Monday, April 22, 2013

The Road to Hell is Paved with Unfinished Craft Projects

Soooo, last night a momentous thing occurred... I actually finished a craft project!!! That only took 3 or 4 years...


It was another one of those things that seemed like such a good idea at the time. I figured I could take a bunch of bits of fabric and old clothes that were beyond repair, and turn them into something useful!


See how sweet and innocent it looked at the beginning?
It was fun and easy, at first, and I soon got the idea that I'd make a bunch of rag rugs and then I could rip up the hideous avocado green shag carpeting and instead of replacing it with something toxic and expensive, I could have a beautiful home filled with wholesome handmade rag rugs!

It was frugal, it was green, I mean it was the perfect win-win, wasn't it?


OY! When am I gonna learn this lesson? I mean seriously, my house is littered with half finished projects that I lept into with great enthusiasm and very quickly burnt out on once reality set in.



Perhaps I'm too ambitious at the outset, or maybe I just don't have the "crafty" gene, because inevitably these sorts of projects just turn into another nagging obligation that just eats at my consciousness, and clutters my home.


Seriously, it wasn't even the desire to have the thing finished that finally got me off my butt to deal with it. It was the desire to reclaim the cabinet space where all the fabric scraps were lurking that finally won out.


And, this is nothing compared to the mountains of clutter that earlier stages of this project entailed. Back when I was still all gung ho, it became evident quite quickly that I would need a LOT more scraps of fabric than I had in order to make a rug of any meaningful size.

So I put a "wanted" post on FreeCycle, and within a few days, this is what my living room looked like.


Lordy! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

I still can't figure out how a fun little project turns into something that takes over my house and my life and pushes me very close to the edge of insanity! But it seems to happen over, and over, and OVER.


So whatever the reason, I just have to be firmer with myself and refrain from jumping into this sort of disaster in the future!

So, the next time I decide that I'm gonna get all crafty, will someone please just shoot me?


Better yet, just remind me of this little episode. I'm sorta picturing the twins from the movie "The Shining" only instead of "REDRUM" they're gonna be chanting "RAG RUG!"


Now! I'm gonna go clean out that cabinet and enjoy having an uncluttered shelf that isn't constantly nagging at me to deal with it.


So how about you? Does anybody else out there have trouble finishing craft projects? How do you keep them from taking over your life?

28 comments :

  1. I think everyone has problems finishing craft projects--at least some time or another. A couple of years ago, I decided that there were a couple projects that I was going to finish: a cross stitch saying and a quilt. The rest of them I gave away. I finished the cross stitch, but the quilt is still waiting on me. I then took up beading and most of those are projects that don't take forever. A much better fit for me.The other way I handle not finishing projects is to not start them.

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    1. Oh yes, the unfinished quilt, doesn't everyone have one of those lurking around somewhere? Sigh. I think I'm really gonna try not to start any more of these little guilt generators in the future.

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  2. Oh, I too, really suffer from my crafty enthusiasm. I have learned, though, to choose my projects carefully now. I stick to the quick, under 2 hour projects, most of the time. Our yard, however, is another story. I was looking around at all that needed to get done and I just couldn't handle it. So, with this one big huge project (landscaping every inch of our property, whose brilliant idea was this?), I have broken it down into manageable chunks to take care of each year, and just ignore the rest.

    You should be extremely proud of the finished rag rug, however you found your motivation. Just finishing it is an achievement!

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    1. The two hour time limit is brilliant. I chose not to mention the other rag rug that's sitting in a box in the basement!

      And I feel your pain with the landscaping stuff too. About 10 years ago I set out to Xeriscape my yard. You can probably imagine that there's a loooong way to go an that one too! I did manage to dig up a bit of grass and transplant a few things this week before it started snowing AGAIN! Actually, I should be thankful for the snow 'cause its giving me an excuse to ignore it for a while longer!

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  3. Firstly, I LOVE naggy lady lion!

