teaching sewing confidence, tip by tip

Tuesday 2 February 2016

January 2016 Progress Update


Sharing my UFO/WIP list with you two weeks ago was quite shocking  - the shock for me, as I said, was the length of the list.  It's unclear what spurred me on most, the length of the list; accountability to my readers or the snow that kept me deep inside my warm apartment but whatever it was this has been my most productive 14 days in a very, very long time.

One way the snow has definitely played a part is in holding me back from taking finished quilt photos and sharing posts about each quilt - that'll have to come later once it's dry enough to lay the quilts down outside and warm enough for me to take my gloves off and press the shutter button to take the pics.

For now, I'm going to tease you all with a sneak peek at each of my finishes:

Hand quilted quilt - started September 2013/finished January 2016

Sliced improv block quilt - NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild Bee Quilt - started November 2013/finished January 2016

Jelly roll quilt -  started December 2015/finished January 2016

Quilting By The Lake quilt - started July 2015/finished January 2016

Mini butterfly cushion - started December 2012/finished January 2016
This was a really fun project to finish and has given me the opportunity to create a tute to avoid those empty 'bunny ears' corners on your cushions.  Check out that right corner bunny ear in the pic while the left corner is how your cushions can look if you follow my brand new tute.

Boxer Shorts - started January 2015/finished January 2016

Were you inspired to join in working through your UFOs/WIP?

My blog post certainly started something amongst my friends at the NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild and several members have taken up the challenge.  My friend, Maria, started a notebook with a progress table and was quickly followed by others and then our friend, Ivete of Gotham Quilts, created a digital version of the notebook for us, using the web app Trello.  If you'd like to use the app too Ivete has shared it with Gotham Quilts fans here.

I'm now using the app, I set up an account, it took seconds then I copied Gotham Quilts Quilt Organizer board over to my own account.  It took me about an hour to put all my projects into the app and reorganise it to suit the way I work.  I added a couple of 'lists' (columns) and changed/adapted the names of some lists to suit projects that aren't quilt related.  So my lists vertically are: Pattern Planning; Choose/Buy Fabric/Materials; Cut Fabric; Piecing/Sew; Assemble Top; Make Back; Baste; Quilt/Embellish; Bind; Label; Complete; Blog.  I think I'll add another list 'Photos' as I have been known to find photos of projects I've forgotten to share with you a year or two on!

As you complete each stage you just drag the image to the next list (column), it's sooo easy.  I removed the sample cards Gotham Quilts have added by archiving them and then I found you can delete them from the archive.  I've taken two screenshots of my board to share with you;

the first is how my UFO/WIP List looked at the start of 2016;

and the second is how my UFO/WIP List looked at the end of January 2016.

I'm very happy to see six projects now in the 'completed' list.


So here's my first updated UFO/WIP list at end January 2016 
I'll carry on including the list in this format too so you can click through to the blog posts and read more but I'll also include my Trello boards because these are such a great visual of my progress.

Quilts
Bear's Paw quilt - NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild Bee Quilt - started December 2012
Transparency quilt - started 2012
5 baby quilts - started 2012
Skillbuilder quilt - started January 2013
Giant HST quilt - NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild Bee Quilt - started December 2014
Shirt quilt - started 2014
Cloud 9 circles quilt - started January 2015
Aviatrix quilt - started 2015
Batik animal quilt - started 2012-2015
Improv curves quilt - started 2015
Sliced jelly roll quilt - started 2015
3 Snugglies - started 2015

Completed:
Jelly roll quilt -  started December 2015/finished January 2016
Quilting By The Lake quilt - started July 2015/finished January 2016
Sliced improv block quilt - NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild Bee Quilt - started November 2013/finished January 2016

Hand Sewing
Cross stitch - lilies - started 2003
Coffin hexies - started January 2013
Hexie hexies - started 2014

Completed:
Hand quilted quilt - started September 2013/finished January 2016

Clothing
Flicky's dress - started 2012
Flicky's skirt - started 2014
Boxer shorts - started January 2015
Flicky's PJ bottoms - started January 2016

