Scrappy Evensong Quilt - Easy Progress Mode

My scrappy Evensong quilt looks like this (above) in my WIP tub. It's very neat and tidy, but it doesn't give me ANY information. Whenever I pull it out to see if if it captures my attention, or if I could enjoy some easy progress, I draw a blank. And so, there it sat, waiting patiently in my WIP cupboard for me to give it some proper attention. Today was the day. 

I decided to use the 10-minute rule for this quilt. Have you heard of it? I use it all the time for jobs that overwhelm me, like cleaning the kitchen or checking my email. I set a timer and get as much as I can done in 10 minutes. 

I have other projects that I want to be working on, and so I didn't want to give my next long-term attention to this, but I wondered if there was anything easy that I could do, even if it was just to count the blocks and make notes for a plan so that when I pulled it out next time, I knew exactly what was required. I had a suspicion that what was required next was choosing fabrics for 10 or so blocks, and for that, I need a clear dining table, some focused quiet time, and some good light, both in short supply this week (and often!). And so, I applied the 10 minute rule. I don't need to do the whole job until it's finished, I just need to work for 10 minutes.

I pulled everything out of the tub, sorted my blocks into piles, and discovered the culprit block that stopped me in my tracks every time I pull this quilt out! My dog Lola had chewed one of the blocks, and I needed to unpick it and baste more of the fabric. This is exactly the kind of obstacle that makes progress feel too hard when I'm just pulling it out quickly between projects, but today, I knew that if I finally dealt with it, what would follow is easy progress.

I unpicked the kites, looked for more fabric to replace the damaged ones, but couldn't find any, and so chose a different fabric to replace the entire round. I set the undamaged shapes aside because I could use them for half blocks, and then cut out 12 more kites. Then I removed the damaged paper from the round of crowns (she hadn't bitten through the fabric, thank goodness!), replace it, pressed it, and done! This big, ugly, annoying obstacle took a little over 10 minutes to overcome.

Usually I'm very strict about sticking to my 10 minutes, otherwise it would never work to motivate me. This time, however, I decided that I could easily choose fabric for the kite round for the last 3 blocks that needed it. I cut out kites for those too, put them in ziplock bags, and placed everything back in the tub for next time. I probably could have kept going and basted the kites, and even stitched them to the blocks, but I decided not to because that would leave the WIP in "obstacle mode" again. I would have pulled it out, seen that I need quiet and time and light, and packed it away again. Basting and stitching is something I can do easily, and love to do, once I've finished a quilt and am looking for something to move onto. Instead of finishing the next step, and leaving the quilt with a bunch of decisions to be made, I left it in "easy progress mode".

Now my Evensong quilt looks like this (below) when I pull it out. I made sure to put the easy progress at the top for super clear communication. Next time I open up the lid, I'll see exactly what could be done next. Doesn't it look inviting?

Finally I filled out a little WIP Notes form from my free WIP Tracking Toolkit. I added the number of blocks I've completed (love having this info in my tub so I don't have to count every single time I open it up!) and the next couple of steps needed for the quilt. I'm hoping this will make progress much easier this year - it's definitely more welcoming than discovering a hidden, chewed up block! 

Last week, I had an experience where I finished hand quilting a quilt only half an hour into my evening wind-down, and had nothing in my WIP cupboard I could easily pick up. I hate when that happens! "Easy Progress Mode" gives me a great guideline when giving my quilt WIPs attention. I ask myself "how can I leave this quilt in a way that makes it easy for me to pick up later?" Sometimes I get stuck thinking that the next time I take a good look at a quilt, I should be ready to stitch it until it's finished. But some quilts aren't for focused, steady progress. They're for small bites, for the in-between times, when you've just finished a quilt, or you've set it aside to mull over it. I give myself a lovely gift if I make some of my WIPs ready for such moments. 

Want to set your WIPs up for easy progress? Grab my free WIP tracking toolkit below!