Monday, April 9, 2012

It does not go well in my brain....

No, it most certainly does not go well in this brain of mine. Do you ever feel like you are wading through a big sludgy pile of mud in your head? Or is that just me? Everything seems to be in slow motion at the moment and it feels like the last month has been an uphill struggle in lots of respects. Not enough sewing. Not really enjoying the sewing I am doing. Sick kids, sick me. Work overload. Sewing mojo disappeared again, just when I need it most, as I have a lot of (self-imposed) deadlines coming up. Becoming best friends with my seam ripper. (If you have enough misery already and want to stop reading this post, I understand!)


The biggest struggle I have is with a WIP which is not going as anticipated, causing me a lot of heartache. Unfortunately, this particular project is not one I can share with you so you'll have to trust me when I say that I am regretting somewhat taking it on! It *should* be relatively straightforward, but for some reason it is not. There are circles involved and they are evading my every attempt to get them right, even though I think I am doing everything right from a technical perspective. I don't know if this is because my sewing mojo has taken a hike with resulting lack of concentration/skill/focus or because I underestimated the work involved. Possibly both.




Anyway, this morning I decided to do a little fun project to feel like myself again. I had promised Trudi some bright granny square blocks for the Siblings Together project.

Quilts for Siblings Together

I originally planned to use some scraps for these and was looking forward to doing them this week. When I went digging in my fabric this morning I found a partially used charm pack of Hoopla and decided that the bright vibrant colours would be perfect for kids, plus the size of the charms made them easy to chop up into 2.5" squares.

Granny Square block 2


There is a reason I never used this charm pack. I really don't like the green tones in it. Now,  I love the block design and I love the lighter coloured ones. They are bright and happy (unlike me!). They even made me smile a little bit when I had them done.

Granny Square block 1


But the two with the green just made me feel.....well...blah...about the blocks. I don't love them. I am not sure even if I should send them. Are they horrible? I think the green and yellow one below is awfully busy and just doesn't really work. I hope that in a quilt among other blocks they should probably be ok...but I am not sure.

Granny Square block 3


I had some trouble with the seams matching too, I think that the charms were ever so marginally bigger than 5" square which made my cutting a bit inaccurate.  I had a big fight with the yellow and green one. It almost went in the bin. But I salvaged it and I think, with a bit of quilting, it will be ok. But, Trudi, feel free to chuck these two if you think they are horrible, I will really truly not be offended.

Granny Square block 4

So there you have it. My little fun project ended up making me cross! Result: one very bad-tempered bank holiday Monday post. Not made happier by the fact that I was supposed to meet up with Cindy tomorrow for a day of chat and fabric browsing, and that is looking very unlikely since our trip to the doctor with D last night to realise he has tonsillitis on top of a really bad dose of chicken pox :-( Normal service will resume when I recover my good humour. (Any help in recovering it gratefully received!)

38 comments:

memmens said...

Oh Sarah I'm sorry for you, hope things start to look up soon. I'm not so keen on the green blocks but like you it's not my favourite colour, I'm sure clever Trudi will find a spot for them! xx

Needled Mom said...

I, on the other hand, LOVE that color of green. I think the blocks are wonderful.

Leanne said...

Yikes, I sure hope that things look up for you soon. Poor child, that is a lot of pain and misery at once. I think all your blocks are fine, remember that they will be mixed into a group of other blocks and quilted. I actually like them a lot, busy and all.

Karen said...

Oh no! I am so sorry about sick and missing fun time :( I have hit a little mojo slump too, maybe it is in the air. I am sure you will be back on track soon! I think all your granny squares are fabulous :)

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear you're having a tough time right now, I hope that you start to feel better soon and that your mojo makes a triumphant return soon, too :) I do think your Granny Squares are quite happy, and I know what you mean about that green, it is a little different, but I think it works! Hugs to you :)

Anonymous said...

lovely blocks,dont worry about your project,leave it for a couple of days and then go back to it with fresh eyes,that might help,good luck.xx

patchworkdelights said...

Hope you get your mojo back soon Sarah, you need to feel better first then it'll come. Love those blocks (Regardless of the greens) they are gorgeous.

Hope you are back on your feet soon! Fi

Tracey said...

Maybe it is in the air. I just did a post last night about the loss of my sewing mojo and over committing myself in life and sewing. Know that you are not alone and the blocks are adorable. Let's blame it on the weather ;)

Amanda said...

Oh poppit, what a lot to be dealing with all at once. I hope your little one is feeling better soon, what a horrid combination to deal with.

The blocks look great, I'm sure the recipient of the finished quilt will love it.

I hope your mojo comes back very soon.

Sarah said...

Your blocks look lovely, I think you've just got blues tinted glasses on... Wish there was something I could do to cheer you up, sounds awffy sucky at yours right now. Hope the calamine lotion does its job :-(

Karen said...

Nothing like a deadline to kill your sewing mojo. Your blocks are wonderful, even the ones you don't like. :-) The mojo will be back and you look back on this and think, "Why was I so upset?" Hang in there!

Melinda said...

Serious bugs going around your house! Sending get well wishes to everyone!

And also, circles? I'm intrigued!

Anonymous said...

Those blocks are anything but "blah"!! I think they are great, very bright & cheerful, and the perfect thing to do with some leftovers that you won't use because you don't like the green.