Completed:
Boxer shorts - started January 2015/finished January 2016

Textile Crafts
Pirate dolls - started 1998
Flicky's book cover - started 2010
Jelly Roll block cushion - started 2013
Xmas cushion - started 2013
Flapped tissue case - started 2013
Snail block - started 2013
Fabric book - started 2014
Sashiko cushions (several) - started July 2015
Create fabric covers for 2 canisters - started 2015
Tula Pink storage containers - started December 2015
Sewing Organiser/Thread Catcher - started February 2016
Name Badge - started February 2016

Completed:
Mini butterfly cushion - started December 2012/finished January 2016

Textile Art
Quilting By The Lake - Series 1 - started July 2015
Quilting By the Lake - Series 2 - started July 2015

Repairs
Repair handles on felted bag - started April 2012
Replace worn blocks on Simon's quilt - started November 2015
Replace buttons on Button quilt - started November 2015
Restuff and mend teddy - started 2015
Repair various clothes for family - started 2015



To keep track of all related blog posts in one place I've created a page you can click through to and see this post and each of my monthly update reports; you can click through to it here.



Have you sworn to clear your UFOs/WIP this year?  How are you going about it?  Let me know if you start using the Trello app too.
Do share your ideas and progress, you might just inspire someone to do the same :D


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Linky Parties This post may be linked to some great Linky Parties, always a great source of inspiration too.  If you click through to my 'Fave Linky Parties'  page you can see where I like to share my work.

17 comments:

  1. Well done Chris! I have a huge list too, but I need a snow storm to be productive ... I love the Trello app - I might try that out.

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    1. I'm loving Trello - I'm using it for far more than my WIPs now too - plenty snow and cold weather here to allow me to stay busy, how about you? - Chris :D

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  2. It isn't that my list is so long, it's just that most of the pieces I need to finish involve quilting - and that is so darn time consuming, as you know. I just don't wanna do it. But you have made me realize that I need to just bite the bullet and do it. So thanks for sharing, it helps other people, too ;)

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    1. Go for it Carrie, it's a great feeling to finish a quilt isn't it, bite that bullet - Chris :D

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  3. Congrats on all the progress last month. I love the colors in your sneak peaks, there are some lovely projects there.

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  4. Wow, what progress! Love the idea of organizing projects visually. I might have to try that!

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    1. Have a look at Trello Jennifer, you can use it for project and blog planning and I'm using it for far more than WIPs now, it's amazing for so many areas of my life - Chris :D

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  5. Thanks for the intro to Trello. I was also swimming in WIPs and it's a wonderful and very intuitive tool for keeping a visual record of where I am and more crucially where I should be! Looking forward to moving those cards along.....

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    1. Yay, so excited that you're using Trello too and you soon realise it can be used in so many ways in different areas of you life. How's your WIP progress coming along? - Chris :D

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  6. You have had a productive 14 days!! Great progress, and the sneak peeks all look like they're hiding great projects. Your organization is quite impressive too. Good luck getting through that list, and thanks for linking to TGIFF!

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  7. I'm so glad you found the Trello system useful! I love seeing your "before" and "after" screenshots of your projects, very impressive!

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    1. Ha, I LOVE it, thanks for introducing me to Trello!!! Excited to share February's progress next week - Chris :D

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  8. Wow! You've made great progress! Thank you for sharing at #HomeMattersParty we hope you will link up again next week!

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  9. Fantastic work! I have actually finished 2 WIPs myself recently. One of which I just finished which was the tutorial for a crocheted apple cosy. But I have a bag full of crocheted granny squares which I keep looking at and thinking I should do something about. Some of them are 10 years old!

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    1. Yay for finished WIPs and did you start on your granny square bag yet, sometimes all it takes is to open the bag and peep inside to get it started. How wonderful to have a finished piece including those 10 year old blocks!!! Good luck - Chris :D

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  10. That is so lovely! :)
    Greetings from Finland!
    Hugs, Ulla

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  11. Wow that is some list, it's amazing how many of us crafter start one thing and then end up doing something else and then something else until it really adds up!

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Chris Dodsley


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