Focusing on Just One Thing

A group I belong to on Yahoo called Stashbusters has this 'JOT' or 'Just One Thing' motto.  It means try to focus on just one thing to get it done, instead of looking at the big picture and getting so intimidated by the totality of what needs to be done that you get nothing done.

My JOT for yesterday was to sew the appliques on the borders of my animals quilt.  I got some of it done, which is good.  I decided after getting about half the appliques done, that I would only concentrate on the colored pieces for now.  I got everything done except blue and green yesterday, plus a bunch of the trees. 

Today, my JOT is to do all the greens and blues... there aren't a lot of blues, but there ARE a lot of green leaves, so I've got a job in front of me.  Today is going to be a busy day, so I'm hoping I get them done.

When the colors are done, I will still have a lot of neutral appliques to sew down, but I can work on those on Weds at my weekly sew-in and not have to carry all my thread with me - just my box of neutrals. 

Here's the quilt on my design wall with the partially-done borders just pinned up on the sides to show what I'm working on. 

Simply Woven Quilt-along

I worked very hard to keep up with the quiltalong, but I get ambitious in fits and starts, and like to finish things... so here is my Simply Woven top, all pieced:

I had to hang it sideways on my design wall because it wouldn't fit up and down... it's too big.  I haven't decided what to do with it yet... maybe I'll donate it to a local charity - they might cut it in half or even quarters and make baby quilts out of it - or keep it for when/if they need a twin quilt for something.  I think I will let them do the quilting though.  I don't want to pay a longarmer for something that I'm not going to use or gift myself.

Petty?  cheap?  maybe both, I don't know... but that's how I feel.  I know some child or children will love cuddling under it no matter who quilts it.

Anyway - I'm off to work on my animals quilt - first borders are cut and ready for sewing... the outer borders are all appliqued and will take a lot of work to finish, so I'm not rushing the process.  I've been working on the quilt for a year now, a few more weeks or months won't make a difference and I have no deadline for its completion.

I like quilts with no deadlines! 

WAYWO???

Setting Goals... and carrying through...

So, per previous posts, I set some goals, following the leader so to speak at both Red Letter Quilts' OMG and Prairie Moon Quilts' Studio Organizing Challenge.

Just a little reminder of what it all looked like before in my studio (books and patterns just piled up on any handy surface):

  Here is my nice neat bookshelves with all my books and patterns, much tidier than before, yes?

I suppose I could have organized them by title or author, but I didn't... I just put them all away nice and neatly... further organization may come in time... I'm just happy they are neat and clean.

Next week's challenge is to clean the files on my computer... that's gonna be a tougher one... but I will clean up my old mail files and do another backup of my files... that will have to do... perhaps I'll delete a few unneeded files, but most are ones I need to save for one reason or another (I'm usually pretty good about deleting them when I'm done with them, so the computer doesn't look as bad as my studio did).

A first foray into modern quilting...

Well, I didn't finish putting books away, but I have a few more hours left in the day...

Instead I sat down at the machine and finished piecing a quilt I've been working on called 'The Color Palette quilt'  It is made from a panel printed by Hoffman fabrics and the pattern for it is available free on their website.

Here is the basic panel the quilt is made from:  (most of the panel is visible in this picture)

The basic idea is that you cut the panel into sections of 3 color swatches in a row... then piece them all together with grey or white strips in between them, then make blocks, sew them together into the quilt... it sounds confusing, but is very easy... Here is the finished quilt top:

I don't know when I'll get to quilting it, but I'm happy I made it. 

Later tonight, the books for sure!!! because the next studio organizing challenge begins tomorrow!...  And since my word for the year is FINISH, I don't want to start out by not finishing something I started so soon. 

Enough on the computer... back to work!

OMG - One Monthly Goal Challenge - January

I sometimes need a little push to get things done.  I admit it, I often feel no real initiative to get up and DO things.  It's so much easier to sit on my ass and watch tv and play on the computer.

I've joined in a challenge this year called OMG (or One Monthly Goal)...  Here is a link to the challenge if you want to read about it and maybe join yourself.  The deadline for joining in on any monthly challenge is the 7th of each month, but January has been extended to the 10th, so you have a couple of more days to hop in.

My goal for the first month (January) is to put away all my quilting books.  My husband had to move my bookshelves to put up my design wall last month and I STILL haven't put the books back away again.  So putting away (and arranging) my books and patterns is my goal for January.

Here is a picture of the 'mess' my husband left:

I will post a picture of the nice orderly shelves when they are finished.

As for other stuff going on... just busy busy with holiday stuff... and now, after promising myself to back off the bom's for 2016, I am signed up for like 5 of them... but I am going to stay away from the LQS Saturday Samplers... none of the shops are doing quilts I want to do, so I'm safe there.

I am still finishing up BOMs from last year, and I have no in-progress pics to share with you right now, but that will hopefully change soon.

Back to the grind for me... Happy Quilting to you!