2016 quilting goals!

Hello there, it's been a while, but I'm trying to get back to this again! Wishing everyone a Happy New year, hope 2016 is a good one.

I worked on plenty of things last year but only managed to actually finish 3 quilts, one of which was a small one! So this year my focus is to finish some WIPs. I have no doubt that other things will creep in here and there, like they do, but the focus is finishing not starting! 

I'm just going to list all my WIPs that need attention and hope that the list gets short as the months go by. College has started up again so I am not going to aim too high until after April. But after April my college days will be over (yay!) and I will have more time to sew again (until I get a proper job anyway!) :)

So in no particular order:

1. Friends for Christmas wall hanging 
This is so very nearly finished which is a good job as it's been about 7 years in the making! I just have the binding to sew down and some embellishments. Can't possibly leave them all with no eyes! 

2. Plus Quilt
It is basted and ready for quilting.

3. Double 9 patch quilt
This is a quilt that I started over 5 years ago for my now 7 year old daughter. It's not really my choice of fabrics anymore but it needs to be finished. Another one that is basted and ready for quilting.

4. Doctor Who quilt
The blocks are made. I started making some words to add around the blocks to make it a reasonable size. So the words need finishing and a back needs piecing. There is a plan it just needs putting into action. Deadline October!

5. Simply Colourful quilt
I pieced this one using just a Simply Colourful charm pack and Kona solid. It was one of those days where I just had to sew and do something new (see here). I then had intentions to extend it using another charm pack from the Simply Colourful II range (blues, greens and purples). But now I am not sure, that requires a decision at some point!

6. Oakshott Challenge quilt
My mum and I have been using some Oakshott Cottons to make joint mini quilts. We both started with a block and then sent the piece to the other to add a section to it, we continued doing this until we were running out of motivation and fabrics! So now I have the front finished. It needs a back and some quilting inspiration. Mine on the left, mums on the right.

 

7. More Simply Colourful II
Ok, so this one is not technically a WIP yet as I haven't actually started, but it is on the cutting board waiting, so it counts right!? I want to use these 3 gorgeous layer cakes to make a round and round quilt.

8. Old Romance Cardigan
This poor cardigan has been taken apart and restarted several times over the last year and a half, but hopefully I am on the finishing stretch now. I just have to knit down the back to the length that I want and finish of the cuffs and collar. How hard can that be!?!

There are probably more WIPs hiding in the cupboard but for now if I can complete this list before the year is out (giving myself plenty of time there!) I would be happy.

Linking up with the Finish-A-long with She Can Quilt.

Finish Along - Q3 Goals

Wow, Quarter 3 of the Finish Along!

I lost my sewing mojo around the middle of the last quarter so I did not manage to complete much of my list. But the last couple of weeks I have at least made it into my sewing area, if only to look at the fabrics! I am hoping that making this list will help get me back to it. So to start me off I am going to start a new project rather than focus on a WIP.

1. Plus Quilt
I want to make a plus quilt for some friends of ours. In my mind I see a gradation from dark to light, but with a little randomness mixed in. I have a collection of Denyse Schmidt to use, and a couple of lighter fabrics added. This will hopefully be a start and finish project!

2. Who Quilt
I really would like to get this quilt finished, ideally before the end of the summer! I am stumbling with the sashing though. I have the fabric all ready to go. The blocks range in size from 11.5" to 12.5" square, basically because I didn't check the scaling when I printed the patterns! Oops! I don't want to highlight the differences so kind of want a random layout and different sized sashing, but this is proving tricky in the planning.

3. Boy Shorts
These really shouldn't take me long to complete. It would be good to do it before the cold weather hits and he doesn't want to wear them! These are the bright fabrics, the zip is obviously not needed for this project! 

4. Old Romance Cardigan
This has been in the working for about a year now so I really would like to finish it. I have made some progress but it still needs a good few inches in length!

A short list, but maybe manageable this time!? 

Finish Along - Q2 Goals

I think I did quite well last quarter with my ambitious to do list. I managed to finish 4 out of the 8 things listed. I finished 2 quilts, my first sew together bag and the Christmas gift placemats.

 

 

I did plenty of other sewing, but as usual they weren't things on my list of things to do! Always the way! Finish one thing, start two more!

