Sew-efficient
		N A N C Y   Z I E M A N
		Time-management Tools:      Can we ever have enough?
		Introduction Timely Tips from Friends Ready, Set, Sew Lifelong Endeavor Resources

Introduction

I thought January would have been a good time to write a column on time management, that being the season for resolutions, but then I had so many projects, deadlines and commitments that I ran out of time. So here it is May and I'm still determined to get a grip on the topic of time management and how to make more time for sewing and quilting. In times past, women didn't have to make time to sew and quilt; they were part of daily housekeeping. What was once a necessity is now a luxury and a leisure--time hobby. And, as a hobby, it not only competes with other demands for our time and money, it often gets tossed to the back seat. On the other hand, many people crave the re-energizing they get from working with their hands, creating something and developing a skill. They also enjoy the educational and social aspect of classes and get-togethers with people who share their interests. Even though sewing is my career and my business, I still love to sew and quilt in my spare time. In truth, I need to touch fabrics and play with colors and shapes to help myself relax and be creative, and I need to feel the challenge of tackling something new. All too often the problem is how to find the time you need to sew and quilt without shortchanging other responsibilities and the people in your lives. First, let me state that I'm not a time management expert, but I did consult one. Julie Morgenstern-- author of the very practical book Time Management From the Inside Out--offers the best reason for learning to manage time. "Being organized, whether with your space or time, is all about being ready. It's about feeling in command so that you are prepared to handle all of the opportunities, distractions and surprises life throws your way. When you develop good time management skills, instead of being overwhelmed by it all, you can celebrate it. You know what to choose. You feel clear and focused, ready to take on life." I believe you'll also be more imaginative in your projects. We all have wonderful ideas hiding inside just waiting for the right moment to be let out. Time, like food, is available in portions. To manage time you need to manage your portions. Julie suggests making a "Time Map" that helps you balance the portions of time you have for various things. I know this sounds like a schedule. If you're like me, you've been a victim of schedules that made you feel more guilty than productive, so you soon abandoned them. Julie suggests analyzing a few typical weeks by "activity zones," that is, how much time you spend on major life categories like work, family, friends, finances and yourself. Once you identify your activity zones you can start putting specific activities into them. It takes practice but you may be surprised to discover where your time goes and how small adjustments can make a big difference. Learn not to focus on the task you have for the time, but on the time you have for the task. In other words, rather than setting yourself up for stress by deciding you're going to make a whole quilt sometime in the next two weeks, set yourself up to enjoy the experience by blocking out a two-hour activity zone on one evening a week, just for quilting. Here's another way to look at it. Remember your school days? One period of the day was committed to math. Often you didn't know specifically what you'd learn that period, you just knew it was math time. Your school day was like a Time Map. Using a Time Map gives you much more flexibility, helps you plan better, and may help you uncover time you didn't know you had. Just like any good map, you can take an occasional detour and still get back on track.

Timely Tips From Friends

I turned to a few friends for advice and help. I asked some well-known names in the sewing and quilting industry along with a few members of my staff two questions: What is your favorite timesaving or time-making tip? What is the one timesaving tool you absolutely cannot live without? You'll be delighted to know that, generally, the tips and the tools are simple, inexpensive and readily available to anyone. Interestingly, favorite tips and tools tend to go hand-in-hand. For example, the incredibly imaginative Lois Ericson relies on pencil and paper as her favorite tools and her timesaver. They are "the vehicle for noting design ideas," she explains. "Drawing and doodling help me visualize specific design details before the actual sewing starts. Voila-time saved!" Quilt designer and Nancy's Notions staff member, Gretchen Hudock, has two favorite timesaving tools: her swivel chair and her Crock-Pot™. On her swivel chair she scoots easily from the cutting mat to the sewing machine and the iron. The Crock-Pot lets her stay focused on designing all day and still serve a tasty dinner to her family. Juggling home duties and sewing is a challenge, but teacher and author Mary Mulari believes they don't have to be mutually exclusive. "Avoid using housecleaning as a limitation to sewing time," she advises. "Hire someone to clean for you. It's a great way to gain time and support another person in their occupation." Author and designer Gail Brown agrees. She practices "as is" sewing. "Don't give up sewing because you don't have a sewing room, don't have a new machine or because your house is a mess. It's great to aspire to more organized, technically advanced lives, but don't forgo the pleasure and productivity of sewing right now. I have to steal moments to sew, so I've learned to make do with whatever is on hand; I don't worry about using black thread for a range of grays, blacks, dark navies and dark browns." Nancy Martin, quiltmaker, teacher and president of Martingale & Company/That Patchwork Place, practices her own style of "as is" sewing. "First-things-first is my motto, so if I have an important stitching project, I get up early in the morning and stitch. I dress in something comfortable and sew before my shower, breakfast and the numerous phone calls that will inevitably interrupt me. I also keep a hand-stitching project in the car--usually appliqué. That way, if I have to wait at the doctor's office, in the ferry line or for a delayed event, I can make good use of that time." Sue Petruske, one of my talented staff members, never buys just the fabric for a pattern. She checks all the notions so when she is ready to start she doesn't have to stop after 10 minutes because something is missing. When it comes to favorite tools, simplicity rules the day. Mary Mulari loves her Polder® timer. "I set mine as a reminder to watch television sewing programs, to leave my sewing room on time for appointments and to call my sewing friends at an appropriate hour in their time zone." Sandra Betzina, author, lecturer, and host of HGTV's Sew Perfect, offered the best "tool" of all. "The one item I cannot live without is my little house on the [California] coast. I go there for weeks at a time to relax, read and sew. When I'm very busy, just thinking about the place fills me with a sense of well-being." While we all don't have sewing hideaways, there are a number of sewing and quilting retreats, weekends, even cruises you can join. Spending time away from home with people who are filled with enthusiasm and ideas can be a powerful incentive to help you designate time in your schedule for sewing. A sewing or quilting getaway also validates--in your mind and for your family--that this time really is important.

