It's easy to get hooked on starting a new project. There's the initial excitement of buying new tools and materials. The fun of researching your latest hobby. It's much harder to keep going once things start getting difficult and the mistakes begin to pile up.
I'm speaking from experience here. I love the high that comes from starting something new but struggle to finish the projects lined up on my desk in neat piles. These projects currently include:
- fabric for three skirts for my daughters sitting neatly in a pile, waiting to be sewn,
- leather for two journals, cut and waiting to be sewn, and
- spanish language posters waiting to be copied into a book.
I have a tendency to go into overdrive when making and instead of making one skirt will plan five. The problem with this approach is that after finishing the first one, I lose interest and want to move on to a new craft. Leaving behind me a trail of unfinished projects!
So the question is, how do I finish those projects that pile up? What motivates me to get them done? Here are some of the things that work for me.
Having visitors
Living in a two bedroom inner city flat with my husband, daughters and cat means that space is at a premium. As a result my desk with all my unfinished projects is in the lounge room. When visitors come calling, I don't have the luxury of closing the door on my study so they can't see all my mess. If I want it to look tidy, I have to tidy it up and finish my projects.
The obvious solution here is to have lots of visitors!
Time
This one has taken me a while to figure out. Sometimes I just have to wait until I feel in the mood. I'm ambitious and impatient (dangerous combination!) and will often try powering through. This only serves to compound the mistakes and leaves me feeling frustrated and as cranky as an old lady with bunions. When I can gracefully accept that I need to wait until I want to do it, the project is a breeze to complete.
Solution? What until the time is right to pick up those tools again.
Letting go
The thing that most often stops me in my tracks? Making a mistake. I hate making mistakes and want everything to be "perfect". Those leather journals are sitting on my desk because I cut them out too small. I was impatient when making my prototype. Instead of cutting out one, making it and testing the pattern I created, I cut out three. Then discovered after making the first one that it was too small. "Aaaagh!" said my brain and shut down.
Solution? Let go of the original design and work with what I have. In this case, create notebooks to fit the journals I have created.
Figuring out the block
Making a colourful and bold woollen winter coat has been on my do list for a few years now. The first winter I tried making a pattern from an old winter coat I already have (not the easiest thing to do without a dressmakers's dummy or a sewing friend on hand to help). The second winter I bought the wool – a divine deep burgundy colour. And this winter, I relented and bought my first ever pattern from a fabric shop (even though they intimate and scare me!). Without one, my coat wasn't getting made.
Solution? Admitting that I needed to do things differently.
Ask for help
When you are stuck, ask for help. Ask your family and friends, neighbours and acquaintances. People love being asked to share what they know. Now that I have figured out my block and bought a pattern for my winter coat, I need to go and ask my mother-in-law how to use it!
Solution? Gather your courage, admit you don't actually know it all and ask for help. It does make you a better person!
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