Week 4: Jackie Marks: When do you sew?

Hi!  I'm Jackie Marks and I'm thrilled to be hosting the takeover this week.  I've loved following 52 Quilters for almost its entire run and it's such a great way to become exposed to new quilters!

I'm a Florida Girl, major Harry Potter and Star Trek nerd, and a military wife.  Moving to new places a lot gives me a rare look into various quilting communities and styles of art.  It's been the best way for me to "plug myself in" to a new community since my kids started school.  The midwest is serious about their quilts so Northern Minnesota is a great place for me to be right now!

One of the questions I get asked most, in person, is "when do you do all this?  When do you sew?"

I don't always know how to answer this with a better response than "ummmmmm literally always."

So here's a rough breakdown.  My girls are 5, 7, and 9, so they do still need some attention and care but they can also entertain themselves for long periods of time and help me out with chores.

After school dropoff on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I'm home from 8:30 to 2:30 by myself.  That's six hours!  I get some dishes and laundry done, but then, you know what?  I'm gonna sew.  My house will not be spotless.  If your house is spotless, that's cool, but mine is, um, not.  One day a week my husband and I go out for a day date during his lunch hour but even on those days I get at least an hour or two to sew.

Tuesdays and Thursdays I work a part-time job and my girls have extra-curricular activities in the afternoon, so there's only a little sewing on those evenings - usually a pattern cut out or some chain-piecing done.

And then weekends, I gotta say, are mostly sewing (and definitely some putting away laundry).  My husband will sometimes take the girls to a movie, the gym, or ice skating; and sometimes we'll go do a family thing, but normally we're pretty low-key and we hang out at home.

It's just important to me, and my family understands that I need the time and the creative outlet.  I'm also pretty fast (read: impatient) so I think people may be over estimating the time it takes me to do these projects and they think, gosh, where do you get all this TIME?  I just do it! I start, and I can't stop until it's done, which I'm certainly not advocating as a healthy way to balance life and hobby, but it's what works for me.

What works for me, though, may not work for you and that's okay.  It's important to figure out what works for you and embrace it.  Some people work best in the mornings and some people work best in the evenings.   Some people need a clean house, and some people are able to let that part go.  It's all okay!

When do you sew?  What works for you?

Jackie