Q1 Goals

I love the motivational link-up party that is the Finish Along.  I first discovered it in 2015 so this will be my third year participating.  Like last year, this year it has a number of hosts from around the world.

I break my goals into 3 categories: general quilts, mini quilts and pillows, and quilts for Project Linus.

General Projects and Gifts
1. Noodle's growth chart
When my brother & his family were visiting in December, I showed them Munchkin's growth chart and asked if they wanted one for my niece, Noodle.  The answer was an enthusiastic yes!  I gave my sister-in-law my stack of I Spy 2 1/2 strips as well as some yardage that I could cut a strip from and let her pick out what she wanted, and she picked solids from my Kona color card.

2. Rainbow name tag
I've been wanting to make a sewing-themed name tag for myself or a while. I mostly want it for my Project Linus meetings, because frankly it drives me nuts that we don't wear name tags, but I also see wearing to shows and other potential quit-related events. I have a pile of scraps set aside for this project.

3. Rainbow
A couple of years ago, I bought a Kona New Bright Palette Jelly Roll when it was the daily deal at Missouri Star Quilt Company.  The showed a picture of a rainbow quilt that was a class/project on Creative Bug.  I pieced the top over my winter break.

4. Doll Quilts
My niece has doll bunk beds that used to be mine.  But they don't have quilts!  So I need to fix that!  I plan to use I Spy scraps to make 2 doll quilts for the bunk beds.

5. Meadow Mystery
I've been doing the Meadow Mystery quilt hosted by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs.  The final layout instructions come out in early February.

Meadow Mystery November Clue

Mini Quilts & Pillows
Pillow Menagerie
I am slowly making us a menagerie of animal throw pillows four our couch, as I got rid of the big cushions that came with the couch because they were so big it was annoying.  The following are pillows I have patterns and fabric for, and I've spent time getting the pattern pieces enlarged and color coded.
6. Koala--pattern is from the zoo animals collection by Kristy @ Quiet Play
7. Giraffe--pattern is from the zoo animals collection by Kristy @ Quiet Play
8. Kangaroo--pattern by Juliet from The Tartan Kiwi
9. Hazel Hedgehog--I have an extra Hazel block from a mini I pieced over winter break and will turn it into a pillow.  (the block is Blue Hazel)

10. Hazel and the Hedgehogs
I've been wanting to do a Hazel the Hedgehog quilt for a while now.  I finally got it pieced and quilted over winter break; I just need to bind and label it.

11. batik hexies
This might be the project that never ends! My hand sewing batik hexie project is progressing slowly. I am currently sewing the back to the front. I'm sort of making up the finishing process as I go along, as I haven't found a tutorial for finishing hexies that completely works for me.

12. Mr. Bunny
I saw this quilt by Laurel @ Quilts by Laurel and I really wanted to make my own version to hang on our front door at Easter time.  She enlarged Elizabeth Hartman's Bunny block by 400%.  I think I will do mine by 300%; I've started working out the math so I don't make the same mistake as with my Piggie Pillow and have problems with seam allowances.

13. Blue Butterfly mini
I have one block from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge butterflies that did not make it into a quilt top.  This will become a mini for the wall of minis in my office.

Project Linus

14. Dinosaur Roar
This has been on my list since my first FAL goal-setting!  I finally got out this awesome dinosaur fabric and filled in the gap at one corner.  It is layered and ready for quilting; it will get some applique after I've done the grid quilt quilting.

15. Arrow
This was my first leader & ender project.  I've had the arrow pieced for a while, but I finally got it on a background.  This is layered and ready for quilting.

16. Braided Irish Chain with I Spy Scraps
Another leader & ender project that is layered and ready to be quilted.

17. Butterflies in the Sky
I made butterflies blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2016.  The bright butterflies are already in a quilt; the lighter ones are now in a top that is ready to be quilted.

