Crafting to a Deadline

There has been a quiet (blog quiet) period for me here. But we must not mistake that for inactivity! I have never worked harder. My daughter’s preschool is hosting the annual fundraising auction. And this event is more like a gala. It has taken on a life of it’s own.
We have crazy high donation goals, so I wanted to knock some of that out with lovely homemade things.

I decided to make a knit throw. And then i decided to do a quilt. (And then I should have had my head examined.)
So as I slave away on both projects, I had a conversation with Kathy about deadlines and crafting on a schedule. I told her I hate to craft on such a rigid schedule. But realistically, without a deadline, when are things going to be finished? Big things, like a quilt. In my house, the answer is “never”. Without the hard deadline, they would never get done.
And then, ironically, the day we had that conversation, Blair at Wise Craft posted a discussion of the same topic. She said that as a blogger, she sets her own deadlines.

I think that there are two factors at play here. First, how do you get things moved across the finish line? And the next, how do you “handle” yourself. Especially if you are crafting for a living. Or, if you are making things for an auction. For most of us, picking up needles at the end of the day is akin to yoga. It forces you to slow down, and read the pattern, and clear your mind. Does the deadline crowd in? Does it negate the “yoga moment”?
The question might also center around the size of the project. The Iron Craft challenges are not as stressful because they are smaller in nature, more “bite sized”. But in the case of a quilt, it could stretch on and on out to the horizon.
Do you work better to a deadline? Or do you work better just running at your own pace?