Hello and happy Friday! Welcome to the Sew Your Stash 2019 | 12 post. In this series of weekly posts I share tips and ideas to help get organized in order to sew with your stash. My goal is to help everyone who reads this series find useful tips in order to spend more time sewing! Photos for this week’s post are from our newly announced Harper’s Garden collection. I haven’t yet shared close-ups of all of the new prints, so I hope you’ll enjoy the photos today, too!
Sew Your Stash 2019 | 12
Since today is the end of the first quarter of the year, it marks a great time to take a quick review and make some notes in order to keep things going for the next quarter. I used to evaluate things on a yearly basis, but I found that just wasn’t often enough. Sometimes I forget to take stock of things monthly, so while I do have monthly goals, I find that a more thorough evaluation at the end of each quarter is most helpful to me. Here are the steps I take quarterly in order to make my new quarterly goals.
Tips for a Quarterly Quilting Review
1. Remember the Projects you Finished or Worked On
Even though much of my sewing is documented here on the blog, it is still helpful for me to take a quick review. I’ve nearly always forgotten some finishes or projects that I was able to make progress on, and it is always fun to take a quick review. You might want to consider keeping a list in your calendar or in a sewing/quilting notebook to make this task easier in the future.
2. Think About Which Projects Brought You the Most Joy
This is a new-to-me topic for my quarterly reviews. But it has been a really fun topic to ponder. Thinking about projects that bring me a lot of happiness not only helps me set some fun goals but also helps me make sure that I don’t get quilter’s burn-out. And it has been interesting to note that a lot of the projects that bring me the most joy are ones I’m making for others.
3. Make a List of Projects/Goals for the Next Quarter
Once I’ve reviewed my progress and thought about the projects I absolutely love making, I spend a little time to set some quick goals. Often I review my Works in Progress list, Bucket List projects list, and of course, refer to deadlines I might have on my calendar. And then I set some realistic and measurable goals for the quarter. It’s most helpful if these are put in writing!
4. Schedule Some Quilting Time
I absolutely love sewing with friends but don’t get to do it very often. So I love having a few yearly events to attend where I get to relax with friends and sew. Sometimes, though, life is so busy that I have to put a day on my calendar for fun sewing at home. I highly recommend it. Think about how much more likely you are to do something that’s written on a calendar. Go ahead and schedule a Sew Day for yourself or with friends!
A Few More Things
I hope these thoughts will help you make the most of a little quarterly review of the things you’ve worked on so far this year and the things you might want to accomplish in the next little while. I really feel like the beginning of a new quarter is a great time to review and get motivated. Here are some other posts on this topic you might find helpful:
- 5 Tips for Setting Quilting and Sewing Goals
- Tips for Quilt Project Planning
- Quilting Tips for the Start of a New Year
All of the previous posts in this series can be found here.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy quilting!
Daisy Dianne Bromlow says
I LOVE All of the fabrics , especially the light low volume prints. Wish I had a bolt of each and two bolts of low volume. Have a grand weekend !
Lesley says
I love how the different colors with the same prints look so different!
Mary says
I am scheduling tomorrow afternoon to sew! If I don’t, nobody will say stop straightening the house, etc and go quilt.
Holly says
Sherri, your Blog is so beautiful and nicely presented. I think it is one of the best.
Janice says
I am loving all of the tips on time management and organization. One of my goals this year is to literally sew my stash. I am sewing with the fabric I have and am only allowed to buy backing fabric, anything needed to finish a project, notions or background/white fabric. Not shopping has made me more creative, and i have enjoyed actually using the fabric I have. I would love to see some posts with projects to use your stash – scrap quilts, mini quilts, table runners.
Hildy says
I love all your new prints and thanks for the post!
Brenda H says
Good advice and lovely fabric!
Susan says
Hello
Thanks for this awesome way to be more organized and motivated in my quilting life. A quarterly review. Now my question to myself is notebook, scrapbook, calendar ?
sherri McConnell says
I think try one…and then see what works best!
Barbara says
Thanks for all the tips I need all the help l can get! I’m trying to figure out how many hours it takes me to make a quilt. I have 3 dogs who keep me busy (Great Dane, Pointer/Lab, and Schnauzer).
Monica Kostak says
I carry a notebook around to plan for up coming holidays, seasons, and gift giving ideas of things i want to make. If i don’t get to it this year, it goes on my list for next year. I have 2 Friday’s i sit and sew because of my compressed work schedule I’m able to do this. I TRY and get SOME sewing done on the weekends even if it is a couple blocks or cutting fabric. I decided I wasn’t participating in our local quilt show this year so that I can focus on UFO’s and BOM programs. I felt upset/sad in the beginning but a relief once I’ve seen that I’m making progress on getting projects done and getting more exercise in. So far, it’s working!. 🙂 Enjoying seeing your new fabric lines, esp the pink!!
Cheryl B. says
I really love your new line! I know what brings me the most joy without doubt is making baby quilt or children’s quilts. I have a signature row by row with one row the child’s name made with the Spell it With Moda booklet. For babies, I tend to go with my standby that never lets me down, an 8 inch sawtooth star! In fact I’m in the middle of making 2 at once now for two little boys, one my sister’s new grandson, and the other, my youngest daughter’s BFF’s little boy.