Sunday, November 18, 2012

Phases of a project

First Phase Inspiration and Enthusiasm. The idea comes to you. You have no idea how you will begin or complete the project. It is all very exciting, you spend every waking moment thinking about it.

Suggested DVD to play while working: Something happy, like The Gilmore Girls    



Second Phase Conception. You begin to plan and visualize. You are still excited and enthusiastic. You draw, you doodle. Fun fun fun. It's all rainbows and sunbeams now.

Suggested DVD to play while working: something amusing and fun, like Eureka


Third Phase Execution. The idea begins to take form, still fun, still exciting. You celebrate, it is finally coming together. WOO HOO. If you blog, this is when you blog about it.

Suggested DVD to play while working: Something adventurous, like Lost or Heroes



Fourth Phase Reality. A little less fun. You are discovering the contingencies that you didn't plan for. You are entering the "it isn't perfect after all", stage. But you soldier on.

Suggested DVD to play while working: a drama, something like, Nip/Tuck, Medium, Sopranos



Fifth Phase.  I hate this effing thing and how fast can I get this effing thing done and out of my sight stage. This is when you unintentionally hurt yourself by staying hunched over the sewing machine or serger far longer than you should because you just want to be done with it. You have made some boo boos and it is no longer "art". Your sewing dungeon looks like it is home to human sized gerbils who use fleece as nesting material. Pieces of fleece are everywhere, as are serger tails and pins. You have run out of black serger thread and you finally have to stop sewing until the next day, which of course is Sunday and the useless excuse for a fabric store doesn't open until noon on Sunday, which is probably a good thing after all, because you have come to think of Advil as being it's own food group.

Suggested DVD to play while working: something where people die and there is blood and gore, something like Dexter, Dead Like Me, Six Feet Under


Sixth stage. Madness. You are so close to being finished, you start to get a little giddy and giggly, you stay up too late sewing and you begin talking to yourself in (what you think are) funny accents and voices. You finally complete the project, lapse into a coma and stay unconscious for 12 hours.

Suggested DVD to play while working: something a little crazy, the less sense the show makes the better, Little Britain, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python      




Does anyone else experience this? Or is it just me?

21 comments:

  1. This is totally how I work! Or, well, pretty close to it. Usually it goes something like this:

    Phase 1: Inspiration & Enthusiasm - Everything is going to be amazing and yay!

    Phase 2: Sourcing materials - Everything is still fun because you get to look for fabric! Except sometimes the fabric takes so long to show up you lose interest and move on to another project.

    Phase 3: Finally settle on a project after enthusiasm for various projects rises and falls due to laziness or lack of fabric or whatever. This is still fun and exciting because it is still in the planning phase.

    Phase 4: Actually start working on the project - this is the boring stuff like cutting out the pattern that I don't like to do and I drag through this phase. Boring but still ok.

    Phase 5: Realization of imperfections - this is when all decisions like choice of pattern, fabric, and fit alterations get questioned and it feels like the entire project is pointless. Eventually you decide to just get on with it so you can move on with your life.

    Phase 6: The mad dash to the end - n a bout of sewing craziness you stay up all night to finish, except the hem.

    Phase 7: The gestation period - whatever it is sits around for 5 days because you don't want to hem it. Eventually you hem it and wonder why it was sitting around for 5 days. At this point it is either a success or a failure, and life is either amazing or tragic.

    Phase 8: Creative Exhaustion - you sit around and ponder what to do next. Eventually the cycle repeats.

    So, um, yeah. I totally get what you are saying.

    Also - Dead Like Me! Woo!

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    1. Why did they stop making Dead Like Me? Breaks my heart.

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  2. I think this was a PERFECT description of the process - and hilarious too :-)

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  3. Too funny! But where is shopping? Or do you agree with T. Sedai that the shopping gets totally disconnected from the project?

    I think my life would be very different--and my sewing much more productive--if I had a TV in my sewing room. Monty Python + sewing would revolutionize my style!

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    1. Ah, apparently I have never mentioned that I am in possession of the "fabric closet of requirement". If it ain't in there, it ain't getting made. Seriously, I have serious stash. I do not buy fabric for a specific project.

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  4. I get some of those phases - perhaps not the speaking in funny accents although I have been known to talk to myself ( who else will listen !).
    I love Little Britain - never related it to sewing though - I suppose Vicki could be a bit of fashion inspiration ( and Dafid the only gay in the village! )

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    1. Little Britain is the funniest show ever. I absolutely adore it. Don't forget "I am a Lady", could be good inspiration for Steampunk sewing, maybe, or not.

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  5. Last night I worked on a knit tunic while watching 'judgement at Nurembourg' yup, according to your map, I was right on target! I save Firefly for when things are going really well!

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  6. You have me chuckling here, lovely post. I am in the "oh my god I made a sack!" phase of my current project. More to come on that soon-ish.

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  7. I'm giggling in the coffee shop, because you've perfectly describes the stages I went through while working on my Hitchhiker's jacket, except for the lack of serger and the fact that I watched/listened to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on loop nearly the whole time. :D Funny funny post!

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    1. You need to expand your DVD library, Dexter is my favourite for Phase 5.

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  8. I identify me fully with this process! This post brought a smile to my face, thanks!

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  9. Nope. You've totally nailed it - esp with that Little Britain shot at the end :P

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  10. what a completely accurate description, complete with video track. love it!

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  11. Ok! Just peed myself a little bit while reading this! I think I've found my sewing soul mate. I get a lot done when I watch Star Trek. Any of them. I am a geek. I live in Pitt meadows Bc, one day we should meet up. My Husband is desperately trying to convince me we need to move to Kelowna. I'm not sure there is enough fabric stores up there though.

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    1. Well thank you, making people pee while reading this was of course my goal.

      I too adore almost all of the Star Trek Franchise, except strangely The Original Series. Deep Space Nine is my favorite, I adore Avery Brooks.

      You are right, there is most definitely not enough fabric stores in Kelowna, four quilting shops (at least) and Fabricland 8-(. But that could easily be solved if you invested the massive difference between your house prices and ours in fabric from Dressew.

      Seriously though, Kelowna is notoriously difficult to settle into, its hard to find friends (unless you golf, no I'm not kidding). I had more friends in Whitehorse YT, after being there for a couple of months that I do after being here for over a decade. People can be really standoffish. Of course if you know people here, ignore all of this.

      IF I ever leave get down to the lower mainland, I would love to get together. I am a homebody, but Dressew is calling my name, so maybe soon..........

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    2. TOS, not a fan myself. Enterprise was my fave but short lived like Firefly. Would love to hook up! When ever. Seriously the husband is in Kamloops at this moment begging me to move up there. I'm not yet convinced. I live outside of Vancouver and I think it's small townish. I lived in Toronto for years. I'm not a snob I just fear isolation from stuff. Thanks for replying. Love listening to your stories.

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