2020 Planning Party

I'm joining Quilting Jet Girl Yvonne's 2020 planning party. We're sharing plans, goals and resolutions for the new year. She's giving away lots of nice prizes, so it's definitely worth checking out and joining in!

Tubs stuffed with neglected FQs

I'm not normally one for setting things out in advance like this, but had already been thinking about playing a game with myself in 2020. Normally I participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This year I'm changing it up a bit and making it the Rainbow Stash Challenge. And more specifically, the fat quarters in my stash. They have been languishing, unused, lately. So as Angela announces the new color each month, I'm going to try to make a dent in the FQs of that color.

Deep drawer o' orphans

In addition, I have enough orphan block projects for Covered in Love that each one can be kinda-sorta assigned to a color:

Red: Patriotic red, white and blue orphans
Pink: Caribbean houses
Orange: Orange/green mix orphans
Yellow: Donated kit of yellow and blue florals
Lime green: Lime stars
Dark green: Green and purple mix orphans
Aqua: Primarily aqua mix orphans
Light blue: More patriotic blocks and scraps
Dark blue: Lone star top to be finished
Purple: Purple and chocolate brown orphans
Brown: Autumnal blocks
Black: Bright colors with black background orphans

Big stack o' panels

I also want to make a dent in my novelty and themed fabrics and panels. So I've divided them into 12 subjects and will draw one out of a hat each month to work on. Doesn't this sound like a fun game? Time to get these happy fabrics launched!

Cats
Dogs
Birds
Butterflies
Fish
Adult beverages: coffee/wine/beer/cocktails
Horses
Science/space/Earth
Trains
Camping/fishing
Food
Scooters

(Edited to add:) I went through my panels a week after writing this and decided to add 5 more themes. Time to stop hoarding these panels!
Farm/Chickens
Jungle
Tools/Trucks
Dancing/Music
Beach

I know myself well enough to expect a LOT of deviation from the plan! After all squirrels come in all colors, and if trains are chosen for purple month but I have some great purple butterflies, then I MIGHT get derailed. (Heh. See what I did there?) But it doesn't really matter, you know? Whatever gets worked on is fine!

Do you make these kinds of advance plans? Or are you a "fly by the seat of your pants" type?

2019 Planning Party

The multi-talented Yvonne of Quilting JetGirl is hosting the annual Planning Party for quilters and bloggers. Are you a planner? Do you love a party? Then check it out!

When it comes to quilting, I am definitely NOT a planner. I really prefer a loosey-goosey approach to my projects. Maybe the correct phrase is "squirrelly-whirly" because most of my work is done very spontaneously. I see a design online and decide to make one of my own. Or I dredge up some interesting fabrics in my stash and decide to cut them up into little pieces and sew them together again.



I almost never purchase fabric for a specific quilt. I buy (mostly used) fabrics strictly for stash and occasionally a friend will pass along some of their fabrics. A good supply of blenders, fun panels, novelties in my favorite subjects, and some larger chunks for potential backings, and my studio is ready to go.




Even the recipient of the quilt is up in the air until the piece is mostly finished. I have a group of charities that I support, and each one has slightly different size, subject and material needs. This kid-friendly one that's only about 38" square? Off to Little Lambs it goes! This bigger one that uses up some polyester batting? Quilts Beyond Borders. Adult sized in softer, muted colors? Covered In Love can use it, for sure.



Other tops sit quietly in my UFO closet until they are needed by a friend or family member. I shipped one of those out last week and will blog about it soon.

What I love most about this way of quilting is that there are very few deadlines. I sew what I want, when I want to. It's fun and relaxing. When I get frustrated, I can set the offending piece aside for a few days, or forever. I order fabric when the price is right, and I don't sweat about getting just the right color. It can take three months to get that shipment of fabric, and by then I've forgotten what I ordered. Every mail delivery batch is like Christmas morning! Woo hoo, new fabrics!



So what are my goals, plans and resolutions for quilting in 2019? More of the same! I'll continue to sew for charities, making the pieces that are fun and interesting to me in the moment. I'll continue to buy fabric as needed, enjoying the hunt for the best price. Good news such as new babies and sad news like illness will probably generate a gift quilt or two. And I'll blog about it when I get around to taking some photos.



How about you? Are you a planner to keep yourself focused and on track? Or do you chase the squirrels as they whirl past? If you want to join the party of folks talking about this, visit Quilting JetGirl and link up. You might even win a prize!