Reset

I quilted and bound this guild unfinished top that had been in storage for quite a while. I asked if I should adjust the size, either make more blocks or remove a few, so it would be easier to donate. The answer shook me to my core.

The lady making the deliveries said these smaller quilts can always be used by a senior in a recliner or wheelchair (depending on size). She then added that one organization she gives the quilts to will take any size. The children and teens they help are by referral and they know many of the children sleep on the floor because they have no bed.

Children. Sleeping on the floor because they have no bed.

How can you not remember that when you’re making quilts? I know if I’m not careful, I’ll overdo it to the point of burnout. That won’t help me or them. The best way to avoid it is to put my quilting on some sort of weekly schedule. It’s the same thing I do for household chores, laundry, and grocery shopping. It’s a habit now so I don’t stop and think about it. I need to make a habit of rotating what I work on at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the week.

I want to have a mix of quilts that are needed, quilts that are ones I’m really inspired to make, and quilts that will use up my abundance of scraps and strings.

Last month I worked on the rescued quilt tops. Now, I’m making strings but I feel the need to quilt some tops for my guild and also projects for the weekly bee I joined. It makes my head spin but, I know it doesn’t have to so I made a plan.

• Saturday – Reset my sewing room including piecing frankenbatts, trimming scraps, make sure all fabric is noted with the yardage and put away. If there’s extra time, prep for the next project.
• Sunday / Monday – Sew string or scrap quilt
• Tuesday / Wednesday – Sew inspiration (bucket list) quilt
• Thursday / Friday – Bee project and quilt a guild top

Life happens and there are days I’ll be busy with family things and not sew at all. The point is to rotate what I’m working on so I don’t get in a rut.

I once read that procrastination is simply decisions deferred. That’s a pretty accurate description. The left photo shows how my strings are stored. The wooden crate on top are pieces I need to trim and/or sort.

The next photo shows my scraps, and the last one are white/off-white strips on that were cut for projects I later changed my mind about. Those strips rest on top of my scrap baskets because I have no storage space for them.

As you can see, I have an overflow of fabric for both string and scrap quilts, not to mention the two drawers of fat quarters. I have ideas for all these fabrics! I don’t want to just store them; I want to get a better habit established to use them regularly.

On Saturday, I started my plan and used the morning to reset my sewing room. I thought I had kept up pretty well with my batting cut-offs so I was surprised to see there was actually enough for 2 small quilts. I only have 2 little pieces of batting left over. Staging them at the end of the table on the back of my long arm works well as long as I keep up with piecing and using them.

I’ve had good success by zig zagging them as soon as I finish attaching a binding while my walking foot is still on the machine. while I have the walking root on from binding the previous quilt. Now I know if it’s late and I’m tired, or have somewhere I need to be, I can just catch up on my Saturday morning reset.

I trimmed pieces from quilts I worked on last week too. I have 60 “waste” half square triangles trimmed to 3.5″ from the Dinomite quilt.

If I put them away, it might take a while before I want to work on them again. Better to keep them out and use them up eight away, especially since I have an idea for them based on a simple 3 Yard Quilt pattern.

I’ll cut the rest of the pieces for the quilt tonight. I’m anxious to start the next quilt so I’ll sew these as leaders/enders. The fabrics are so different than the quilt I’m making next that I won’t have to worry about the pieces getting mixed up.