18. Wizards & Stars
This one is cut and now in a "kit" that I can take to a Project Linus meeting and work on piecing.

19. Western/Cowboy Quilt
Another one that is cut and put together in a kit for Project Linus sewing.

20. Monopoly
And the third quilt-in-a-kit I have ready to go, this one with some Monopoly fabric my mom gave me a couple years ago.

I am well aware that I will not finish all of these.  But I never know what I am going to be in the mood to work on.  Here's hoping for a productive Q1!

Home Sweet Home

My first finish of 2017!

I do not generally participate in the Row by Row experience, but I am on the email mailing lists for the quilt shops in my metro area so I see their rows each summer.  The 2016 theme was "Home Sweet Home." One of my local shops designed a row that highlighted North Carolina and included the state outline with a heart cutout in our area, plus the state bird (cardinal) and state flower (dogwood).
 

Row from Sew Much Fun, Lowell, NC

I really liked the North Carolina symbols and of course dogwoods are my favorite!  (You can read why I have dogwood in the name of my blog here.)   So I made a trip to Sew Much Fun in Lowell, NC just to get the kit for their block.  The kit included the applique pieces with fusible web attached and already cut--saving the time of cutting out the applique shapes made it totally worth buying the kit!  Otherwise, there's a decent chance I would never have finished the project!

Since mine was going to be a stand-alone wall hanging instead of a row in a bigger quilt, I didn't make the log cabin blocks.  I cut out a background and layered it with batting and backing, then quilted a 2" diagonal grid.  (I thought I took a picture of this part, but I can't find it.)  Then I laid out the applique shapes and used a satin stitch to secure them, so that acted as additional quilting.  Here is my finished mini quilt:

It finished at 9 1/2" x 26".  I believe this is my 4th quilt that featurs dogwoods in some way.  It's a kit so I'm not sure of the fabrics, but Sew Much Fun sells mostly Moda so I suspect most are Bella Solids.  The dogwoods have a tiny pattern and might be grunge or something similar. The binding is Kona Pepper, leftover from Here, Fishy Fishy.

Close-up of North Carolina Applique

This was goal # 13 on my list of 2016 Q4 goals for the globally hosted Finish Along.  That linkup is still open so I'm linking up, even though I technically finished this in 2017.

January OMG

I'm participating in the Meadow Mystery Quilt Along designed and hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs, but the last clue I completed was September.  Today, I finished October.  That means I'm still 2 months behind, and the January clue comes out later this week.

October Clue

I want to get caught up, so I'm making it my One Monthly Goal for January.  I'm linking up with OMG at Elm Street Quilts.  My goal is finish the clues for November, December, and January.

2017 Goals

Since 2017 starts tomorrow, it's time to put some goals in writing.  I've been thinking about this for a week or two, and I've enjoyed seeing goals set by others through the 2017 Planning Party hosted by Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl.

Big Picture/Overall Goals

Goal: Big Quilts
I'm not super comfortable quilting big quilts.  Well, the quilting process is probably where I'm least comfortable for any size quilt, but I especially struggle with large quilts.  I have a few big projects on my list of what I'm hoping to finish in 2017, so working with big quilts and hopefully at least getting over my mental block is a goal.

Goal: Focus on what's already started and what I own
This is hard to quantify.  I have a lot of fabric.  I also have a lot of ideas.  While I do finish things, it's easy for me to finish one thing and start 3 more.  I don't want to stifle my creativity because quilting is my outlet, but I also want to think critically before I jump into a ton of new projects.   I also don't want to completely limit buying new fabric, but I'd like to use up far more than I take in.

Goal: Maintain Commitments
I'm in 2 bees this year: Stash Bee, where I'm also a Hive Mama, and Bee Inspired, which is a small group of us that came out of the 2016 New Quilt Blogger's Hop.  I commit to fulfilling my obligations on time.

