Ugh, I’ve been feeling so indecisive lately. This tends to happen when I’m caught between what I think I should do for my business and what is comfortable for me as a person. Between head and heart.

Like when I first realized the business advantages of Instagram, way-back-when. At the time I didn’t even have a smart phone because I didn’t want one! I saw that such a phone can become a constant distraction from living life. We all know now that the smartphone tide was unstoppable, and fortunately I’ve found a balance for myself in using it, but it was with trepidation that I took those first steps into the mobile social media pool.

Today I was planning to launch my Patreon page (screenshot below). At bedtime last night I was still feeling uneasy about the plan, but it seemed more like fear-of-failure and of the unknown than anything else. I allowed myself to imagine what would happen if I did NOT launch Patreon. Little would change, actually, and that would be OK.

Over breakfast my husband and I discussed my concerns, and as a result I was on course to launch again. Then I came across much information regarding the reliability, functionality and ethics of the platform. I think I went searching for facts to support my instincts. Getting involved with another platform is complicated and always risky. I so prefer to keep it simple: me, other quilters, and as few others as possible (Instagram being nowadays a necessary participant).

So, phew, one decision made. I’m looking at doing something like Patreon on my own website, but let’s untangle that thread another day.

For now, I’m thinking about the quilty future, where lurks yet more indecisiveness. I’m thinking about - - -

Economy Star Encore

Starting a scrappy version of my Economy Star quilt, either the Parade or Chorus version. But what to go along with it?

1. an Economy Block tutorial. Free instructions for how I like to sew an 8” economy block. A nice contribution to the sewing community, but without the details for how to sew the entire quilt. Certainly an experienced quilter can figure it out anyway.

2. an Economy Star quilt pattern + sew-along. This would be a full-fledged quilt pattern that makes sewing a quilt like mine easy and straightforward.

I can’t decide if this patchwork design is too simple to warrant a pattern. I would happily do both the tutorial and pattern, if the pattern would still sell, haha. Either way, I’m thinking a quick launch this summer to fill my time when quilting service orders tend to be slow.

Penny Patch Update

In 2013 I shared a free sew-along for a quilt made from simple squares called Penny Patch. The sew-along was meant to reproduce my Vintage Tangerine penny patch quilt, but I didn’t get it quite right. I accidentally changed the pattern when I created the sew-along! Duh. It actually took me years to realize that, lol.

I would like to correct my mistake sometime and sew a new quilt in the original style. I could also lead an encore Penny Patch sew-along, which would be a free sew-along and quite beginner-friendly.

I have my eye on Rifle Paper’s new holiday collection, available for preorder at Sojo Fabric. What fun to sew a Penny Patch with that! This would also have to be a summer project.

Late Summer/Fall

Looking further ahead, I am making plans to compare more solid fabric lines to update this post, which has been helpful to many.

I’m also toying with the idea of an Ikat quilt sew-along. It’s an already-existing pattern that I’d love to make again.

Then, there’s the idea of developing either Honeycomb Stars (left) OR Scrap Cabin (right) into pattern-form, with a corresponding sew-along. Those both really appeal to me for autumnal sewing.

So, yeah, I have a lot of ideas to sort through. Sometimes it helps to gather them together. Hopefully by saying “no” to Patreon, I have cleared the necessary head space to get decisive again. Perhaps I was blocked from moving forward because my subconscious couldn’t rest with that one decision. It can happen with quilts too, where we get stuck because the fabrics or colors just aren’t working for us, but accepting that reality has fallout, which makes it difficult to do.

Wishing everyone a restful weekend, with clarity all around and a bit of sewing too!

xoxo,

Rachel Hauser