Hi ,

Do you feel pressure to finish every quilt as fast as possible? I'm still mulling over the responses to my newsletter about quilting grit and the book Grit by Angela Duckworth. Yes, 3 weeks later, this is still on my mind!

Is your grit, or ability to stick with a project, hampered with a need to rush from beginning to end? I often feel this pressure to speed stitch which was also mirrored in this quilter's comments:

Recently I realized that I go at a project with the aim of finishing as fast as I can. My time is limited, or I have a deadline to finish by. What happens then is that I either rush and make mistakes, or I don’t finish because I am frustrated or disillusioned. 

 

My goal for this year is to slow down and enjoy the process. As my son would say, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I will close saying, the important part is to actually overcome the obstacles and finish.

As a professional quilter, where my time on a quilt extends the cost and minimizes the profit (and yes, pro-quilters have to think this way!) the need for speed can be very addictive.

But speed doesn't seem to improve my grit. Looking back over the past several years, I see a pattern of distraction and impatience that caused many quilts, books, and pattern ideas to be folded up and put away. 

All this is to say, the Pantograph Guidebook update is taking longer than expected. I began shooting photos last week, but due to a family crisis, I am now making very, very slow progress.

What should we do when things slow down?

Free Kiwi Cabinet with Kangaroo & Joey Sewing Table

Click Here to learn more about this Sewing Table.

As you can see, this is a really big sewing table! The Kangaroo and Joey is one of the most popular Arrow Sewing Cabinets for a reason: it gives you the space you need exactly where you need it. 

The table surface extends in multiple directions, but you can collapse the cabinet down to a tidy size when you're not sewing:

The open Kangaroo Sewing Cabinet dimensions are: 71½” wide x 40½” deep x 29½ high. When closed, this table is only: 57 3/8” wide x 21” deep x 29½ high.

I've gotta say, I love my little Kiwi cabinet! This is the perfect cabinet to place next to your sewing machine to hold thread, bobbins, feet, needles and all the handy notions that clutter up our sewing tables. It comes with a pressing board and small cutting mat as well so you can conveniently trim and press blocks between seams.

This month, a $699 Kiwi cabinet is included for free with Kangaroo and Joey sewing cabinets. Click Here to check it out today.

Easter Sewing Sale

I've also put our special Easter themed projects on sale this month. These are great sewing skill builders and will help you decorate for Easter in style:

Click Here to find the Easter Basket Pattern for $4.99.

The best part about seasonal sewing is you get to make the project now in anticipation for the holiday. Each year after, you can pull out your Easter Basket to display for the season, a reminder of the year you made it. 

Make sure to date the bottom of your Easter basket and maybe add a kind note to yourself too. I think of this as getting a hug from my past self in the future and it always makes me smile.

The Mally Doll Pattern and Ms. Bunny Doll Pattern are also on sale for $5.99 each. The clothes are interchangeable so you can make T-shirts and pants for your Ms. Bunny or a dress for Mally.

That's it for this week, my quilting friend. Let us stick with the projects in progress, even if it's only a single stitch we're able to take. Let's make it a stitch in the right direction.

Let's go quilt,

Leah Day