Some things are being rolled over in the hope that they get finished this quarter:

1. The red and white double 9 patch quilt - still needs quilting! 

Double 9 patch

2. The pile of Whovian blocks still needs assembling, quilting and binding! 

Whovian Blocks

3. I remembered there is still a Christmas wall hanging that has been on the go for many years! Perhaps I could focus on this one for a while.

Friends for Christmas

4. I made new lunch bags for my daughters last month. The boy needs a new one too, I have the fabric but the pattern that was great for the girls is not really suitable for the boy so I have stumbled on some fabric with sports balls in a blue and orange (sadly no picture yet). But it needs to be done soon ... like before the kids are done for summer! :)

5. I am hoping there is enough fabric left over from #4 to make the boy some pj shorts. Why do kids keep growing! 

6. Something I started this month was some foundation piecing blocks. Not sure why, but I liked the pattern. It's Wild Winnie by Lilysquilts and was the block of the month in Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine issue 19. I have 8 blocks done. I think this is heading toward a mini as there is no way I'm dedicated to piecing enough of these 5" blocks to make a full size quilt!

Wild Winnie Blocks

7. The Old Romance Cardigan - I made some progress on my cardigan last quarter but not enough to be able to wear it yet!

8. This one might not really count but it's going to involve a lot of sewing and some appliqué! In our family there is a beaver, a cub, a scout and a beaver leader! We have quite a pile of badges they have collected from the many events they all take part in. The campfire blankets were bought quite some time ago in the hope I might actually sew the badges on. All four of the scouting troop are off to camp in June, so I really should focus on this one and have it done before then.

Camp blanket badges

I think that's probably enough of a list for now.

Linking up with the 2015 Finish-Along with Adrianne at On The Windy Side:

A Lovely Year of Finishes - March Goal

I managed to meet last months goal of getting all the moderninstabee blocks sewn together and basted! Yay! So it it now ready for quilting. 

I am still deciding how to quilt this one, but I am hoping it will come to me soon.

So the goal for this month is to quilt and bind this quilt. 

Linking up with 

A Lovely Year of Finishes - February Goal

So for the month of February! I want to get these blocks put together. 

Moderninstabee blocks

I was part of a moderninstabee group this last year, it it just coming to an end now. I have completed the last block and just need to send it off to the queen bee. For my first year taking part in a bee I consider it a success on the whole. 

I received blocks from 10 members of the bee, but have a total of 13 blocks (a couple of ladies sent me two blocks, so generous, and I made 2). 

I asked for aqua and grey or yellow and grey with a white background. Sadly two blocks arrived with an off white background and not a white background and they stand out too much for my liking so they can go on the back. 

I have unstitched and resewn some of them!! Yes, I do consider this quite mad! I am really quite picky about some things and points is one (mental note: next time don't pick a block with lots of points!) Also one block was nearly an inch under the finished size of the others which I felt was too much to try and fudge. And one had some seams that were coming loose. But I liked the blocks and I didn't want them to sit in a box gathering dust forever more so I have rectified some of the issues and now I can move on.

I was thinking of doing the quilt as you go method but have changed my mind on that and have decided tol assemble the top and make a backing like normal.

So this months goal is to get the quilt top all sewn together and make a backing. If I can get it basted and ready for quilting that would be good too, but it's a short month, so we'll see how we go.

Linking up with:

Finish Along Q1 Goals

I have decided there are a few things I need to finish this year! Although that won't stop me starting things in between! :) So I am going to join On the Windy Side's quarterly Finish Along to help me focus a bit and try and get some long time WIPs finished.

Some goals for this first quarter!

1. To finish off the Flowering Star quilt! It's about 3/4 quilted and the binding is organized so what really is stopping me!! No deadline, just a desire to finish it!




Flowering Star

2. I always leave it too late to start sewing Christmas gifts and then run out of time or energy! So this time I made a start on next years Christmas sewing a few days after Christmas! I know the interest for this will soon fade so I am making this one of my early goals. Here are the 2 finished mats, the other 2 are partially constructed!

