Yes I KanBan! Quilt Project Management

 

 

 

 I don't plan to overload my list of resolutions with too much stuff.  I can dump my resolutions into the following buckets:

1. Learn More (about anything)
2. Move More 
3. Less Mess
4. Pair Starts with Finish
   

 

 Most of the above are self explanatory.  I'm a life-long learner, and I know "things"--not anything that I can blackmail you with--so no wink, nod and raised eyebrow--but "things" that many in my offline life are not interested in. I'm a font of useless information.  But it suits me.

 

Move more:  Yes, we all can and should do this.  Who doesn't have this as a resolutions except for the people that have adopted this as a habit. One thing that I have been doing is "squats".  I've seen several articles on the efficacy of squats.   I laughingly call it my "squat my way to fitness".  Squatting paired with mindful breathing can be a very powerful wakeup for you body.  Given that I sit at my desk for so long, and I don't get up regularly, doing a few squats and breathing is a good thing.

 

Less Mess:  I moved out of my parents's house and into a temporary home at the river, and then into the home that we built in 1985.   I have 37 years of "stuff"--each piece of which I have an intimate, personal relationship with.  I have much relationship evaluation to do. 

Pair Starts with Finish:  The trouble with having an active mind over many interests or tasks is that if you don't pair a finish with a start, you have many things that are undone, half done, unknown done.  To this last point, I'm kicking ass and taking names.

To this last point, I have 2.5 years of quilting under my belt. One of my goals is to create a Kanban Board for my quilting projects.  I use KanbanFlow.   I did that over the weekend, and I'll talk more about that.  The objective of the board is to keep track of work in process projects.  The goal of course is to not have too many starts and no finishes.

I'm in my "beta testing" stage for my board which is below.  You will need to click on the image to make bigger.

The objective of my board was to create columns that correspond to discrete processes that are endemic to quilting .  I first started with a "Quilt Master" template.  

The master template captures the essential elements of the quilt. To further provide visual elements for planning, you can add an image to your project.  Once you click on this project, you can see your notes, any files that you have uploaded (to include your pattern, fabrics, etc).  Where this project is on your board is where you move it as you progress.  This particular project of mine is in the "Sandwich" stage.  I need to complete the backing, adhere it, and then finish quilting and binding.

Because I can add images that I can easily see, I think that this provides a clear way to keep track of things.

• Plan/Organize--Column 1
  
• This column is for creating discrete projects.  I created a quilting Master Template.  Each time a project is started, it is simply duplicated, renamed, and becomes the project avatar (with detail)  to guide the process for
• Essential elements of planning.  
• Who is it for?
• What style? (modern, traditional)
• Pattern/organic
• Special construction techniques
• pattern reviewing and optimizing fabric use and construction techniques
  
• how to cut/use precuts
• using strip ruler for cuts/subcuts
• using rectangles to make split rects
• using strip cutting of corners for clipped corner techniques
  
• no waste flying geese
• magic 8 method for HST's 
• rectangles for split rect cutting.
• Fabric
• Purchase?'
• Stash? 
• Combo?
  
• Special tools/templates 
• Here is where I suggest that careful consider of  buying a ruler to save you time rather than employ hacks that get the job done but cost you time.
•  Making a test block
• evaluate seam allowance for your planned thread and fabric and make adjustments so block components finish correctly.
•  Create a production plan
• cutting
• piecing
• joining rows + columns.
• backing
• binding
• quilting
  

Of course, you might have different ideas about the process...but this is my first pass.  Once you create your project, it is a discrete unit that you can use as your guide to moving through the other processes.  You can also record the time that you spend.  It is mobile friendly.  And if you use the Pomodoro Technique, it supports that as well.

 

Now that you have created your project, undertaken the needful steps toward planning it, you have to go through the endemic processes of quilt production:

• cutting your pieces
  
• piecing individual blocks
• piecing rows and columns
• making quilt sandwich
• quilt
• bind
• DONE!
  

I also put "design wall" as a process as I do MUCH 'organic' stuff...which means that I'm creating as I go along.I don't work with patterns very much.

 

So with this simple, yet effective method you can easily visualize your progress (or lack of) for your quilt projects.

For another time, I put some swim lanes on my board.  Once a quilt is done, it can be duplicated and then put in an inventory swim lane, or a gift swim lane.  Therefore, you can see all the quilts that were "done" in the done column.  They are duplicated and then put in an inventory column where they stay until they are gifted/sold/or FPU (for personal use).

I hope this post provided an introduction on how Kandbanflow can help you stay atop your quilt projects, and indeed anything in your life.  You can create boards for anything.  And the cost is $5 per month.