Saturday, June 23, 2018

This Won't Take Long

This won't take long, I say, as I begin to applique.  Wrong!  It will take long, much longer than I think it will.  I must be the world's slowest appliquer or I over-estimate my speed.

I anticipated that each lavender center would take about 20 minutes to stitch.  They measure about 3" across.

for Linda Brannock's Flowers quilt, Glory centers
Nearly an hour later, the first one was finished.  And they all took about the same amount of time.

I began appliqueing this tree at the beginning of our 3½-hour ride to visit our daughter and her family.

Sweet Land of Liberty couple block

We arrived and I still had more tree to applique!

I do this with other things, too.  It will take me 20 minutes to get to that appointment and I find I'm 5 minutes late.  I can dust that room in half and hour, and 45 minutes later I'm still not finished.  So often I under-estimate how long things will take.  I must plan more time for everything -- applique, reading, travelling, even falling asleep at night!

Do you underestimate the time it takes to do things or are you speedy and finish sooner than you anticipated?

Okay, to be honest, I wrote this post because someone told me that blogger is now forwarding comments to email again and I wanted to see if it's true for me, too.  Of course, that means someone will have to leave a comment on this post!  Please do, and thank you.

--Nancy.
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16 comments:

  1. At this point I use applique as my quiet time therapy - so I don't even try to guess how long it will take.

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    1. I generally approach applique the same way you do, searsportquilter, but this month I've overloaded myself with commitments that have, perhaps, a little too much applique, so I'm noticing how slow I am. Most of the time I just quietly stitch and enjoy however long it takes.

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  2. I love your tree for the Land of Liberty quilt. Karen (Log Cabin Quilter) and I made Linda Brannock's Flowers quilt last year. I can't wait to see your quilt. Hugs

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Karen mentioned that you had both done Linda's Flowers quilt last year but either I wasn't following your blog then or I just missed those posts. I'll have to scroll through your old posts (or search your list, if you have one) to have a look. I think I was taken with the morning glories block. I think the other flowers are some of the most fanciful (and unusual) I've ever seen. I'm approaching each block/flower individually without trying to coordinate with all the other flowers. It may be the quilt's downfall!

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  3. Applique takes FOREVER!!! I know because it's been 14 months and I'm still working on the Roseville quilt. It's not like I've been a slacker. I stitch almost every day and I sew for hours. Don't give up!

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    1. It's a lesson I seem to have to keep relearning, Robin, that applique takes forever. Your Roseville quilt has lots and lots of detail -- the more stitches the more time, right? It will be beautiful when you finish! I won't give up but I'll probably finish a year behind everyone else (for both of these quilts!).

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  4. I have to agree--every time I think I can finish something up quickly, it takes much more time than I anticipated. Your applique is looking great--fun block!

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    1. Thank you, Karen. I'm glad to know it's not just me who underestimates time!

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  5. I always assume that things will take twice as long as I think they will, and since I have a pathological fear of being late, I always end up arriving ridiculously early. Traffic will be awful, I'll probably get lost, applique takes forever. You know, life...

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    1. Gayle, that's probably one of the best ideas I've heard for time management in a long time, especially as regards quilting, applique, etc. I really need to adjust my estimation of how long things take and maybe I'll finish on time! Thank you!

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  6. Ooh Nancy, you have me quite smitten with this block...love the colours and how it is coming together.
    I underestimate with all my stitching but oddly enough, I overestimate with everything else. I am extremely punctual and can feel stressed if I think I will be late. Being the daughter of a former military man might have something to do with that!

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    1. Thank you, Jocelyn. You are so sweet. I love this block and this quilt and hope I can do it justice!

      I guess living with a military dad might impact how one views being on time. (Thinking early scenes with father and children in "The Sound of Music" here.) Punctuality is good. I like being on time and usually am but I don't stress about it except on occasions of great importance (weddings, professional appts., etc.).

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  7. I ALWAYS underestimate how long ANYTHING will take. May be why I am so often up late, finishing things I committed to do, that took much longer than planned.
    But I have to fight you for the "slowest applique" award. :)
    However, my slowness is lack of skill--yours appears to be because of meticulous work.

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    1. Gayle of MangoFeet says she always assumes things will take twice as long as she thinks they will. I think I will try to implement that view. Either it will cause me to start earlier or work faster -- unless it's so discouraging that I just don't do the project at all.

      You can claim the title for "slowest applique" award, Janet, but I assure you my slowness is not because of meticulous work. (Take a really close look at those photos!) I'm just slow, and getting slower as I get older! Ha.

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  8. I always underestimate the time it takes to applique. Maybe because I love it so it really doesn't matter, but it is funny!

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    1. I'm in good company then, Wendy! I love applique too, but maybe just a little less when I've over-committed and deadlines are looming. They're not crucial deadlines, just trying to keep up with two sew-alongs at the same time. Crazy me!

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