Goal: Remember that "It's okay watch from the sidelines and still be inspired"
That phrase is in quotes because it comes directly from Diana at Red Delicious Life.  She summed up what I have been thinking about for the past few weeks.  I see a lot of quilt alongs and similar events and I want to do them all, but I can't.  I can watch and appreciate what others do without needing to join them all along the way.   

Goal: Blog Styling
I wasn't sure what to call this.  Basically, I have a pretty bare bones blog and I have some ideas of features I want to add, but I haven't sat down to figure it out and do it.  I did the 2016 New Quilt Blogger's Hop and I learned a lot.  I know some people in the group are talking about doing it again; I don't know what the rules are on that, but I do know I want to put some time in to the blog beyond writing posts.

Goal: Use my Quilter's Planner
I didn't have a Quilter's Planner for 2016, but I saw a lot of action online.  I decided to get one for 2017.  I suspect this will be more of a Quilter's Journal for me, because I use an online calendar for work and I add the major household stuff to that and it doesn't make sense to keep 2 calendars.  So what I need to do is figure out what using it looks like for me, and if it's something I want to continue beyond 2017.

Quantitative Goals

12 quilts donated to Project Linus
6 mini quilts or pillows completed
6 scrap projects completed

I am also making a list of 12 projects as a part of All People Quilt's 2017 UFO challenge.  While I think it is unlikely I will finish all 12, it is a list of things I want to work on.  And 2 projects on that list need to be evaluated if I don't touch them--I need to decide if I am going to finish them or if I should move on by either using the parts in something else or passing on to another quilter.

This now seems like a long list!  I'm excited to see what I accomplish in 2017!

2016 Recap & Reflection

If 2015 was the year I discovered the online quilting community, 2016 is the year I jumped all the way into the pool.  I continued to participate in the Finish Along, this year hosted by multiple people across the globe.  I also did OMG, or One Monthly Goal, every month, and I completed all but one.  (My April goal was to make all the HST for the Scrap Dance Tango Mystery Quilt.  I finally made all 1,100 needed HST in DECEMBER.)  Probably my sentimental favorite finish of the year was my February OMG, the growth chart for Munchkin:

Probably my favorite finish of 2016

In terms of online community, this year I added:

• Stash Bee. I loved it!  It was great to see how different all of our tastes are, and to make 1 block a month without a lot of commitment.  It was a great way to try new things and just dip your toe in the water, so if you didn't like a technique or a block or a color combination, you weren't stuck with it for long.  And I can't wait to dive into my pile of bookshelf blocks from my turn as queen and turn them into something fantastic!
• 2016 New Bloggers Blog Hop.  This was a stretch for me, as the blog started as a way to just log my projects, but I was really glad I did it. I love the community aspect and that was the main thing I got out of the experience.  My blog will never be something I can put a ton of time into or want to polish or be professional, but I did learn stuff and had a lot of fun.

• Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I really like the laid back nature of this challenge.  People pretty much make it their own.  And I love the butterflies that I made.  I will end up with 2 quilts and a mini from my 16 blocks from the year.  But I had trouble keeping up with the months.  I have an idea for a block for 2017, but I haven't decided to commit yet.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Bright Butterflies

• I occasionally linked up with Oh Scrap! hosted by Cynthia of Quilting is More Fun Than Housework. (Ain't that the truth!!!)  And I linked up with Scraptastic Tuesday hosted by Leanne at She Can Quilt and Nicky at Mrs. Sew & Sow a few times as well. 

2016 was also the year I discovered pillows.  It started with me making a penguin pillow for Muchkin's birthday, then led to throwing out the pillows from the living room couch and making more.  I've made 4 total, with plans for at least 3 more in 2017.

Last December, I created a list of 12 projects to work on for 2016.  It was never intended to be a "finish them all" list, just a place to start.  I have finished 3 from the list and made signigicant progress on 2 more.  One goal was about cleaning up, and while I didn't go through the spefici drawers written on the goal, I have done a lot of cleaning out and reorganizing in the sewing room, so I'm going to count that as 6 of 12 goals either completed or with significant progress.