    Secondly, I relate to your craft issues... I'm a knitter, and although some projects are finished very quickly, there are some that have been sitting around for, um, years. I too am motivated to finish them (eventually!) just to stop the nagging and to regain shelf space!

    Sewing/fabric is my downfall though- I love the idea of making stuff, but when it comes to actually dragging the sewing machine out, I very rarely actually do, and thus rarely even start projects....so pointless!

    Congratulations on rug completion...although I am now thinking "how's that made? Maybe I should make one..." Argh!

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    1. Well, if you really want to fall into the pit of rag rug hell, just Google "toothbrush rug" and don't say I didn't warn you! :)

      I'm laughing about the sewing machine comments too. As I was cleaning out the cabinet this afternoon I came upon all sorts of stuff that I bought to make insulated window coverings. I very carefully figured out how much I'd need to make a quilted cover for each window. Of course I finished exactly one of these covers. It took about 16 hours of cursing and struggling, and I think I broke half a dozen needles. Alas, that was the last time I touched the evil sewing machine!

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    2. I Googled it...but I am being strong and not tempted!

      It helps that the local council now collects all sorts of fabric for recycling, so I don't need to find a use for all of my scraps!

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    3. Well, if you do get sucked into the vortex, check out the tips I wrote up in my response to Betty's comment below... it will save you a LOT of trouble!

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    4. Thanks!

      I was inspired to get some fabric out and cut out a pattern for a dress, as this post reminded me about the trunk of fabric nag nag nagging at me...now just to actually sew it...!

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    5. Here's hoping your adventures in sewing land go better than mine!

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  4. Hi, this is Frances from the UK. I must admit experience has taught me never to even think of starting - I just don't have the craft bug. Last time I got bitten by this was when someone taught me to crochet and I crocheted lots of little squares before I got fed up and left them in a bag. I finally sewed them together to make a poncho and it was so ugly I quickly gave it away! I've never done a craft project since... Tell you what, if you feel tempted to begin another project we won't shoot you, we will just wrestle you to the ground and sit on you until you give up the idea. How about that? (But the rug is lovely, worth it, non?)

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    1. OK, you officially have my permission to wrestle me to the ground and sit on me until I get it through my thick skull that crafts are just Not my thing!!! :)

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  5. I feel your pain. I just located a scarf I started knitting 3 years ago! I also have a box of unfinished embroidery that I got bored with and I have a painting I need to finish. I have trouble staying on track and if it gets moved I forget about it. I can't stop though, need to create. Thanks for the new project to work on! I googled it and it looks fun!

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    1. Oh NOOOOOO... the rag rug claims another soul!

      OK, if you're intent upon trying this here are a few tips.

      1) Start small. Progress goes really fast at first, but each time around takes longer than the last, and pretty soon it starts to take hours to add just one row. I'd suggest starting with something like a bath mat.

      2) Fabric. While my original idea was to use old clothing that was beyond repair, this turned out not to be such a good idea. First, you have to spend a bunch of time deconstructing the stuff, and what you're left with isn't exactly square, so it's remarkably hard to get straight strips out of it. Plus, you end up with all different fabrics that are all different thicknesses, and it's really hard to get strips that are the same size. I'd recommend starting with something like an old set of bed sheets - they're easy to cut into nice long strips, and you don't have to worry about having fabrics of different thicknesses.

      Whatever you do, steer clear of stretchy fabrics because it's really hard not to screw up the tension if your fabric stretches.

      3) Colors. If you're using fabrics of multiple colors, be sure that the two strips you're working with are the same color - because invariably a bit of the inner strip shows through the knots and it looks bad if they are different colors. Also, darker colors work better because it gets dirty remarkably quickly when it's walked on!

      4) Technique. Err on the side of tying your knots too loose rather than too tight. This makes it much easier to work with, and much more forgiving in terms of lumps and bumps. I found that the best "needle" to use was a big oversized safety pin. You have to add extra knots as you go, but don't overdo it or you'll end up with floppy edges that won't stay down and they become a tripping hazard (ask me how I know...)

