August Inspiration

August already. I hate when this happens.
Summer goes zooming by. Back-to-school ads begin to appear, the Minnesota State Fair looms at the end of the month and I even saw a couple of sumac leaves starting to turn red on my walk yesterday.
As you may know, I set monthly goals for my quilt related life all through the year but somehow the 'end of summer' makes me panic. But this year, the London Olympics are helping to motivate me.

The dedication and hard work the athletes exhibit - long term - is really amazing to me. I do not compare my life or achievements to the athletes stories but I am inspired by people who have goals in any field and are willing to work hard to achieve them...thus.... I have given myself  a virtual 'kick in the behind' to apply more energy and focus on my goals.

I usually bite off more than I can chew and may have done it again for August - but I thought I'd try sharing my list with all of you in hopes that promising to post the results at the end of the month will be motivational!
Thankfully, a gold medal is not at stake!

So here's what I am going to do:

    Finish my Scottie top - crib size

Finish my Mariner's Compass top - full size              

    (friends are doubtful!)

Finish my Amish Bars - just the outer border to hand quilt 

And in my spare time....

    Play with denim.

 Watch for my report on September 1.

A(nother) New Year

As we start a fresh new year I am determined, as usual, to make it the most productive quilting year ever! I know that some of what I'd like to have happen won't...but I also know that some unexpected and exciting projects will fill in for those that are missing. That's the fun of it!

It all started over ten years ago with a simple list of UFO's pinned to the bulletin board over my sewing machine. This became necessary when I realized I didn't even remember some of the things I'd started with enthusiasm and abandoned before completion.

Today it has evolved into a 3-ring binder. Started in 2002 I had to move it all to a bigger one this year. It doesn't need to be fancy!

It still contains my UFO's (maybe even some of the same ones!) but I've added things like techniques I want to try, gifts to be made and ongoing projects divided into categories such as Tops Ready to Quilt, Sets of Blocks and Repair Projects. Throughout the year I cross thing off and add new ideas. It usually gets pretty messy. It's a work tool.

I'm ready for 2012!

I include pages to record monthly progress and at the end of the year I review it all and write up a summary as I get ready to start all over again with a new year.

In addition to choosing several things to prioritize, I focus on these three things each month:

1. Doing some handwork - embroidery, quilting, hand-piecing, applique, knitting
2. Doing something creative - no pattern, play with fabric, use scraps, try new techinques.
3. Keeping my quilt collection updated - taking photos, measurements and other data about acquired vintage quilts and keeping notes on quilts I am making. This can really get away from me if I don't make a point of it.

Perhaps only a person trying to keep too many plates spinning in the air would need such a system but I don't think I'm alone. I showed my friend Gail my system a few years ago and she wanted to try it, too. She set up a system that works for her and we get together at the end of each month for a review. Neither of us is by any means a slave to the original plan. Sometimes it feels like we tell each other mostly what we didn't accomplish!

I can't say for sure, but I do think that setting goals and reminding myself of them on a regular basis helps me get things done. I think I am more conscious of how I choose to spend my time and what to prioritize... but if not, that's okay because I just really enjoy the process.

How do you manage your quilting life? 

Do you like to set specific goals for your quilting?

 If so, what is your system?