“Enjoy the Process” By Nan Wakefield

“Enjoy the Process” By Nan Wakefield

Whatever your skill level my best advice is to “enjoy the process”. We live in such a face paced world where life happens in an instant. Instant text messages, shopping on line with delivery overnight, movies on demand, fast food, hurry, hurry, hurry. It’s no wonder time flies by.

So let’s slow down. Whether it’s cutting out our fabric, pressing, or even un-sewing a seam, be in the moment, relax and “enjoy the process”.

We may not like the certain task at hand but in the end it is about creating something beautiful. Yes we want to make a quilt that looks just like the one in the book or hanging at the quilt show and we want it to be finished right now! But, as we all know it takes time and patience. So take a breath, turn on your favorite music channel, grab your rotary cutter and cut your fabric. Or maybe it’s your seam ripper, where you need take out those stitches which are not just right. Do it slowly and carefully.

When your sewing machine is acting up, stop what you are doing, unthread the top thread and remove the bobbin from the bobbin case. Rethread your machine slowly and thoughtfully, make sure your bobbin is in correctly. Pull up your thread and sew out a test seam on a small scrap of fabric. I’ll bet the machine will be happy and so will you.

We are not in a race to see who gets done first. We are not in a contest to see who does more than the next quilter. Hopefully we are sewing and creating beautiful projects for our enjoyment and for the enjoyment of the person receiving the gift. Plan ahead… organize your tools, your thread and notions. Prepare your fabrics the night before you begin by pressing well and cutting accurately and in the morning you will be ready to get started sewing or embroidering.

“Enjoy the process”. It’s what I tell our beginner sewers and quilters. If you do this, you will be proud of your project and feel less stressed. I promise.