Chalk cloth placemats

3. This poor quilt has sat basted for too many years! It was supposed to be for my youngest daughter. I really should quilt it. I don't know if I still like it or not! Too many new and gorgeous fabrics around I wish I'd used instead! My stumbling point had been indecision on a quilting pattern. Anyway, I will finished it and decide what to do after I see it complete! Deadline of Nov 25th!


Red & White 9 Double Patch

4. I have this set of blocks that need putting together into an actual quilt! I know how I want this to look so it should be fairly straightforward. Deadline of October 2nd!

Dr Who blocks ready to assemble

5. I have as many of these moderninstabee blocks as I think I am going to receive! They are so big (18") are crowding my design wall too much so I want to get these sewn together and quilted! No real deadline for this one so I suspect it will end up being moved along!

Moderninstabee blocks ready to assemble

6. I have lost track of how many of the Sew Together bags I have seen on IG! I have had the pattern for a while and I really would like to make one! So this is on my list too! I have some Figures by Zen Chic which might work nicely for it!


7. I started this Old Romance Cardigan pattern by Jojiknits back in September! It has 2 sleeves so I think I have done the hard bit! Really must finish it off!




Old Romance Cardigan

8. I made a Minecraft hat for my son for Christmas and a skeleton one for my husband, sadly neither of them fit my husband very well!! My knitting is always too tight! That said, my husband has been squeezing into the Minecraft hat, so I am in the process of making him his own, larger hat. This needs finishing before our slightly cold weather turns into spring and he doesn't need it.

 
Well, given I have 3 college courses on the go this term and everything else that goes with family life, I think this list is far too ambitious for one quarter, but hey I can try!

Linking up with 

A Lovely Year of Finishes - January goal

Happy New Year to everyone.

I am going to kick the year off with some organizing, and not only in my sewing room! The house needs some serious purging and organizing but won't go into that here!! 
In terms of sewing, this months goal is to make 2 more fabric boxes for my scraps. Back in the Spring of last year I made a series of fabric boxes using my scraps and blogged here about them.

Fabric boxes

I have 2 colours remaining, brown and black/grey. So using this box of scraps in the photo below I will finish off my collection of boxes. And I guess make some more room on the shelves for them, somehow!

Brown and black/grey scrap fabrics

A simple goal for this month to get me started.

Linking up with :

A Lovely Year of Finishes: April Goal

I have put off setting my goal for April as I couldn't decide what it should be! I have several WIPs that could do with being looked at but no major deadline for any of them (which is nice!). 

First up my Something New Sampler needs quilting. 

Then I have the Mario quilt, which now has 4 completed blocks and 1 half sewn. I could make this a priority to get more blocks done and maybe complete the quilt top.

Then I have the hexies which I should do something with, a mini quilt maybe...

I have another quilt top that has been waiting patiently to be quilted for well over a year now! This double nine patch quilt is for our youngest daughter. There is a lot of white space on this quilt though, which does scare me a little. I had originally thought of hand quilting in the white space, but I think my child will have left home before I get that completed, so machine it is. Straight line, FMQ?? 

For the last few days I have focused on sewing all the 1" squares together for the question mark and fire flower Mario blocks. I think if I do too much of this quilt in any one go I will loose my sanity! There are so many seams to match it is painful after a while. 

I am uncertain about the quilting design for the double nine patch quilt and don't want to rush in, what's another month on top of a year or so!! It's not her birthday until November, so maybe next month I'll focus on this one.

So, my goal for April will be to quilt the Something New Sampler! This should be fun as I think I will quilt each block differently and then maybe an all over pattern on the green borders. Watch this space ...

Linking up with

A Lovely Year of Finishes: Feb Goals

I missed the deadline for linking up last month, which was a pity as I did finish the quilt I had planned to complete in January. 

My goal for this month is to finish the starburst quilt that got started last month in the Happy Quilting Starburst QAL. Two of the blocks are sewn together! So that just leaves the other 2 blocks, adding the sashing, layering and basting, quilting and binding! Easy, peasy! ha!

Starburst Quilt

I also think the Something New Sampler finishes this month so will have that to complete too! It was perhaps a crazy idea to start two things in one month, especially a short month! :) We shall see what happens!

Something New Sampler Blocks

Anyway, I am linking up to a Lovely Year of Finishes in the hope that I achieve at least one finish this month.