Prep Work

Today I am preparing the house and a meal to welcome my husband Steve's students for the afternoon and evening tomorrow.  They will be hearing from a couple in the business world what it means to be a leader and show professionalism in the workplace.  That should be interesting!  As most of you know it takes a lot of work and effort as well as planning to be ready for a large group.

It really isn't much different when you decide to begin a new quilt project.  There are definitely things one can and should do to prepare.  It is also a good idea to know when to take the leadership role in creating your quilt and when to step back and listen to your quilt speak.

What are your favorite quilting preparation tasks?  Do you have a system for getting things done?

I believe my favorite part is the dreaming and deciding what it is I'd like to do.  My least favorite part, and it is also where I get bogged down, is the figuring out how much fabric I'll need, doing the math to create the design and writing down the directions or pattern.  It was a smart smart day on my part when I asked Robin to help me with all that math and designing.

This certainly will not be an exhaustive list by any means but hopefully it will give you a couple of things to think about as you begin your next project.

Do you have a purpose for the project or is this for creative fun?
If there is a purpose do you have to keep to a particular color scheme or pattern design?
First, go to your stash and pull any possibilities that might be lurking there.
Check out the pattern and see what you need in value (i.e.: lights and darks), character of print, and finally colors or hue.
Take a little snippet of all your possibilities and head to the quilt store.  Yeah the best part!!!!
Make a few blocks, put them on the design wall and step back and see if you are headed in the right direction.
Relax, enjoy and always remember to breathe and breathe deeply.

Happy preparation time!

Dee