I started sorting through my patterns today. There are a bunch I’m ready to get rid of, plus a stack I want to scan and ditch the physical copies. I kicked off that whole process a year or two back, got a bit sidetracked, and just never wrapped it up.
In the middle of all this supposed organizing and decluttering, one can’t help but wonder: does making choices and decisions ever get easier?
My focus has primarily been on donation quilts for far too long, delaying the quilts I truly want to make. In order to change that, I need to establish some boundaries and accept that “limited help” in a group setting truly means just that—limited… help.
I plan to embrace a “both, but not equal” approach that feels right for me. My bucket list of quilt projects represents the ones the future me would likely regret never having made if I don’t do it while I still can. The donation quilts tug at my heart because I find joy in playing with fabric and watching my ideas come to life, then giving it away to someone I hope will love the finished quilt as much I do.
🎯Bucket list = priority projects
🎨Donation Quilts = creative breaks
My quilting schedule is still a work in progress but, the plan is to alternate between the two types of projects. I’m not going to want to wait until I finish one of the more tedious quilts to work on a fun, quick project. But, as all quilters know, it’s dangerous to put a project aside for “later”. That’s how we create a UFO.
I’m leaning toward deciding in advance to use strategic places to stop the bucket list quilt, take a creative break, and then back to the priority project.
These would be my pre-determined places to pause.
- Prep & cut out pattern
- Piece blocks
- Set block & add borders
- Quilt
- Bind
The three quilts that I most want to make have been chosen – patterns and fabric for all three are ready to go!
I’ll wait to start one of them until after the holidays. The storm at sea quilt will likely be first. Until then, I’m still very much hoping I can to squeeze in two Christmas projects.
With my top three projects selected, the decision fatigue I was beginning to feel has begun to fade away. Having a clear vision about what comes next makes the entire process feel much more manageable and that the hardest part is now behind me. 🙂
