Folks who don’t know me think I’m organized. I tell friends that I’m so unorganized that I look organized! While chatting with a blog reader last night, she asked how I keep track of the quilts I make and the quilts I want to make. Here’s how I do it.
I have four folders or sometimes it’s three ring binders. These things fill up fast and when they’re full, I write a date on the front – like January, 2010 – November, 2011, and stick them in a drawer in the filing cabinet. Before filing away a “Quilts in Waiting” folder, I go through it and see if there are any designs in there that I really want to make. Sometimes I’ve moved on and the designs I loved 6 months ago aren’t the designs I love now but if there’s something I really want to make, I put it in my new folder.
One of the things I struggle with most is remember what I’ve named a project in Electric Quilt. Most every night I spend some time on my laptop doodling in EQ and I may name the project anything that comes to mind since I name it before I have any idea where I’m going with it.
Most of the time it’s just a junk file and never amounts to something I want to make but if, at the end of my doodling time, I see it as a possible quilt, I send the file to a gmail account that’s only for EQ files. Since most of my real work is done on the desktop, which is in the sewing room, when I get to the sewing room in the morning I open the file and I rename it as something that makes more sense to me.
For the projects that I seriously want to make, I create a page with a picture, the name of the project so I can easily find it on the computer, the size of the quilt and any notes. This page goes into my “Quilts in Waiting” folder. These quilts may or may not be made and I may even go back in and revise the design but at least I have a spot where I can go to see the projects I’ve liked. I also have a folder on my computer called “Good Quilts” and the designs that I like enough to make get saved in the Good Quilts folder instead of the default PJ7 folder.
This, sadly is the folder that fills up quickly – Quilts Started! As soon as I pull fabric to make the quilt, the project page goes into this folder and it stays here until the quilt is completely bound and finished and ready to find a new home. This folder is almost full and I started it new in January, 2012. Not good, huh?
The Completed Quilts folder gets photos and notes about completed quilts and I can tell you that so far for 2012, there aren’t nearly enough pages in this folder. So many quilts are waiting for binding but they don’t go into this folder until they are totally complete.
The first folder I open each day and the last folder I look at before leaving the sewing room in the evenings is the To Do folder. This particular list is available here but the main website is this and there’s so much good info there.
Everything that needs to be done goes on this list. Because it stays in the sewing room, I keep a pad of post-it notes in the house and I write down things I remember that need to be done and that list goes with me to the sewing room the next day. The items are added to whatever day they need to be done and everything will be checked of the list before the day is done . . I hope! 
Last but maybe the most important list I keep are my weekly menu forms. The form I use for the weekly menu is here.
Some will comment that they don’t like lists, don’t use lists . . good for you! Without lists, I would never get anything done. I sometimes wish I weren’t so controlled by my lists but these lists are what keep me on track. I’m sure there are many other great downloadable lists/forms out there but these are some that I use every day.
Kate says
Thanks for that link Judy, the to do form is great. You seem pretty organized to me!
Toni in TN says
I’ve been using your method of putting different colored post-its on freezer containers and it’s mate outside on the door. That has really worked far better than I ever thought it would. I’m now going to do the same thing for the fridge. Had to throw out a large container of yougurt that got pushed to the back and was two months expired!
WiAmy says
Very nice links you gave us. I will have to study them a little more. I should do a better job at meal planning than I do.
Debbie M says
Amazing! Thanks for sharing all this, Judy. It really is helpful and encouraging to think that maybe I can do this, too. It can be applied to anything, really. Thanks for those links, too.
Mary says
I use Evernote as a design journal So any photos I save go right in there. I also keep a list of quilts I want to make. When it’s time to start something new, I go through both before deciding what to do. And yes, my EQ designs are in the mix too.
Shari in AZ says
You are organized! This getting older stuff isn’t good for remembering things and these lists will be very helpful!.
nancy says
I’m definately a list person. I carry a notebook in my purse, there’s a pad on the kitchen table, evernote on my phone. The funny part is when my boys were younger, we would go to the grocery store with my “list”, then they would complain because I buy more than whats on the list! LOL
vickie van dyken says
Hoooray 🙂 I find that lists are really the answer!! Since I started using them, I seem to finish twice as much in a day!! I started with a grocery list and it spread from there 🙂 Thanks for the links!! The older I get, the more I appreciate those lists. They tend to keep me on goal and allow less aimless hopping around and really accomplishing very liitle. I was amazed when I really started using them. I thought the day had just grown a few more hours. In truth I was more focused and was really getting more done. Thanks!!
Linda Steller says
Oh Judy! Thank you for the link. I do much better with lists, and having some that I can print out without having to make my own up will save me a big step. I think I have the adult ADD – you know, you go to water the plants, but notice that you should feed them, so you go to the pantry to get the plant food and then notice that the shelves need organizing, then you realize you need to go and get some bins, . . . I’m a mess. This may really help me out! I say ‘may’ because sometimes I really think I am beyond all help. 😉