Friday, January 03, 2020

A new year

After the busy end to 2019 I've been taking it easy, and not pressuring myself to jump back into sewing, or cleaning, or fixing up the garden.  Things need doing, but I'm going to take my time and make a plan about how I'll spend my time.  My friend Helen is like an Energiser Bunny; if she has 15 minutes to spare she will jump right into a project; I'm more likely to have a cup of coffee. But in some cases it's better to sit and have a coffee and a think, rather than race off and not know where you're actually going!

Several times I sat in the sewing room and tried to create some momentum; each time I didn't feel any affinity with what I was doing.  The whole time I was away, I missed my quilting; now that I"m home, I just can't get started.

Every year at this time I become convinced that I need to clean up, use up or throw out all my scraps.  Last year that derailed the first quarter of the year, as I made endless 9-patches and rail fence blocks for this quilt;
and string blocks for this quilt.
I'm not going to do that this year.  I'm going to ignore the scraps, and I won't start any projects just to use them up. I'm going to sew on my existing projects, or start things that I'm really enthusiastic about.  I'm going to make a huge effort to deal with scraps as I create them, and try to visit the scrap drawers first when I need strips, but I'm not going to focus on them.  I love cutting yardage, so that's what I plan to do.

In 2019 I finished 13 quilt tops, and quilted 8 quilts.  That was a splendid result, seeing I spent half my time in Adelaide, instead of home.  This year should be a bit more relaxed, so I'm confident that I could actually achieve a goal of 20 tops in 2020.  I have 26 UFOs in the spreadsheet, and I'd like to cut that down to around 15 or 16. 

I finished these two very old UFOs last year,


and that felt wonderful, so I"ll try and get that list whittled down before I start too many new things.

It's stinking hot today, so I'm off to the air-conditioned workroom.  I'm going to put the finishing touches to my 4th jigsaw for these holidays, and I'm going to trawl through Pinterest looking for my next quilt project. That's a pretty good way to spend the day.
at

3 comments:

  1. audrey3:12 PM

    It's really hard to get back to routine sometimes after being away. Good for you finishing up the older UFO's. That always feels so good. It was interesting what you wrote about the scraps. They multiply so quickly, but like you say, it can take an enormous amount of time to make anything out of them. Love the look so much, but I'm always caught between thinking I should deal with them and wanting to dig into the newer prettier yardage.:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. qypsyquilterdesigns3:52 PM

    Boy oh boy, I totally agree with the "think it through" idea. Motivation in the sewing room is getting harder and harder for me, as there is just so much to finish and very little free time. Hopefully, kits can be made up soon, which will see me through the summer.

    By the way, I really love that string quilt. What size are the blocks.

    As always, Dolly and I look forward to seeing what you'll be up to.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Karen in Breezy Point2:40 AM

    I think you have a good plan for 2020, although your scrap tangent from last year produced some pretty nice quilts! I'm feeling the same way and trying to just work on things that really speak to me instead of forcing myself to work on those scraps. Here's hope for a great New Year!

    ReplyDelete