Lack of Motivation.

[Lady Neysa]

I suffer from a serious lack of motivation.  MDRF is just 4 weeks away, but I can't seem to get motivated enough to get anything ready.  My daughters' bodice needs some altering done to it which will require setting new grommets,(UGHH!)  a skirt hem needs let out, new chemises need to be made, everything rounded up, and lord knows what else. I usually can't get worked up enough until I know the exact dates when we're gonna go to faire, which is usually last minute planning with about a week or so of warning. Only then does the excitement kick in and  I end up frantic and working my fingers off to be ready in time.  I always end up staying up late the night before faire still sewing last minute things.  I can't seem to get out of this repeating loop, even though I know it's coming. 
I love faire as much as the next person, so you'd think I'd be all a twitter, spending the whole summer getting ready, but it's just so hard for some reason. Just once I'd like to be ready in advance and not frantic. 

Does anyone else have this problem, and if so, how do you cope with it? 

[LadyShadow]

I completely know the feeling.  I wait until last minute to get everything done.  And usually wake up early the day before faire, stay up all night and then all day at faire with no sleep.  Just so I can get last minute sewing done.  I think this is the first year that I have actually started my sewing early on.  And I am trying my best to keep working so that I dont end up with a million things to do last minute.  It is a very hard cycle.  I think the inner boss is YELLING at me this year to keep me on track and ahead of schedule.  Best of luck with getting motivated to get your work done.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

Last year, TRF came way to quickly... this year it's dragging.  All my major stuff is done but it'll be the small details that will eat me alive, come October.

[bellevivre]

I have always been the one doing things last minute- lol i remember a couple of years ago sitting in the midst of a rollicking party out at TRF camp working furiously to finish M'lords 'pouf pants' for the next day...

Now that i have about half the materials for my faerie costume... lol i havent picked anything up!

[Aunty Lou]

From doing theater costuming, I sometimes feel "Ugh!  Too much to do!"  So I schedule a dress parade about two weeks out from curtain.  This forces me to be at least done with the major characters, and ready for them to try them on to pina nd adjust.  Two weeks then gives me time for the hems and tucks and grommeting (I WANT a grommet setter that is a hydraulic press sort of thing!)...
     My suggestion is to have a dress-up night a couple weeks early, just to see, and get excited...

[fairydollmaker]

I think we all get that way. if my kids get excited and start to talk about the costumes (they pick new looks each year) then I get excited and get moving, but if everyone is doing other stuff, I start to feel like some sweat shop sewer in a back room! that brings me down and does not make me want to work.  but then I look at pix from past years and I get the bug again!
it also is helpful if you have a room you can leave the stuff out so when the mood hits, its all right there ready to go! my dinning room has not been eaten in in years LOL

[LadyShadow]

my dinning room has not been eaten in in years LOL

I'm not the only one    Although mine has only been for a couple of months.  And I tell my family that is what they get for wanting new garb this year 

[gem]

No matter how early I start, or how much work I get done over the summer, I STILL find myself up late the night before, working on some little nitpicky thing I've decided I absolutely CANNOT go to Fair without doing... Sigh.

[Alisoun]

Ditto, here.

PARF starts next weekend, and the hubby's new garb isn't done.  So, what do I do?  Decide to start planning a Tudor gown for the MDRF opening instead, of course!  That was three weeks ago.  His garb's still not done, and I have to do a last fitting for my new gown.  Our season passes showed up on Monday, and I made some headway on that high alone.  I came home from work, and lost the motivation again.  I've listened to the RF Podcast, watched every "period" movie in my Netflix queue, and looked through every garb book I have just to get motivated to finish getting ready--it's not going to happen until the night before. 

It's like cramming for finals all over again.  So much to do, so little time.

[Dinobabe]

If maxing out on Ren stimulation doesn't work try doing something absolutley non-Ren.  I know it sounds weird but it works.  I try cleaning up my hobby room, doing laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, yard work, cleaning the kitchen or reorganizing the cabinets, etc.  Then I feel like I'm doing "work" and want to "play" by sewing!
Reorganizing my fabric bins and dreaming of future projects (they do not have to be Ren related) also works. 

[Marietta Graziella]

I start by doing some small, one sitting, type project.  A pouch, an easy hat, quick 4 piece shirt...  anything you can start and finish pretty easily.  That usually gets me going for me.  Ooh look what I did!  I want to do more! 

[Katie Bookwench]

I normally suffer from a combination of two factors- the 'TO DO LIST AS LONG AS MY ARM (and half a leg)' and the 'oh, it's only *insert month* - I've got lots of time!' syndrome.

So while I've turned out several pieces so far this off-season (a kirtle, a doublet, a pair of knickers, and a pouch), I'm still WAY behind on my list with only two weekends left!

where did all that time go?!?