Patience is not a virtue

Patience is not a virtue. It's a treasure, a gift, a skill, and a habit. Many in the general public think that quilters must be a very patient bunch of people. But you and I know otherwise. Only a few of us quilters, in my opinion, are truly patient. Patient means: enduring, tolerant, unwearied, uncomplaining, long-suffering, and serene. If we are really patient, our projects would be completed calmly, diligently, and without complaint from start to finish. If you are a patient quilter, you are richly blessed.

The rest of us have the 2-edged sword of impatience. Impatient means: annoyed, irritated, frustrated, and angry. Which of course, leads to mistakes and more frustration. BUT, impatient can also mean eager, excited, and enthusiastic. The positive aspects of impatience can quickly turn to the negative without the ability to move into a patient mode to get the project you are eager to do, actually done. Here are some suggestions:

• Play your favorite calming music as you sew. I personally like adagios - the quiet and often pensive type of classical music. But, if country music takes you there - go for it!
• Stay hydrated, pee when you need to, eat lunch, and take a break now and then.
• When you get frustrated - stop, breathe, and make it okay to take a break. Just don't abandon the whole project. Yesterday I heard myself say "I'm just going to throw the whole thing in the trash!" That was my clue to call it a day. 
• Practice patience. This actually works to help you move into a patient place when you need to. At the grocery store on a busy day, get in the longest line you can find. Breathe, talk to the people around you, breathe, smile, breathe. Then on your way out to your car, saunter.

 
Why am I even talking about this? Because working on the Amish Pinwheel block for the Precision Piecing class on Craftsy had begun to take a toll. I definitely WANT to know how to piece (nearly) "perfectly" when I need to, but I'm so impatient, that if it isn't coming together immediately, I tend to get upset. Yesterday, I finally had enough of being upset. So I implemented the "call it a day" strategy. Today, I'll do another block, and tomorrow, another. But I won't start pushing myself any harder than that on this project. I'll exercise a little patience - maybe.

Now let's go quilt something!