Ready, Set, Sew

Now you have time mapped out, tips and tools. Ready, set, sew! Not quite. Here's my tip to help you to avoid future frustration with present planning: a spiral-bound notebook. Imagine you're a pilot preparing for takeoff. First, you must do the preflight check or you could end up floundering in the ocean. Set up your notebook like your preflight checklist. Arrange the topics in a way that works for you, but I suggest having one or two pages for each category of sewing/quilting supply. Here's one option: The first page is for your machine. Make sure it is cleaned, oiled and ready to stitch. Write down this date on your "Machine" page. In this section, keep maintenance records and note specific problems in case your machine needs servicing. (Imagine how your repair-person will love you for the machine's well-documented symptoms.) Next make an inventory of your machine accessories. Do you have all the feet and attachments required for the planned projects? Read this question again carefully. It doesn't ask if you have all the accessories available for your machine or for "maybe someday" projects. Label the next page "Needles" and list all the types and sizes you have. Decide a minimum number to always have on hand and if you need to restock, do so. When you've worn out a needle, change it and make a check in your notebook. The rule of thumb is to change a needle after each project and more frequently for embroidery projects. Stock up on needles during sales. You can never have too many! Use the next page to list all your scissors and shears, when they were sharpened and new ones you need. Also note down the phone number of your sharpening service. Go on to "Rotary Cutters." Do you have a supply of replacement blades in different sizes? Continue through your notebook making sure you have not only all the basic supplies in usable condition, but also a reminder to replace or repair an item before you get caught in the middle of a project. You don't have to have a supply of thread in all colors, but keep a tangle-free supply of basic and most-used colors. Keep the notebook by your machine and take two minutes at the end of your sewing time to make any notes or lists of things needed for the next project time. This is also a good place to note pros and cons of various notions. Other pages in your notebook can include: interfacings, stabilizers, elastics, buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, rulers/measuring tools, pins and adhesives.

Lifelong Endeavor

You never finish managing time, you just get better at it. It may take two to three weeks of getting organized before you have real sewing time. Is this important? The American Demographics Society reports that Americans waste a cumulative nine million hours each day looking for misplaced items. As an experiment, for two or three days keep track of the time spent searching for things. With 15 minutes here, 10 minutes there, one hour per day is not unusual. This adds up to about two weeks a year. How much more sewing or quilting could you do with an extra two weeks? Time management is ongoing as you learn new techniques, try different ideas and get to know yourself. Don't try to incorporate all the ideas in this column at once. Start with one. I've shared ideas that work for other people and hopefully will for you. Julie Morgenstern's book is a down-to-earth guide as is the companion book, Organizing From the Inside Out (See "Resources" below). The ideas are yours to try, modify or discard. Managing time is about deciding what you can, want and need to do in the time you have. The spring days are warming and daylight hours lengthening. I anticipate spending time in the garden making space for flowers. Why not plant a place in your life for sewing? You're certain to harvest bountiful rewards.

Resources

Time Management From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern; published by Henry Holt; 2000. Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern; published by Henry Holt/Owl Books; 1998.

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