How is everyone doing? Are you making a Portal Quilt with us? Hopefully if you are, you are learning a few things and are creatively distracted for a few moments. I know I am!

Last week we cut, this week we sew! I joke during my lectures that I plan out my cutting or sewing time in such a way that I can have uninterrupted Netflix time while I’m doing each task. Its actually very much how my process works, even though that wasn’t the original plan.

When my kids were younger, I looked at sewing as time for me, and I wanted to be able to get into a creative “flow” easily, without having to spend a lot of time figuring out where I left off. Over time, I figured out that making a quilt could be broken down into specific tasks that I could batch together. Meaning, if I needed to cut pieces, I wanted to cut them all at the same time. I didn’t want to cut a few, then make a few. That never felt as productive.

I have become pretty skilled at being able to look at a quilt I want to make, and break it down into specific tasks I can batch together. I do all the cutting, then a big chunk of sewing, then I might lay out things on my design wall and work with it for a day or a week- whatever amount of time it takes to feel like I have it where I want it. Then I sew everything together.

The benefits to this for me- I can keep things organized, clean up between each batch/task. I can jump in and jump out of my studio quickly, without having to take lots of time to figure out where I was. An unexpected benefit is that it has kept me from overthinking my design decisions and second guessing myself. This can take on many different forms with each quilt, but I no longer worry about lots of little design questions throughout the process. Sure if its a big decision, I take time to weigh the options, but if its something that is better as a “Try It And See” type of decision, I go with it. Often, you see, I have made the decision in my unconscious mind already. Maybe this is my gut instinct, but it is something that I believe has come to define my style, almost accidentally.

As always, you can follow along with us on this page. Jump in any time and start making a Portal Quilt with us.

As I keep telling my kids, we will feel great if we have something to show for all this time we’re spending at home. I’m taking my own advice!

Take care everyone!