Hope your little one feels better soon. It has been almost 27 yrs since i dealt with chicken pox-- daughter # 2 got them for her second birthday from her big sister. We had the vaccine after that, so my son never had to get them. Maybe there are pox on the tonsils? I hope you have someone who can stay with the sick one and you can get out tomorrow after all.

stephmabry said...

I love the green blocks! They're busy, but the way that the stripes are all facing the same way puts some order to the chaos.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone started a swap for extra/disappointing granny squares. Maybe you could find (or start) one and use the greens for that! Hopefully your mojo comes back soon.

Cindy said...

Your granny blocks look fab! I esp like the green ones - they kind of shake it up a bit. I'm so sorry, honey, you've lost your mojo. On a bank holiday weekend at that! I'll give a call tonight when little D is tucked into bed. xx

Quilterbell said...

Sarah, the granny blocks look perfect for me. You will think different when you look at them tomorrow, today is just not the day. I am not too far from the bad mood today, I planned to complete some projects this weekend but I haven't managed to use my sewing machine since friday!, not happy!.

Maria - A Playful Stitch said...

I think the four blocks look great together - the green ones look funky and colourful. Together they look perfect for kids - bright, happy and cheerful!
Maria x

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Oh those won't be going anywhere near the bin!
You are having a crappy Easter, so I'm sending you all the happy vibes I can muster, and hoping things perk up soon xxx

SewHappyGeek said...

Poor lil lamb, that sounds miserable!
And you're SO not the only one fighting mind smush, I've been feeling so rubbish I haven't even attempted to sew. So you're way ahead of me with your determination to get stuck in.
I like all the blocks and don't see the green ones as busy at all. You've done a great job on them! Well done my dear!

Lisa C said...

Hopefully your mojo has already returned. And, if so, you'll realize these blocks are fabulous. The colors are bright and cherry. Send them!

Canadian Abroad said...

Your blocks are brilliant and when the clouds clear away in your life you will see that. Meanwhile the only advice I can offer is chocolate, eat lots of chocolate!! Hope all the germs, work stress and sewing blahs leave you alone and soon!

Nicky said...

Sarah you don't like green and it is clouding you vision - I love them ! Send me the greens you don't like and I will look after them!

Poor little one - bad enough being ill with one thing! Hoping for a quick recovery

Katy Cameron said...

Aww (((((HUGS)))))

PS, send all the blocks, all nice and bright and cheery.

Jennifer Salter said...

I'm kinda loving the blues and green square. Yes its busy, but some how it works well in my brain. But then again my brain has been on hiatus for the past week or so. I too am feeling the lack of sewing mojo and all mojo in general lol. Where does mojo go when it disappears? Cause I would like to find mine and kick its butt for leaving me high and dry right before a craft show!

Erin @ Billy Button Design said...

Oh I could only imagine what you are going through. But looks like you still have had a little time to yourself this weekend!

Cherie said...

Sending a BIG HUG your way!!
The blocks look great. Even the green! I'm sure mixed in with all the other blocks it'll look fantastic =D

Susan said...

Oh dear! How frustrating! No sewing mojo, circles which won't co-operate and sick littlies! No wonder you're feeling down! Would chocolate help? (Oh, Susan already suggested that, so it must work!)I think all the granny blocks are great! When they are mixed with others, they will play happily!

Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane said...

Oh so sorry my friend- hate it when sewing mojo disappears b/c it always happens at the most inopportune times. I really like your granny squares and feel the same about the green shade but the kids will love it never fear so by all means, don't chuck them out- send them on!

Hope D feels better soon.

felicity said...

Been there, done that. Glad you found some creativity in your granny squares!

Heidi Grohs said...

I often have to do a "pick me up" project if I am really struggling...too bad I have picked up too many since I started my Christmas quilt in late December....

Hope everyone and anyone who isn't feeling well heals quickly and strongly and your mojo comes back just as strong!!!!

Susan said...

I think your blocks look amazing! And im sure your project looks great too.

Anonymous said...

Your granny squares are absolutely gorgeous! Yes, mud-head is a periodic problem for me too. What the heck? I JUST used my seam ripper more than I could ever have dreamed putting together a Fig Tree Boardwalk quilt. Was it me? The pattern???? I don't know, but boy did I have to do a ton and a half of unsewing and fudging. :( I'm just hoping it doesn't make me hate the quilt.

Laura said...

Oh dear, sounds like you guys are really going through the wars over there. It's never one thing at a time, is it?

Hope you get your mojo back soon! I like the blocks - I'm a big fan of green, so to me, they look pretty good, and very cheerful :)

Marcia R said...

I love all the squares - the last one (green) is my favorite! Funny, I did some granny squares on Saturday to get away from all my other WIPs and just have fun! It worked. I think they're great.

Dayna at Driving Miss Daisy said...

I really love these fabrics. The colors are so bright and springy!

Anonymous said...

This project quilt is for children isn't it? Children LOVE bright colors and they are certainly not going to care about uneven seams! It is going to be great and some little one out there will be ever so grateful to receive it. ~ Lynda

Kelli said...

Oh, Sarah, I feel for you! I felt this exact same way about a month ago. I had stuff to finish and things I wanted to make, and nothing seemed to go right. It took me awhile, but I'm starting to feel in the groove again, so hopefully you will too soon.
p.s. The kids won't be near as judgmental as us quilters about the green. I say go for it!

barbara woods said...

hang in there this to will pass