Trackers, planners, checklists and games

I make lists. Do you?
Actually, I need to make lists because the barrage of demands that vies for my attention at any one time can cause me to forget what I'm supposed to do. 

I also like trackers and calendars. And apparently, several of you like them too since I've been asked where I found some of mine. 

My assortment of stitching strackers, planners, checklists and games.

I use trackers to keep up with and document the progress on long-term and short-term quilting and sewing projects and daily practices. I find it interesting to reflect on past years' accomplishments and compare them with current plans... and I also enjoy "ticking off the boxes." 

Trackers and planners: paper or digital?

Many of my trackers are paper trackers that are printed from digital files. Online sew-alongs and Challenges often offer downloadable PDF trackers to keep participants organized. I print these out and then paste them into a sketchbook. 

• Make Nine
• 100 Days 100 Blocks
• Stitching Success Tracker 
• Create Daily success tracker
• my quilt guild made up a Quilting Success Bingo card

With these, I get to physically "color in" or "cross off" the completed activities—usually with a variety of colored pencils.

Some of my trackers are digital: 

• photos and IG postings for the 100 Day Project
• photos and IG postings for the 100 Days 100 Blocks Challenge
• an Excel spreadsheet for my blog postings

This is my new Create Daily success tracker for 2022.

Create Daily success tracker for 2022.

This tracker was for the 100 Days 100 Blocks project in 2021.

The 100 Days 100 Blocks tracker/checklist for making, photographing and posting photos.

Staying encouraged

Every checkmark or colored square gives me a sense of accomplishment. I'm always thrilled and  pleased by how much can be completed when working on something every day—even if only for a few minutes. Having a visual reminder of things I've finished and prompts for new things keeps me  motivated, mindful and on track. 

All boxes covered on my guild's Quilting Success Bingo card. BINGO!

And who doesn't like coloring in or crossing off the little boxes??? Then one day you shout... BINGO!

Basting the chickens at the Cuddle Quilt workshop

This orange, chicken improv quilt got basted yesterday... at the annual Cuddle Quilt workshop with my quilt guild. And I'm happy to report the quilt is already machine quilted and machine bound.

 A novelty fabric with chickens prompted the name for this quilt

The most beneficial part of the annual Cuddle Quilt workshop—for me and several guild members—is the group spray-basting activity. I don't have an open space to baste quilts in my studio—without clearing off a table, anyway. And it was obvious that many guild members made cuddle quilt tops last year during the pandemic lockdown as the spray basting station was extremely popular this year.

Finished cuddle quilt, 37.5" x 39.5".

Inspired by "Making Do" and using up scraps

In early 2017, we had a guild program called, "Making Do," that provided tips and ideas for using up scraps and repurposing blocks and abandoned projects. The blocks in this mostly-orange chicken quilt are improv pieced and employ ideas from the program. It's an example of repurposing fabric leftovers and fabric swatches using improvisational patchwork.

Improv blocks using scraps.

In addition to the orange chicken quilt, I got this top with the Greek Key blocks basted.

Two spray-basted quilt sandwiches.

I picked these strips from a box of pre-cut binding strips that were available at the workshop. Having strips already cut and sorted by color helps guild members expedite finishing the charity quilts. 

Pre-cut binding strips at the workshop.

This little floral print is my favorite of the binding strips I picked up. It echoes all the colors in the patchwork. But there was only a single piece, so the binding for this quilt is also scrappy.

A sweet floral print echos the colors of the patchwork.
And a view of the free-motion quilting.

And, this is the cuddle quilt I turned in.

Completed cuddle quilt.

For these quilts, I'm marking off two squares on my 2021 Quilting Success bingo card.

Quilting Success bingo card.