Thinking Thursday - Part Two

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Most of us have more ideas than we do time . . .

For me, the most nagging issue is capturing my ideas before they disappear.

* * * 

Three journal covers by Wanda and one by Mrs. Goodneedle (far right)

I keep a journal by my computer at home,

at my office desk, in the car, and in the studio

to write down those fleeting thoughts, sketch an idea,  

write down a quotation or fragment of song lyric,

or even list items for the next grocery store run.

* * * 

I also use my homegrown system of three-ring binders.

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The Gestation notebook is for items saved from many sources,

including a wide variety of magazines.

[After nearly having to move out of my studio due to saved magazines,

I started saving only the projects and articles that made me smile.

Some end up in the notebook.  Others are scanned and stored on my laptop.]

* * *

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The second notebook is named Work In Progress.

I developed my own tracking sheet using Microsoft Word 

that runs from the point of inspiration

through documentation of the finished project.

Is it overly-detailed?  Probably.

But it works well for me.

 

I also use a system of clear plastic storage boxes for pending projects – 

the ones that have moved beyond gestation but have not yet been started.

Looking back over the past couple of years, 

I can honestly say that some of the projects

pulled and put into these boxes never happened.

So why do it?

I’ve found this system allows me to work through my process

while keeping pending project items together and in plain sight.

If and when plans change, it is easy to empty that box

and re-allocate fabrics to other projects

or return them to the stash drawers.

* * *

 

The final part of my process is documenting each finished quilt.

This involves the photo shoot, sharing the quilt on my blog,

and creating an entry in my Quilt Album software.

The third notebook contains my record of 

all quilts completed during the calendar year.

* * * 

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Is all this a lot of work?  

Yes and no . . . 

Mostly I appreciate my system because 

it keeps my head from exploding

and gives me a central source for future reference.

For me, keeping the mental clutter and noise under control

makes my studio time a lot more fun.

I'm guessing the same is true for many others.

* * *

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In the end, it is all about creating space

(physical and mental)

so you can

PLAY WITH COLORS!

Have fun!

Quiltdivajulie