Hi all, don’t forget this is the last day to link up your finishes for Quarter 3 of the Finish Along!

Now, apologies, because this should have gone up on Saturday, but a small time difference and technical hitch prevented me from getting it to you until today, but just in time for the start of Q4 of the Finish Along, Kate from Katiemae Quilts is here with exquisite timing to help you find your lost mojo when you’ve fallen out of love with a project.  Take it away Kate!

So you’ve lost the quilting motivation on your project. It happens to all of us…and with a short attention span, constantly to me.

First, you need to know why the project stalled out. Do you have to finish it and you’re just dreading the thought of trimming a million HSTs? Or did you just tackle something that you don’t like and you have to force yourself to even think about finishing?

If you have to finish it, there’s a few ways I bring back the motivation.

1} Binge watching – you can get a lot done during an episode of Firefly. And before you know it, Our Mrs. Reynolds is on, and then Jaynestown, and then Out of Gas, and you finished trimming all those HSTs! {Am I writing this while binge-watching Once Upon a Time? Yes, yes I am.}

2} Challenges – I bet you can trim a million HSTs during one episode of Orphan Black. In your best Barney Stinson voice, yell “Challenge accepted!” This is a good way to break the project into smaller steps that are easier to conquer.

3} Bribery Rewards – with every challenge comes a reward. Did I just trim a million HSTs? I deserve a “me” project, like our host’s Whole Lotta Bag pattern. And an Oreo. I participate in A Year of Lovely Finishes and the Finish Along for one reason – prizes. Wait, I mean, connecting with all you other wonderful quilters.

Now what if you don’t have to finish the project? I know you want to – you’ve invested fabric and time.

I had grand plans for this sampler – 12″ stars alternating with 9″ stars, like Michelle’s Farmer’s Wife Sampler. I made 15 blocks, and then I realized…I hate samplers. {Not your sampler. I love your sampler.} I couldn’t bring myself to make another block when I knew there were at least nine more to get through.

1} Reset the design. You don’t have to make that many rows. Make the setting and sashing bigger. Add borders. You can make it bigger without having to make another block. Instead of two more rows, I added wider sashing and a patchwork border. Now it’s close to finished!

2} Think smaller – Pillow covers. Minis. They’re very popular. Sash four or nine blocks and call it a baby quilt. This was my favorite block in the entire sampler. I added a few more strips and now it’s the start of my mini-wall, where I will pretend this is a sewing room and not a play room. {The aircraft carrier disagrees.} Three other blocks will become pillows for my shop.

3} Let it go {is that in your head now?  You’re welcome!} – there’s plenty of resources for donating orphan blocks. Check with a local guild for donation opportunities. Lots of places will take quilt tops and finish them for you. This block didn’t have any floral prints, so I dropped it in my future Quilts of Valor bin.

So go ahead – rework the project into something manageable, and binge-watch yourself to a finish! And then eat a cookie. It’s my reward to you.