Here at Patchwork Times, we’re going to be having Quiltathons.

The next Quiltathon will be September 20 & 21, 2008.

What’s a Quiltathon? A date (weekday or weekend) will be set and as many of us as possible will spend the day sewing. Think of it as like a retreat at home. If you have a blog, you are encouraged to post your progress on your blog and then I’ll add a Mr. Linky box to my blog and we can all team up there and everyone can see what everyone is (or is not) accomplishing. The more we talk it up, the more participants we’ll have and more fun and excitement will be generated.

We all have different schedules and different demands on our time. Some can squeeze in an hour and some can sew all day. Don’t feel bad if you’re not getting to sew as much as you’d like . . just come and join in the fun.

The plans, which are subject to change, are as follows:

• The dates will be posted in the header of my blog, Patchwork Times.
• Because weekends work better for some and weekdays work better for some, we will have a weekend and a weekday Quiltathon each month.
• Participate when you can, do as much as you can - no one has to sign up or commit to doing anything.

Tips to help give you more sewing time:

• Plan ahead! If you have errands to run, try to get them done during the week if possible.
• Think about how you’re spending most of your time on weekends and if it’s something you can squeeze into weeknights or evenings, do it. Grocery shopping, laundry, house cleaning . . do as much of your weekend chores during the week so as to free up more sewing time.

Cooking on weekends takes up a good bit of my time. I try to get all my cooking for the week done on Monday but for those who need some time saving tips, here are a few:

• Roast Sticky Chicken - you would season this chicken up the night before and then stick it in the oven all day. You can even make 2 (or more) chickens and have leftovers for chicken salad, quiche, soup — whatever you like.
• Pork Roast - this is another “fix it and forget it” type meal. If you have a rice cooker, you can stick the rice on to cook while you’re making the gravy, serve with frozen biscuits and green beans or corn and . . yum!
• Spaghetti & Meatballs - this is always better the next day so a pot of meatballs and sauce can be made on Thursday or Friday and would be perfect for the weekend!
• Soups or stews - these can be made in the crockpot and served with a toasted cheese sandwich. Great winter treat!

You’ll also need to plan ahead for the project you’re going to be working on. Ideas that will help you get more out of your day:

• Be sure you have all your “stuff”! Patterns, rulers, fabric, thread, needles — don’t get ready to sew and have to spend time looking for something.
• Clean up your sewing area. It’s no fun to go sew in a messy, cluttered sewing area. Ask me how I know!
• Have some little treats for yourself. This is a party and we need party snacks! Whatever you like, have some on hand so when you take a break, you can treat yourself for all the hard work you’ve done.
• Charge the camera batteries. We want to see pictures of your progress. This is what makes it fun for all of us.

Here’s how the Quiltathon Days should work:

1. Here at Patchwork Times, I’ll have a Mr. Linky box running. Those with blogs can post their progress on your own blog and then link to Mr. Linky. As always, when you add your link, make sure that it is to that specific post and not to your main blog. If you need help with doing this, please read this post.
2. If you don’t have a blog, that’s fine, you can still play along and just leave comments here. Or, you could get yourself a blog! It’s real easy and many of them are free.
3. Since there are different time zones and different countries involved, I’m not going to have an hourly or definite time check in. I plan to have an early morning check in, a mid-day check in, an afternoon check in and a late night check in.
4. When you check in, you will write the post on your own blog, then add the link to Mr. Linky. Include pictures, what you’re doing, what you’re not doing, how’s it going, etc. Let’s remember to respect copyrights but if you’re making something from a pattern, you might want to include the pattern information in your post (designer, name of pattern, etc.) because others may like what you’re doing and well . . you’re going to be so busy sewing that you don’t want to stop and answer a zillion questions about what pattern you’re using.
5. Adding your link to Mr. Linky is another way to get added visitors to your blog. So if you’re looking for new visitors, this would be a good time to get your link posted.

I’m sure many of you have more ideas but these are a few to get you started and hopefully create more time so you can Quiltathon with us!