I finished the third corner block at 9:45 PM on July 31st, and still needed to complete my sashing goal for the month.

Knowing I was very short on time, I chose to sash blocks on the edge of the quilt, so I had minimal sashing to do. I also chose newer blocks, on the theory that they would be closest to the right size and require the least amount of fiddling to fit together.

I found the needed blocks, cut out the sashing pieces, marked them, and started stitching. At 10:55 PM, I was still not done, and my bedtime is 11:00 PM.

And I thought to myself – why are you stressing out so much about making this self-imposed deadline? Nobody’s going to call you out for not finishing. And you’re trying to make self-care a priority.

So, I went to bed with unfinished sashing and got some much-needed rest.

The next day, I was back at it. Once I was better rested and taking better care of myself, the remainder of the sashing in this four-block section went together quickly.

While I do consider hand stitching to be part of my self-care routine (I count 30 minutes of stitching as a meditation session), it doesn’t do me much good if I’m too tired to focus and do a good job.

I’m disappointed that after a few months of really ramping up the stitching, I’m starting to slow down again (I may even have to drop my monthly goal back to one block per month).

But writing this article (finally!) almost six weeks after doing this sashing stitching, I’m more convinced than ever of the importance of self-care. Now, on to the next block … after a good night’s sleep!