Tomorrow I'll be starting a new 100 Day Project. (I know! I haven't even shared all the quilts I finished in my last 100 Day Project that wrapped up last month! Stay tuned for those.)

Backstory: I started a 100 Day Project in April and stopped participating after day 49. I had realized that the scope of my initial project was a little too robust for the amount of time I had to actually sew. I'd pivoted a little to finish another project (which fit the technique requirements of my initial plan, generally speaking), and I wasn't really having fun with the project anymore. I am glad I participated. (I'm also glad I stopped.) I made a lot of things I'm excited about, but most importantly it taught me a little about what would work for me in a future 100 Day Project. I have longtime admired the people that make a finished item a day (like a mini quilt or a postcard) for 100 Days. The second time around (July 20 - October 27, 2020) I set myself a more attainable goal: 15 minutes a day working on a series of mini quilts. I wouldn't be cranking out 100 finished items, but I would make progress on creating quilts in a series that I was excited to work on. I'd made the first two in January and February. I shared my green improv log cabin quilt back in September.

I had such a great time with my recent 100 Day Project. I made five 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" improv log cabin mini quilts, start to finish. Some days I worked longer than fifteen minutes and, truth be told, a few days I didn't make it into the studio and felt liberated to make up those sewing minutes the following day. I didn't share on the blog except for that September post, and I only shared a handful of posts on Instagram. But I saw the project through and made five quilts. I'm calling that a win.

I'd been thinking about starting a new 100 Day Project (though I had no specific plan) when I saw Cassandra post on Instagram that she would be starting again on November 10. She encouraged quilters to join in with their own project. She has decided to count down from 100 and is calling it #quiltingthecountdown. I love the quilting community and was excited to join in. I considered another improv project, perhaps one making blocks or units that turned into a finished quilt during the project (like Cassandra's last two projects), but I decided to go another way and pull out a WIP. I'll be spending at least 15 minutes a day working on my Patchwork City quilt. This is a project I started way back in February of 2015! (I wish I could say it's my oldest WIP, but it most certainly isn't.) Recently an IG friend finished up her Patchwork City quilt and I felt a little envious. Today Jessica posted her first Patchwork City block and it made me itch to work on mine. I considered other options and kept coming back to pulling this one off the shelf. So off I go upstairs to pull the project out and make a plan for myself for tomorrow. If I remember correctly I have some blocks cut out and ready to piece together. (Score!) If by chance, this quilt gets finished before I countdown to Day 1, I'll choose another WIP to work on for the remainder of the project.

This time around I plan to share weekly updates on my blog. I'll share some process photos on Instagram as well. Click for a peek at some of my first finished blocks.

Have you ever done a 100 Day Project (quilting or otherwise)? There's still time to participate with us. Join us over at Instagram with the #quiltingthecountdown hashtag. Tuesday, November 10 is Day 100 on our countdown.

Related posts:

100 Day Project: Week 9 Update Considering a New 100 Day Project Slice and Stitch Challenge: Improv Curves Tutorial 100 Day Project: Week 1 Update