Today was a grocery shopping day and so I didn't get into my sewing room until late in the afternoon. Tomorrow I'm home all day, and so I'm hoping to get more accomplished. I had to stop off at the post office to try to find an appropriate box for shipping the Checkerboard Flowers quilt off to the quilt show.
Happily, Checkerboard Flowers is completely finished now. I've spent the last week putting the finishing touches on it, including a hanging sleeve and a label with my name and address. It doesn't seem as if it should take very long to do either, but I thought I would never finish. Finally, I sewed the label on it yesterday.
This label is made using some quilt label software that I have and Printed Treasures. After I print the label on the Printed Treasures fabric sheet, I sew a border and a backing on it and then hand-sew it to the quilt back. Now I just need answers to a couple of questions I've posed to the quilt show folks, and then it'll be on its way to Ireland! So exciting.
This being a short month, I suddenly feel as if I'm in a rush to finish up all my "monthlies". I thought you might like seeing how I keep myself organized. Without this system, I would be stumbling around in the proverbial darkness. I keep all my projects and goals listed on a white board. This is how I keep myself accountable to the projects I've started so that they keep moving forward to completion.
(Pause here for a moment to admire my lovely penmanship.)
On the left side, I have listed my weekly goals--both the current week and next week. When next week gets here, I erase "Next" and write in "This" indicating the current week's goals. Then I go to the other half of the column and erase "This" and write in "Next" and set up next week's goals. (I hope you followed that.) Then the middle column shows my projects broken up into incremental blocks. The "M" following each project indicates that I've finished February's goal ("F"), and that I'm ready to start March's goal when March rolls around. Notice that "Top Stitching" about half way down is the only incremental goal left for February. (More about that later.) Then on the right column, I have my projects. The ones written in blue are the ones I've started. The ones in red are the ones I want to start.
This is a pretty rudimentary system, but it works for me. Recently I saw where someone had done something similar, only they were using sticky notes. I've always had a problem wasting paper. Each piece of paper I throw into the trash (since sticky notes can't be recycled) causes me to feel as if I've just cut down an entire tree. So, no sticky notes for me, although I think it's an excellent idea. I'll just stick with my toxic dry erase markers. (I don't actually know if they are toxic, but they smell as if they are.)
So I began to feel as if I needed to get started on my next Mr. Bear block in order to finish it in time to also do the embroidery for the Promises & Borders quilt before the end of March. So I traced out the design for the next block and started the embroidery for that this morning. That means I have to put my Mother Goose blocks aside for a while. Those are low priority since no one has informed me about any buns in any ovens (so to speak).
And then, after I managed to make my way into the sewing room this afternoon, I started on my poor step-child project, Home is Where the Heart Is. That is the one "F" project remaining on my white board for the month of February. I started doing the top-stitching for the November block. Fortunately, there is only one more block to top-stitch after this one, and then I can get onto the borders and finishing it up. This is my longest-running project ever.
Happily, Checkerboard Flowers is completely finished now. I've spent the last week putting the finishing touches on it, including a hanging sleeve and a label with my name and address. It doesn't seem as if it should take very long to do either, but I thought I would never finish. Finally, I sewed the label on it yesterday.
This label is made using some quilt label software that I have and Printed Treasures. After I print the label on the Printed Treasures fabric sheet, I sew a border and a backing on it and then hand-sew it to the quilt back. Now I just need answers to a couple of questions I've posed to the quilt show folks, and then it'll be on its way to Ireland! So exciting.
This being a short month, I suddenly feel as if I'm in a rush to finish up all my "monthlies". I thought you might like seeing how I keep myself organized. Without this system, I would be stumbling around in the proverbial darkness. I keep all my projects and goals listed on a white board. This is how I keep myself accountable to the projects I've started so that they keep moving forward to completion.
(Pause here for a moment to admire my lovely penmanship.)
On the left side, I have listed my weekly goals--both the current week and next week. When next week gets here, I erase "Next" and write in "This" indicating the current week's goals. Then I go to the other half of the column and erase "This" and write in "Next" and set up next week's goals. (I hope you followed that.) Then the middle column shows my projects broken up into incremental blocks. The "M" following each project indicates that I've finished February's goal ("F"), and that I'm ready to start March's goal when March rolls around. Notice that "Top Stitching" about half way down is the only incremental goal left for February. (More about that later.) Then on the right column, I have my projects. The ones written in blue are the ones I've started. The ones in red are the ones I want to start.
This is a pretty rudimentary system, but it works for me. Recently I saw where someone had done something similar, only they were using sticky notes. I've always had a problem wasting paper. Each piece of paper I throw into the trash (since sticky notes can't be recycled) causes me to feel as if I've just cut down an entire tree. So, no sticky notes for me, although I think it's an excellent idea. I'll just stick with my toxic dry erase markers. (I don't actually know if they are toxic, but they smell as if they are.)
So I began to feel as if I needed to get started on my next Mr. Bear block in order to finish it in time to also do the embroidery for the Promises & Borders quilt before the end of March. So I traced out the design for the next block and started the embroidery for that this morning. That means I have to put my Mother Goose blocks aside for a while. Those are low priority since no one has informed me about any buns in any ovens (so to speak).
And then, after I managed to make my way into the sewing room this afternoon, I started on my poor step-child project, Home is Where the Heart Is. That is the one "F" project remaining on my white board for the month of February. I started doing the top-stitching for the November block. Fortunately, there is only one more block to top-stitch after this one, and then I can get onto the borders and finishing it up. This is my longest-running project ever.
Thirty stitches down. About a zillion to go.
8 comments:
Love your organization system! I do something similar but have both a whiteboard and a small date book that lists daily stuff to try to keep up with all that's on the whiteboard... whew! I'm worn out just typing it! You are very faithful to get your tasks done I see. I try to be but sometimes get lost in other things. That's what the challenges are helping me with - staying focused!
Keep plugging along on your Home quilt and it'll be done before you know it!
Love your board. I used a wall calendar last year, and a pocket calendar now, but I think your white board might work a little better. I'll have to see if I can find one I like. You certainly have a few things going on!
I have a dry board somewhere - love that idea. I keep a notebook - but that gets real messy and confusing, because I jot all kinds of notes, dimensions, phone calls, etc.... and it is a mess to read sometimes. And my handwriting - only I can read - sometimes! I was always told I should have become a doctor because I had the handwriting for it.
Yikes! Board or no board I don't know how you can do so many projects! I would feel like I'm never going to get anything done. I have to keep my projects to 3 or 4. I love a simple life. Good system you have though.
Great organization - and Lovely penmanship! :)
Quite an organizational system...and it works for you so that is ALL that matters. I tend to make lists on my laptop and delete as I go but I get distracted sew easily I wonder why I bother some times.
Wow -- I'm not sure what all I could accomplish if I was that organized! LOL! I just noticed that you live *in* Hillsboro while I live *on* Hillsboro (Drive). How fun!! :)
Wow, even if I was that organized, I don't think I'd get even a third of what you have up there done!
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