Yesterday, I listened to Fat Quarter Shop’s livestream while I worked on projects in my studio. Kimberly Jolly was previewing her quilting projects for 2024. She went over her master notebook of all quilt projects and showed how she organizes the bits of each project into its own bin or basket. I stopped what I was doing and took notes once I realized she was going over several QALs coming in 2024.

A quick scan of the bookcase revealed an unused 3-ring binder with cute dividers I could repurpose for my own master notebook. I figured I may as well go ahead and get started. I chose to divide my projects into the following categories: 2024 QAL, Charity, CraftLAB, Personal and UFOs. I found a free quilt planner page online that I’m using to record the details for each project. I printed out available pattern notes for various projects and included them behind the appropriate project planning pages. Charity includes current WIPs specifically for charity, along with frequently used patterns and any receiving charitable organization’s specific guidelines. CraftLAB contains current projects and frequently used patterns/notes for kids I teach. Current includes personal WIPs that I’m actively working on. UFOs will include stagnant WIPs and tops that need to be quilted. Now that I’ve rounded up all the WIPs and UFOs, the next step will be to make a list of everything, including current status and next steps for each project.

After combing through all my fabric and notions bins for potential donations to the SQTM yard sale, it’s time to streamline some of the storage options and shift certain items to locations in my studio that just make more sense. Art Bin satchels are my preferred system for containing small tools, general craft supplies and corralling individual WIPs. Right now, I also keep my precuts in double deep Art Bin satchels. Ever since Joann replaced Art Bin brand containers with its own private label satchels, Art Bin containers have been hard to find locally. I need all the ones I currently have to store WIPs. Sadie and I went shopping today at Home Depot and Joann’s for clear storage containers with latching lids that will fit on the top shelf of my sewing room closet. Guess I’m going to have to shift the precuts, craft tools and supplies around first to free up the containers needed to start reorganizing the WIPs. Might also want to quickly finish up 2 quilt tops so I can have those satchels, as well!

This is my motto nowadays. Life is too short to play it 100% safe all the time. Do what you can to prepare for what might happen and go about your business. If not, you’ll miss out on some of the fantastic opportunities that exist in this crazy world of ours.

I still don’t trust my SUV 100%, so I invested in a portable battery self-jumping system and upgraded my AAA membership to include 100 miles of towing. The money I spent provides peace of mind. I now go about my daily business and will just deal with whatever may happen. So far, my SUV has been operating normally, Hopefully, it continues.

If I’d played it 100% safe, I would have missed a wonderful visit opportunity with Sadie today. It was so great to reconnect with some of my former coworkers. Big Girl made many kids and adults smile during our visit. We all need a little Sadie sunshine in our lives.

Next week, I’ll be helping the quilt museum provide a 1/2 day of professional development for Carrollton City and Carrollton County art teachers. Not exactly sure what this is going to look like, but I’ll write up my best cross-curricular ideas for integration with math, literacy and science, don my tie-dye SQTM t-shirt and show up on Friday morning

This afternoon, I’ll teach my final drawstring bag sewing lesson and then start tackling the to be quilted pile. Quilt design choices are (1) some variation of a loopy meander or (2) straight or wavy line quilting. I’ve been stuck for far too long agonizing over quilting designs. These are every day projects – not show or heirloom quilts. Time to get them finished!

Do you have a system for sorting and organizing your quilting stuff? If so, do you set aside time for ongoing maintenance? I have a system that serves me well as long as I periodically cull, sort and reorganize things. It’s the record keeping and inventory side of my system that always seems to get put on the back burner. Improving my stash management system is one of my major quilty goals in 2024. I even purchased a Quilting Life Planner and Workbook from Sherri McConnell to help refine my processes.

Over the past week, I’ve been going through my stash for items to donate to the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum’s semi-annual yard sale on 10/28. I did a big purge over the summer, so I wasn’t sure how much more I’d find. How about one bag for the trash bin and 3 bags of fabric and notions for the SQTM? I thought I’d also be taking a big roll of batting to donate, but after seeing so many quilt tops in the closet, and the two bins full of yardage for quilt backs, I think I’d best get busy finishing those quilts. Same goes for unfinished UFOs sitting in stacked up ArtBin satchels. This will definitely free up space in my studio.

While I have sold off a small portion of my unneeded stash, the majority is donated or given away. I share generously with my sewing kiddos. If I can help out a sewing friend with a specific need, I do that, too! I put stuff on the free table at quilt guild meetings. I’ve used my stash to make many quilt tops to donate to charity. Books are donated to Better World Books, which supports my therapy dog organization. The few magazines that I do have are shared with friends or passed along to teacher friends for classroom activities. In case you’re wondering, the stuff that no one wants or can’t be donated is thrown away.

I actually do have a vision of my personal “optimal” stash level and it’s not an entire house full of fabric! We’ll see how close I am once the current tops are quilted and the WIPs are out of the ArtBin containers.