Sunday, December 2, 2018

Week 48 of Stashing and Stitching

The year is winding down fast, hard to believe it's already December.  Well maybe not so hard to believe that if you are outside. It's cold!  Definitely great weather to be spending time with a warm iron in your sewing space or with a quilt on your lap to get in your 15 minutes of stitching time.  



In spite of the weird and wacky week we've had, I did pretty well on finding time to stitch a bit each day. 

15 minutes stitching days/week = 7/7 days
15 minutes stitching days/November = 29/30 days
15 minutes stitching days/December = 1/1 days
15 minutes stitching days 2018 = 315/335
Success rate = 94.03%

It's been a good year on the finding time to stitch front, but December is my most challenging month.  Looking at my trends, I usually end up with stitching time half for 14 to 17 days during this month.  Maybe I'll do better this year.  You can share how well you did at finding time to stitch at the bottom of the post. 

Finding time to stitch has gone really well this year, but it's not jacked up the stash report as I had hoped.  

Fabric used this week = 1.02 yards
Fabric used in 2018 = 41.19 yards
More in then out for 2018

A few quilts just need borders and backing before they are ready to go out for quilting.  Maybe I can make that happen when I'm off after the Christmas.  But it's going to be a busy month till then.  Linking up with Quiltpaintcreate for the weekly stash report. 

In continuing the end of the year is neigh theme,   I've been contemplating 2019 plans, not just what I'm going to work on but how to stay organized and focused on moving projects along.  For me that means tracking progress and generating lists.  Due to a massive computer failure in 2014 where I lost all of my tracking documents, I switched my back up tracking to a paper notebook, a semi-bullet journal if you will.  Artistic I'm not and I have really crappy handwriting, so paper is not my friend.  Paper journals don't really work for me.  A potential new tracking tool was introduced to me at work, Microsoft OneNote. Documents reside in the Cloud so they are accessible to multiple devices.  More importantly, they won't disappear if your computer dies.  Since I have to start using this tool at work, it seemed wise to play around with it at home.  One of the first things I tried was setting up a template for my monthly priority list. 


  
Like a notebook, each tab can have multiple pages.  So in the Priority List tab I have a page for November and December.  I added the photos because that tells me at a glance exactly where it quilt was when I left off working on it.  Under the WIPs tab, I created graphic to track the specific stages that have been completed for a quilt. 



Under the Monthly and Quarterly Goals Tab, there is a list of the monthly OMG and 2018 Finish Along goals. 



Under the Quilt Plan 2019, I've been making notes and playing with what projects go on the list. 




So if you are looking for a way to stay organized and focused, OneNote might be something to play with.  I can access all of this on my phone if I want too.  Which is nice when I'm traveling and don't want to fire up the computer.  

Here's Mr. Linky so you can share how well you are doing at finding time to stitch. 



1. Julie in GA
2. Connie
3. maggie f
4. Marti
5. Shasta
6. Meloney
7. Aileen
8. Kathleen Mary
9. Christina's Handicrafts

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11 comments:

Donna said...

That's some tracking system! I started with paper and went to Google calendar, but at that time it went down a lot and I'd lose access. Nothing like knowing I had a meeting at work and not knowing when and who with. I haven't tried OneNote. After the Google fiasco I went back to paper.
Good luck with your 2019 plans.

Julie in GA said...

I love your tracking system! I try to keep track on my computer, but don't do very well at keeping my lists updated.

stitchingirlblog.wordpress.com said...

Your tracking system is VERY impressive!! Mine is all on paper in notebooks. I also tried the bullet journal method, but it really took a lot of time and I would rather be stitching! Thanks for keeping me on track with my stitching. This time of year is so busy it's easy to think, "I'll just stitch tomorrow". Having this goal of at least 15 minutes a day (which is not all that much!) everyday is keeping me stitching and most days I stitch for much longer than that!

chrisknits said...

Wonder if Mac has a similar program.

Denise :) said...

I'm so impressed with your organization, tracking and stitching time! I think of you when I'm able to sneak in 15 minutes...whether it's handwork or even just cleaning up my Nook so I can actually *think* in there! You've been a huge inspiration to me and I really appreciate your willingness to share! :)

maggie fellow said...

I use trello and love it too because of photos to help jog my memory. It is also easy to add to from the internet for my list that is maybe someday. Too easy, because I just added one and it said it was 365 on the list. Wow one a day. I will be eager to hear more about your method and it wise since you will be acquainted with it from work.

Marti said...

That is a neat system. I like to keep charts and records too and have been thinking lately that I need to start keeping it in a paper notebook as well as the computer, for the same reason as you. But I like paper journals (except when I make a mistake or want to change my system.)

Quilting Gail said...

WOW! Kate, I LOVE your tracking system. I just use Excell - but this looks great!
Congrats on maintaining your 94% average for 15 min of stitching!!!
Happy Quilting! :-)
quiltinggail (at) yahoo (dot) ca

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Wow, 94%! That looks like a great program to keep things organized. The photos are a great idea so you can see that progress is being made. My simple spreadsheet looks a lot like your status works in progress, except I have date started and date finished columns, I also have a column where I add the recipient's name if I give it away so I don't spend time looking for it.

Emily said...

Thanks for showing the behind the scenes to your organization! I really like your charts. I tried a paper notebook this year and that stopped working for me about July. I like your spreadsheets much better.

Jennifer said...

I use OneNote a lot at work, but haven’t used it much at home, mostly because I don’t like getting on the home computer after being on the work one all day! The phone app could work though.... Hope it is a good app for you!