      OK... that's all I can think of at the moment. Good luck and don't say I didn't warn you! :-)

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    2. Thanks! I'm sure it'll be fun. I'll just use the fronts and backs of old shirts and save the sleeves for a crazy quilt I've been meaning to do. I figure it'll take 4 years tops. :-)

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    3. Well, have fun, and good luck with it!

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  6. I love the foil cat picture! My kid made a Viking costume for our cat last Halloween and that picture put me in mind of it.

    There's a box of unfinished embroidery projects (and un-started ones!) in my basement but if I don't acknowledge them, are they really there?

    This past winter I re-learned how to knit. Having a 7 year old daughter is an advantage. Doll clothes knit up quickly--not Lili's 2-hour-standard of quickness, but I can get them done in a week or less. And 7-year-olds aren't harsh knitting critics.

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    1. Ha! When I was an exchange student in Norway eons ago, knitting was all the rage, so I decided to give it a go. Needless to say I got half way into knitting a sweater and gave up. I wonder if it's still hanging around somewhere... heaven knows.

      Doll clothes sound like a much more reasonably sized project! :-)

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  7. Forgot to say, I love your rug!

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    1. Thanks, from a distance it doesn't look too bad. This was supposed to be my "starter" rug where I'd work out all the kinks... the "nice" one is only half finished, sitting in a box in the basement. Sigh.

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  8. Are you bruised from head to foot? You are constantly beating the crap out of yourself ..... for being human. See, if you were a cat and you were lucky enough to find a sucker like you or me then your idea of doing crafts would be to shred cardboard boxes or wrap yarn around the furniture & then watch the sucker try to unwrap it. Just accept that our real purpose on Earth is to entertain & cater to the cats of the world. As long as you keep switching crafts, the cats won't get bored. GOOD JOB!!

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    1. OK... it's a good thing I finished my fruit juice BEFORE I read your comment or I'd have spit it all over the monitor laughing! I think you've hit the nail on the head, our purpose is to entertain and cater to the fe-lions. And yes, the bruises are pretty bad... :-)

      Although, Jasper was just doing a fair bit of entertaining. I decided that they way to keep the cat food off the floor was to put their little dishes on vinyl placemats. So Jasper decides that there must be something VERY interesting under the placemat, and within a minute he's burrowed underneath it... pushing the dish of food off the front end. He then discovers the food and sits there with the placemat balanced precariously on his back eating the food... and getting it all over the floor again. Too bad I didn't have a camera in hand!

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    2. See, you didn't get something that would convenience you. Instead you bought a new toy for Jasper. He obviously has a different definition for placemat. It's a command - Place mat. Cat will know what to do with it because he/she is the REAL brains of the operation. Dumb human.

      Glad you enjoy my humor, btw. Stand up would be too hard on my bad back. I'm better at sit down humor.

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    3. Oh my... I think I'm best at "lying flat on my back" humor! :-)

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  9. Your rag rug turned out great in the end :) I have absolutely no craft genes at all - all of my creativity is used up in the kitchen!

    When I was younger I spent months knitting a cardigan which was really complicated, and then never wore it because it wasn't the type of thing I like to wear in the first place!

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    1. Ha! Sounds like my quilt... I spent months killing myself trying to make a quilt, only to give up - found the pieces the other day when I was putting away the fabric scraps. The thing was... I didn't need a quilt! And if I did need a quilt, I could have bought one used for less money than I spent buying the thread for my stupid project! Oy!

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  10. Two years ago I donated all my unused craft materials to Goodwill. I am never shocked when I shop at Goodwill and see bins full of the same. I donated textiles to another charity to be weighed and sold as fiber. My closets have never been cleaner.

    I don't think we're all meant to be "crafty" and there are only so many hours in the day (beyond work) to pursue hobbies.

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    1. Ha! I think Goodwill is the place where all good intentions go to die! :-)

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