Christmas came early when my new 2017 Quilter's Planner arrived! Created by the talented Stephanie Palmer of Later Night Quilter this new edition has all the awesome features from last year (super calendar pages for the months and weeks, to-do lists galore, free quilt patterns and project planning pages, and amazing reference tools) but has been gilded with some fantastic updates. Unboxing was so delicious I had to wait a day until I could be alone and savour every scrumptious bite!!!
First thing out of the box I love, love, love the laminated cover and tabs. I was pretty hard on my 2016 issue and the tabs in particular were taking a beating. This new design should keep things crisp and clean. I am also thrilled with the new spiral binding. I had a bit of trouble with my covers coming off the hinges (I am guilty of being a cover-folder-backer!) and I think this thicker version will help a lot!
Having a planner truly gave me an organized and functional way to keep track of what I needed to do. I actually did what I listed and ticking off the chores was very satisfying! The fact that this planner is MADE for a quilter just makes the process even more convenient for me. It is incredibly easy to lose focus when there are so many projects on the go and forget what stage you are at with each quilt - from planning the design to gathering the supplies to actually cutting, sewing, and finishing. The wonderful Projects at-a-glance chart is still in this year's planner (of course!!!) and there are still plenty of Project Planner pages to really document each quilt's progression from inception to delivery.
I will admit I fell off the decorating wagon in the summer with my 2016 calendar, mostly because I didn't have as much to record on my pages. However, I still maintained the important things I needed to write down (chores, lists, appointments, etc.) and kept a tally of my steps, exercise and other notes. My planner sits right by my side and I have a pen hooked on the spiral. It's so easy to jot down whatever reminders I need (someone is always leaving a number, an appointment time, or a list of to-do's for me!). Adding embellishments like stickers, washi, labels, and coloured pen writing, is just icing on the cake and a fun thing to do when I have extra creative time.
There are still some of the new 2017 Quilter's Planners available over at Stephanie's website so if you want your own copy, hurry! These lovely books were completely sold out last year and I know there were MANY disappointed quilters who missed out. Trust me, if you have a quilter in your life, SHE WANTS ONE!! Thank you Stephanie for a gorgeous updated version of this useful, beautiful, well-organized, quilter-friendly planner! I love it!!!!