Latest / The First Stitch: Every Quilter Has a Story / 20: Nina's First Stitch Story + Breaking Big Projects Into Small Bites

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20: Nina's First Stitch Story + Breaking Big Projects Into Small Bites · The First Stitch: Every Quilter Has a Story

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to the First Stitch Podcast, where we tell the stories of how everyday quilters just like you got started quilting.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, talk about some other fun quilty things along the way.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is your host, Lisa Donnelly from Wild Plum Lane.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get started.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we'll meet Nina, who joined us all the way from Sweden and whose quilting story starts with the Green Metal Husqvarna sewing machine, and a mother who put a needle in her hand before she could even thread it.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, we're talking about how to take a big, intimidating project and break it down into small, doable bites.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Nina writes, Hello from Sweden.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: I love the quilting community.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: So much joy and fun, and I often use it as a good therapy session.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I was put in front of a green metal huskvarna by my mother when I was three in the late 60s, and at first sewed on paper without thread.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: My mother taught me to sew, and I sewed clothes for me and other friends for many years, and collected the scraps from clothes making.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Then in the 90s, I started my first quilt, King Size, and around 2002 I found a guild.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: It was so much fun to share with other quilters who also gave me tips on finding digital quilting friends all over the world.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, now I think 24-7 of quilting.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: My obsession is scraps and squares, because quilting fabric is expensive in Sweden, and I want to use every single piece.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: My most favorite quilt was made of 2,240 pieces of two-inch squares, where half the squares came to me by swapping all over the world.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's from Nina from Sweden.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Nina mentioned starting her first quilt as a king-size project.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've ever stared down a project that big, you know exactly the feeling.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's exciting, but it can also stop you in your tracks before you even get started.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So for today's whip finishing tip, let's talk about how to break a big project into small manageable bites.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it stops feeling like a mountain and starts feeling like a series of small hills.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: You all know the saying.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: How do you eat an elephant?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: One bite at a time.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So let's do this.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Here are three simple ways.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: You can pick whichever fits the project in front of you.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to do all three.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Just pick the one that works.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: The first option is to set a block per week goal.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of thinking about the whole quilt top, commit to just one block a week.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Blocks add up faster than you think, and one day you'll look up and have enough for a full quilt.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Option two is to break it up task by task, not by the finish line.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: You could do cutting, piecing, pressing, and assembling as separate jobs.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Give yourself permission to cut for just 20 minutes today.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to finish the whole step in one sitting, and you'll keep making progress on that quilt project.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Option three is to divide the quilt top into sections.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Split the layout into quadrants or rows and tackle one section at a time.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same trick Nina used with her scrap swap quilt.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: 2,240 pieces is a lot less scary when you think of it as small sections coming together.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Whichever method you choose, the goal is the same.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Small, consistent progress instead of waiting for one big block of free time that might never come.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: If today's tip felt useful, I want to point you toward a tool I've already built to help you do exactly this.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Many of my digital quilt patterns, not the Foundation paper piecing ones, come with a whip finishing plan, PDF included.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's printable, and you can print however many you need, even for projects you already have in progress.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: It walks you through breaking down that specific pattern into manageable chunks step by step.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: A couple things to know.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's only included with patterns that mention it in the product description.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So double check there before you purchase if that's what you're after.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the best part.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: You can print as many times as you need for as many whips as you have, one purchase, unlimited planning power.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to see this kind of chunk it-down thinking applied to one specific project from start to finish, my wind blossom self-paced sew along is a great example.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: It breaks that quilt into manageable steps based on how many weeks you have until your goal completion date.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's a nice companion to today's tip if you want to see it in action.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Links to both of those are in the show notes for this episode.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And that's Nina's story for you today.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: A lifetime of quilting and a favorite quilt built one small square at a time from quilters all over the world.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: If breaking your own project into small bites feels like exactly what you needed to hear, I hope you'll give it a try this week.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: And with that, we'll wrap up this episode of the First Stitch Podcast.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed listening, I'd sure appreciate it if you'd hit the subscribe button in your favorite podcast player, write a review on Apple Podcasts, or tell your best quiltie friends so they can listen to you.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: By the way, do you have a story to share?
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Every quilter has a beginning to their story, and we'd love to hear yours.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, over the years you might have picked up tips or tricks you could share with others.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: It might inspire another quilter, so we want to hear about it.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Share your personal quilting journey, your best project finishing tip, or your first stitch moment.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Your story might be read on an upcoming episode of the First Stitch.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can submit your story today by sending an email to First Stitch Podcast, all one word.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's first stitch podcast at wildplumlane.com, or use our quick submission form down in the show notes.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to talk with you again soon.