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Keeping Up with the Who, What, When, & Where of WIPs

Last week I posted about how I organize my WIPs.  That was more about storing the physical project, but there’s another part to it.  The patterns & details!  This post will deal with how to keep up with the who, what, when, & where of WIPs.  That just leaves the why, to which I say – why not?  Although this pertains to my sewing & crochet projects, it’s still about organizing my life, so I think it fits for a Friday post.  ; )  Besides, this is what I’ve been doing almost all week because I needed to reign in the chaos before my head explodes!  Haha!

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On the Computer

Okay, this part may be a little boring!  I thought some people might like to see how I organize stuff on the computer.  If you want to skip to the “pretty” stuff, I’ll never know! ; )

I keep any PDF version of patterns on my computer.  They are all divided into categories & subcategories.  This is a screenshot of my Documents folder ~>

I have folders for all sorts of areas of my life & the label lets me know what I can find in each one.  And, yes, Christmas gets its own folder!  ; )  Lets take a look in the Sewing folder ~>

While these are not all WIPs, they are things that I hope to make someday!  These folders are labeled with categories for different pattern types.  Some of them have further sub-folders within depending on how many things are in the folder.   Such as my Quilting folder ~>

Here I have folders for individual block patterns, such as applique, FPP, or pieced.  The label lets me know what kind of block it is.  There are also folders for Quilts {large quilts}, Minis, & Mug Rugs.  Going back to the Sewing folder, there are two folders for QALs – one for 2016 & one for 2017.  Here’s what’s in the 2017 folder ~>

I label each folder with the name of the QAL so it’s easy to locate.  I’m not sewing all of these at the moment, but I want to save all the patterns for future use.  Some QALs only have the pattern for free during the month it’s posted.  I don’t print out anything besides templates I may need for things like applique, FPP, or embroidery.  When I’m sewing, I keep my laptop out so I can refer to any instructions.  This way I don’t have to print out more than I need to.

Notebooks, Binders, & Calendars

The computer is where I keep up with “virtual” things.  I use this binder to keep up with templates, printed patterns, & other important bits & pieces.

I have it divided into sections with labeled tabs.  The list on the front needs to be updated because I’m moving my calendar, QALs, & CALs details into smaller notebooks that I can carry with me.  {I’ve also added a folder for pen pals!}

These little notebooks will hold all the small details I like to keep up with!  I recently purchased the two on bottom during Prime Day for my new bullet journals.  Unfortunately I picked the lined ones instead of the dot ones I was looking at!  My clicking finger was moving faster than my brain was thinking!  Haha!

I also got this sweet set of gel pens – yeah I know – more writing utensils!  Honestly I only have a few gel pens & most of them are used up.  Who could resist these?!?

Anyway, back to the point!  The bullet journal will help me keep up with day to day stuff, like deadlines & blog posts.  The blog is a never ending WIP after all!

I have a dry erase calendar on the back of a door to my work space.  This is used to note important happenings for the month so I can check on things quickly & try to stay on track.

There’s another white board below it to jot down things in the moment.  It’s also a quick reference for more pressing WIPs or what I need to be working on instead of looking at Instagram!  : )


Inside the QAL Notebook

This little notebook is for QALs, since it looks kind of quilty!

I plan on adding a label & decorating it a bit, but for now I’m just getting in all the important details.  The pages have been numbered & I’m using an index in the front, much like a bullet journal.  This makes finding what I’m looking for much easier.

Each QAl has a list of things I like to know about them listed at the top.  Such as website, when new patterns are released, social media details, & tags to use on social media.  I’ve also got a place for a description of the quilt & what fabrics I’m using.  This QAL releases a new block daily, so I made calendar grids for each month.  When I finish a block, I shade in the square.

For patterns released monthly, I just list the month & block name.  This QAl has FPP patterns, so the chart lets me know if its printed {P}, sewn {S}, and trimmed {T}.  Some charts have a {C} for “cut” since I like to cut one day & sew another.

I’m leaving a blank sheet between QALs so I can add bits of the fabric I used.  It’s like a mini scrapbook!  It will also be useful if I run out of fabric.  I can take this with me to the store & find what I need.  I also note the year of the QAL & where to find it – PDF means it’s on the computer.

Using this format, I can add slots for upcoming QALs as well….

I can even include QALs I need to finish!

One of the other little notebooks will be used for CAL’s & I’ll use a similar format for it.

This is how I keep up with all my WIPs currently.  That is subject to change because my whole life is a WIP!  Haha!  Happy Friday y’all!

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