I’ve been really struggling to find time to sew lately. The image above, of the back of my Bigfoot quilt, conveys that frustration. Weeks have gone by, and not without me saying many times, “I’m going to do this, and this, and this…and then I’m going to work on my Bigfoot quilt. I’m so close to finishing it! I could have it done this weekend if I really try.”

And then life gets in the way.

The weekend comes and goes, and I’m exactly where I left off.

There really was no chance of finding a full day to finish my Bigfoot quilt. Still, I was frustrated. I know it isn’t a competition, although I admit I can be overly competitive, and I see how productive many of you are. I really want to finish this quilt because there’s a baby quilt waiting right behind it - and we all know how quickly babies grow.

Then, I had an epiphany. Ironically, it was a couple of days ago when I was contemplating skipping this week's newsletter and taking that time to finish my quilt! (It's getting embarrassing how long I've been working on it!) 

I finally realized this quilt isn’t getting finished because I’m waiting for a big block of time that never comes.

My Bigfoot quilt has lingered while I’ve run a business, handled family obligations, hosted visitors, celebrated birthdays, dealt with grief, and simply lived life. I wanted to write about it today because I think some of us might benefit from making one small shift.

Some quilters may not need this reminder. But those of us who keep believing that someday we’ll suddenly have seven or eight uninterrupted hours to sew may need a new strategy. 

Here it is:

Instead of waiting for a free day to work on the quilt, I’m going to set aside a little time each day.

A quilt doesn’t care whether you work on it for three hours or fifteen minutes. It only knows whether you came back to it.

Most quilters have at least one “Bigfoot quilt” in their lives - a project they love, intend to finish, and think about often…and somehow months or even years go by. Not because they don’t care, but because life keeps handing them more urgent things.

If I spend just thirty minutes a day on my Bigfoot quilt, that adds up to seven hours every two weeks! Almost a full sewing day! If I spend an hour a day, by the end of the month I’ll have invested roughly thirty hours. That’s more time than many quilts take from start to finish.

More importantly, I don’t need enough time to finish the whole quilt. I only need enough time for the next step.

A few minutes to finish the backing.

A few more to load it onto the longarm.

Then an hour to begin quilting.

And little by little, it will be finished.

What is one quilting project you’ve been meaning to complete? Could you give it ten minutes this week? Not finish it, just move it forward. Every minute that moves a quilt forward is a win. One day, those minutes become a finished quilt.