Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places.
Recently I joined a knitting WIP sprint (Work in Progress). The idea was simple: instead of starting something new, spend some focused time making progress on existing projects. It was surprisingly motivating, and watching everyone else work on their long-forgotten projects made me think...
What other unfinished treasures do I have tucked away?
That thought led me to pull out a quilt that has been quietly waiting for me for over 13 years.
This quilt is one of my own original designs. I started making it for my late partner. Like so many long-term projects, life happened. Although I would occasionally work on it here and there, it was never enough to build any real momentum. The years simply slipped by.
Today felt different.
I opened the project expecting to spend half my time figuring out where I'd left off. Instead, I discovered that my last work session had ended on the perfect note. I'd already pinned the individual blocks into rows, and labeled everything so I knew exactly what went where.
What a wonderful gift my past self had left for my present self!
Rather than sorting through piles of blocks or trying to remember my plan, I could simply sit down at the sewing machine and continue stitching. There was no hesitation, no decision fatigue, no excuses not to continue - just the simple pleasure of picking up where I had left off.... and because I'd stacked them in order, I could chain stitch the blocks together.... easy peasy.
Once the blocks were stitched into rows, I laid the quilt out on the floor to see how everything was coming together. I hadn't quite realized just how large it had become, and of course my floor space doesn't allow it to spread out fully. Even so, it was wonderful to see the design taking shape again.
From there, I made more progress by adding the half-square triangles to the center block, cut and pinned the inner border in place, and then cut all the quarter-square triangles and pinning those onto the ends of each row. I've added some tips to the images to help you with this process....
I even labeled everything again so the next sewing session will be easy to pick up - though that probably won't happen for at least a couple of weeks as I'm traveling.
This process was also a lovely reminder of why I always encourage my students to label and organize their work, especially on larger projects. You never know whether you'll return to it the next day... or in my case, more than a decade later!
As I worked on this quilt, I couldn't help but reflect on how much life has changed since I first designed this quilt. While it carries many memories, it also feels good to finally be moving it toward completion. Some projects aren't just about the finished quilt - they tell the story of where we've been and remind us that it's never too late to finish something meaningful.
So if you have an old project tucked away in a cupboard or drawer, perhaps today is the day to pull it out. You don't need to finish it all at once. Just one seam, one block, or one row is enough to get things moving again.
You might be surprised at how quickly an old work in progress begins to feel exciting once more.
Have you ever rediscovered a project after years of it sitting untouched? I'd love to hear your story in the comments!
