This post was originally published back in January 2009, however with the silly season quickly approaching it becomes important to find ways to reduce your stress, and finding time to be creative even when you’re running at full speed, is a great way to do this.

Finding time to be creative is sometimes a balancing act. Family, jobs and a busy lifestyle can suck up our time without us even realizing it. Or maybe you feel that taking time for yourself is selfish; that this time could be better spent tending to our families.

We all need personal time – time to reflect and to recharge our batteries, and for art quilters this usually means finding time to create our art!

When we are separated from our source of creativity for long periods, even though we might not consciously be aware of it, our bodies react in subtle, and not so subtle, ways. We can feel anxious, a little off-color, sometimes it’s just a feeling of being out of balance. Stop and listen to what your body is telling you – become aware of the little signals that your body is trying to send you.

Finding time for yourself, even if it’s only an hour or half an hour a day, benefits not just yourself, but your whole family. When you feel balanced and empowered, you have more positive energy to give back to them.

“Time Management for Creative People” is a thoughtful little 32-page free ebook by writer and creativity coach Mark McGuinness. In it he lists a number of things that creative people can do to manage their time better.

If you have been neglecting yourself, take the first step – spend half an hour with this short book, implement some of the strategies and make some time for yourself. Your whole family will thank you.

Photo courtesylaffy4k

The “Quilting Machine Buyers Guide” is a 23 pages pdf ebook and includes

* A Short Guide to Buying a Quilting Machine
* 21 point Checklist for a Straight Stitch Machine
* Comparison Chart for a Straight Stitch Machine
* 41 point Checklist for a Multi-function Machine
* Comparison Chart for a Multi-function Machine
* Quilting Machine Features List

If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, you can grab a copy here.

The “Inspired by Photos” Photo Hunt was a fun interactive project that was held in 2009.

Although the photo hunt is now closed, you can still download, absolutely free, the “Inspired By Photos” ebook/slideshow.

It’s always nice to get something for free so please enjoy this downloadable pdf ebook of easy machine quilting designs “The Little Book of ~Easy~ Machine Quilting Designs”. These designs are continuous line drawings, simple in shape, and are suitable for beginners.

The patterns are compiled in an ebook in pdf format for convenience, so you will need Adobe Reader to view it and if you need to update your Adobe Reader, click on the “Get Adobe Reader” logo. This is a free update.

The designs are continuous line designs and simple in shape.

Included in the booklet are 12 designs:
4 block designs
4 free motion designs
4 border designs

These designs should be printed out and enlarged to size before using.

Special Feature

A special feature of the ebook is the supplemental animated “stitching sequence” videos. The videos feature the designs that are included in the ebook and show a special animated stitching sequence which represents the best way to stitch out these designs.

The videos are in flash format and are designed to be viewed online.We hope you find this a useful feature, particularly for the more intricate designs which will be offered in the future.

System Requirements

You will need Adobe Flash Player to view this video demonstration.

Tips for Free Motion Designs for Beginners

Free motion quilting designs are generally stitched without transferring the design to the fabric, in other words they are stitched freehand. This can be tricky when you are first starting out, however the following tips should help.

The best way to start with free motion designs is with pencil and paper. Just like writing your name, free motion designs can be learned in a similar manner.

Using the designs in the ebook, lay a sheet of transparent paper over the top and trace the outline without lifting your pencil from the paper. Do this a number of times until you are comfortable with the movements. Then take a piece of copy paper and practice freehand.

Once your brain has comprehended the flow of the line, you will find it an easy transition from paper and pencil, to machine and thread.

And of course, the only way you will ever get good at anything is with – practice, practice, practice !

Other Sources for Designs

Other great free machine quilting designs can be found at Patsy Thompson Designs. She has a great website with beautiful photos of her machine quilting.

Quiltmaker also offers some free patterns.

For some time now I have offered the ebook “Quilting Machine Buyers Guide” as a free download for new subscribers to “From The Sewing Room” Newsletter/Ezine.

Now that the ezine has been retired, it seems appropriate to also retire the ebook.

However I believe it is still a relevant and useful guide to selecting a quilting machine, so instead of retiring the ebook, it is now offered to you as a free download under a Creative Commons License.

You are free to download and use for non-commercial purposes providing no changes are made to it. Email it to your friends or use it as a free give-away on your blog; however you wish.

You can download here and I hope you find it useful.

One of my favorite website, Zen Habits has some great articles for doing just this, as well as a terrific new and free ebook Thriving on Less – Simplifying in a Tough Economy.

Read the ebook and put some of these suggestions into practice and marvel at the difference it can make.