Donated Quilts: I set a goal of 12 quilts made and donated to Project Linus.  I made donated 12 kids quilts to the Charlotte chapter of Project Linus in 2016, and I also made a quilt for the Pulse project.

Quilt for Pulse

Mini Quilts: I set a goal of 5 mini quilts.  If you don't count the pillows, I completed one.  However, I've been working a lot this week, and I have 2 that are at the binding stage.  And my batik hexie mini, while not finished, is a lot farther along than it was a year ago. 

Hearts Mini

Scrap Quilts: My goal was 3 scrap projects.  In going through my finishes, I count 5, plus 2 more that I've been working on but aren't finished yet.  My two favorites are the butterflies from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Here, Fishy Fishy, which was a baby gift for my college roommate for her baby boy.

Scrappy Fish

All in all, 2016 was a good quilting year!  I don't get a ton of free time, but what I do get, I spent a lot of it quilting.  I made some good online friends.  I continued to be involved with Charlotte's chapter of Project Linus.  And I am happy with the projects I made.  Can't ask for more than that!  Here's hoping for more of the same in 2017!

Bright Butterflies for Baby June

All year, I've been making butterfly blocks as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The block is one I adapted slightly from the Summer 2014 issue of Quilter's World magazine.  Each butterfly is 12 1/2" high and 17" long unfinished.  Over the course of 2016, I made 16 butterflies.  I picked the 9 brightest and turned them into a baby quilt.

Baby June arrived a week before Christmas.  Her mom, my friend Kate, has seen the finished top and was really pleased.  Kate loves scrap quilts, and since she & I have traded scraps many times over the years, several fabrics that made it into the quilt came from her and some have family associations--there's at least one from a quilt her grandmother made, and I didn't even know it!

The sashing fabric is Kona Bordeaux.  The back is The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. Kate & I are both librarians so a fabric that comes from a children's book seems very appropriate. I quilted it with the wavy line stitch on my machine; I thought that might make it look like the butterflies are in flight.  I'm super pleased with how it turned out!

Finishing this quilt was my One Monthly Goal for the OMG goal-setting party hosted by Elm Street Quilts (goal setter #56).  It was also #9 on my list of Q4 goals for the globally hosted Finish Along under the name "Gummie's Quilt, as Gummie was how baby was referred to before she was born and her name was announced.

Piggie Pillow

My son has recently become interested in pigs.  He told us that Santa was going to bring him a Blueberry Piggie.  (Yeah, we had no idea what that means, either.)  I talked to Santa and knew he was bringing a stuffed animal pig with a blue bow around its neck, but I decided at the last minute to add a piggie to our pillow menagerie in addition.  So this guy was waiting on the couch Christmas morning.

Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts released a farm animal pattern recently, and just before Christmas she started putting single blocks from her patterns into her etsy shop.  Since I only wanted the pig, that was perfect for me.  I had the day to myself the Friday before Christmas and on a whim at lunch time I bought and downloaded the pattern and got fabrics from my stash.

And here's where the shenanigans began.  Because I decided to double the block size.  Except I just did a straight double and didn't think about how the seam allowance would now be out of wack until I was a fair way in.  But I was able to compensate and I don't think the proportions are too far off, though anything that looks off is the fault of me and not the pattern.  It's also now a really large pig face.  If I had it to do over, I would use the standard block, but oh well.

The fabrics in the pig are Kona Ballerina, Plum, Pepper, and Coal.  I had a pig print that worked nicely for the back; it is Barnyard Boogie by Blank Quilting.  I am now a pro at the envelope pillow method from Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts and I didn't even need to pull up the directions.

So here is our current pillow family.  A kangaroo was supposed to be next, but the paper pieced pattern is much bigger than I realized, so I'm putting that on the back burner because I don't really want a pillow that big--that's why I got rid of the couch cushions and moved to the fun ones in the first place!