Monthly Archives: September 2022

I wasn’t born rich and all the stock options I’ve been promised by employers over the years have never paid off so I, like most people, must work for a living. It’s too bad that working really cuts into my quilting time. I have stacks of unfinished projects and I’m really starting to feel guilty about all the projects I planned that I haven’t even started yet. It feels like I am putting in more and more time at work, and any “extra” time I might find that I have gets spent on catching up with work. I rarely spend time on creative activities because there is always so much “work” to do. What is a quilting girl to do?

The solution may be simpler than you think: just quilt. Don’t put in the extra time at work, quilt instead… because it’s GOOD for you! As a matter of fact, deliberately carving out time to enjoy your leisure activities will – believe it or not – help you at work. A study conducted in 2014 at San Francisco State University found that people who often engaged in a creative activity scored 15-30 percent higher on performance rankings. Apparently, engaging the creative side of your brain helps bolster your problem-solving skills. There you have it, proof at last that quilting is good for your job performance.

So, tonight instead of hunkering down over some more spreadsheets, I’m going to get back to finishing my Christmas quilt. My boss with thank me!

Wouldn’t it be great to have two whole days of uninterrupted quilting? As a person with a full-time job, a house and kids to look after, it seems like little more than a dream. Or is it? Here are some ways you could have two whole days of quilting to yourself:

• Quilt Cruise – I though it was crazy when I first heard of it but apparently, Quilt Cruises are a thing. They are just like regular cruises – only with quilting! You bring your sewing machine with you, and you spend your time aboard with likeminded fiber enthusiasts. Similar to traditional cruises, you make stops at various ports – hopefully visiting quilt shops.
• Laid Off? Quilt On! – I don’t recommend getting laid off on purpose, but if you did, you should definitely spend at least half of your time quilting. After all, you can only send out so many resumes per day.
• Work in the Biz – Lucky are the few that have found a way to work and quilt by working in the quilting industry! Pattern designers, fabric designers, quilt shop employees, long arm quilters, quilting fiction writers and more appear to have the best of both worlds…. getting paid to quilt!
• Retreat – Tell your work you have to go visit sick Aunt Sally, tell your family you have to go on a work trip but really go on a quilting retreat. Double win!
• Hijacked Zoom Calls – I was recently at an online event for people in the fibers arts and there was a participant who was measuring time to completion on a quilting project by the number of Zoom calls it was going to take to finish her quilt. Now that’s multi-tasking: Expert Level.