy to blog. Feeling stressed.

These are some of the blocks I got in the mail last week from my Bento Block Online exchange. It seemed to take me For.Ev.Ah to get my blocks made, trimmed, quartered & squared up to send. I didn't particularly enjoy the process, frankly, but I'm really happy now that I've got all of these fun blocks to play with.

If only I had time to play! Since my retreat over Labor Day weekend, I haven't completely moved back into my sewing room. My ironing board cover (it's 5 feet long) is still in the garage and my design wall isn't back up yet. It's a really cool one that breaks down and fits into a bag, but two of the pieces broke, so I really need to order replacement parts. It still works, but it doesn't stand as well on it's own.

My life is a little busy lately & I'm feeling overcommitted in many ways. My Etsy shop has been terribly slow this month, so I don't have as much $ to play with. I've ordered some new fabric that'll be coming out in October, but just barely have enough quilting funds to cover what I've ordered. Not a fun feeling.

Hubs has been home a lot more since July but starts traveling again tomorrow. 4 or 5 days per week on an airplane. It's not so bad, but I'm craving routine. Ready to get on with it.

I've started taking a class through my church that is helping me shape an idea I have for a new business. It's not craft related, though. It's related to the education field & I will be able to work for myself doing consulting work. I can't see how to make enough $ for my time with crafting. Quilting for others is not something I particularly enjoy, although I'm going to take on two commission projects soon. One is a memory quilt and the other is a t-shirt quilt. For the amount of time invested in a quilt (or even a bag), I have a hard time selling things for what people will pay. I feel insulted. I'd rather just make something and give it away.

I still spend a fair amount of time on Quilts of Valor & I am in 2 bees. One of those bees is almost over & I don't think I'll re-commit. I'm trying to resist the temptation to do more swaps. I did a bow tie block swap last month and may make a few more to send in to swap. Will see.

I'm just feeling a little burned out and scattered. Needing to take a breath.

Still working on (and enjoying) my hexagons. Love that they're so portable. Enough rambling for one day. Thanks for reading this far & listening to me grumble. Will try to get out of this funk & back into my fun routine soon.

2 comments:

Katy Cameron said...

Unfortunately people outside the 'crafty' world don't have any comprehension of how long it takes to make quality items, nor the price of materials, so yes, I've found that selling things is not going to keep me afloat (not with a full time job, and without the job, I know I'd sink without trace). I have a 5 year plan for a business that does involve crafts to a small extent, but it isn't the be all and end all of it. Alas, I'm at the beginning of the plan, and the 5 years is to build up funds and any relevant qualifications, but it helps get through the day in the office!

I hope your new venture goes well, and enjoy your craft time for you

Sharon said...

I really like the bento box blocks. That quilt will be awesome!