My Quilty Resolutions

I often wonder where does the time go? I feel like life has been moving at warp speed and I can barely keep up. (Not to mention ending 2014 and starting 2015 with a cold!)

Good things are on the horizon and I feel that despite how busy it may feel, it all leads to a productive year ahead.

I did make some quilt-related resolutions for the new year and hope you'll keep me accountable. (I'll do the same for you if you want me to do so.)

1. I will blog once per week. (I found Shruti on Instagram and love her ideas that led me to her blog. Her post 52 Post to Blog Every Week did all the hard work for me. I won't worry about topics and will follow along with her. I will even try to post on her linky party. Hope you will, too)

2. I will complete more of my UFOs before starting a new project. This will be hard since I tend to have 5 things going on my table at the same time, all the time. (I even read 4-5 books at a time so know I am a little crazy that way.) I have so many projects to keep me busy that I really should stop looking for new things anyway.

3. I will make and publish at least one pattern by year's end. I make so many things and would love to share them in case someone else would like to make one, too.

4.  I will start selling pieces that are specifically made for market. Maker Faire Orlando really inspired me last year and I've already started planning ahead for this year. Plus, I've had an Etsy shop that's been barren since I joined many years ago. I plan to wipe the dust off of that shelf and list a few things. (Some funding for my fabric addiction could be a good way to make this habit work in the long run.)

5. I will keep some projects for myself. Almost everything I've made including my very first quilt has been a gift to someone special. It was easy to forget that I am special, too. I've started making a few things for myself finally and that feels great. I would like to have a small collection that I can share in person instead of a photograph when people ask me what I like to quilt.

6. I will REALLY try hard this year not to buy more fabric. I said it last year and it didn't hold past February. *Exclusion will be made for purchases needed to complete UFOs and for a few of the new collections I know ship early this year. (C+S and Tula Pink are killing me with their beauties!) I also have guild field trips in Feb and Nov so those purchases don't count either, right?

7. I will start getting rid of more fabric in my stash that I know I won't use. I can give some to my guildmates and may try selling some online if I feel they may be an item someone is interested in buying. I've been holding on to some "one day I will make something fun with it" fabrics that are about 10 years old now. It's time to purge and make room for serious buying in 2016. (Hahahaha!)

8. I will design and start creating quilts that I will put in a juried show starting 2016. I hoped to have some done for this year but don't want to put something out if it's not ready. If the stars align and a project gets completed early, then I will not hesitate to put something out there for judging this year.

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Here are some photos of things, including Christmas presents, since my last post:

An AMAZING class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe in early December led to some creative quilting all month long.

Here's what I made after her class:

Tiny 1.5 in squares

Mini Heart Quilt

I love the quilting on this one!

Paper piecing!

Swirly Twirly Dresden Pattern

Mini Trajectory Pattern

Bags and pouches for everyone!

Found a use for this mini DC Comics panel

So happy to cut up my rainbow unicorns and use this bag.
It has my mini hexagons that I'm working to complete
when traveling or (im)patiently waiting places.

For my bestie who loves Hitchcock as much as I do!

Fabric and Technology Play

Played with my friend's Brother Scan N Cut machine to start making these profile pieces. I have about 3 more to finish up to complete this mini collection.

I like that I have positive and negatives of each image and
I can make various sizes once I like the final scan.

Using my shot cotton scraps, I made this improv piece.

More pouches!

Front panels with diamond quilting design

Back panels of diamond pouches

For my momma!

I made a few more things but somehow did not get photos before they were whisked away for the holidays. I'll have to scan my other camera to see if I snapped any photos there and post them later.

 I will check in with you about this list over the next few months so stay tuned for my progress along the way. My goal is to post on Sat or Sun each week!

Did you make any quilt related resolutions?

City Sampler Blocks 1-8

One of my goals this year is to finish all 100 blocks from:

Her blocks are untitled and she asks you to name them when you make them. I decided to keep them as numbers similar to Shakespeare's sonnets: beautiful in their own way, no titles necessary. They have been so soothing to create. I've enjoyed taking my time to meditate while finding colors that work well together. It will be my Rainbow City Sampler when all is said and done. 

Since they are so small, I hope to finish 2 per week and have them all done by the end of Dec. It's a perfect way to use my Tula Pink fabrics that I've hoarded for a while now. I've also added scrap jelly roll strips, polka dots, and Kona solids to give some contrast to her bright Acacia line.

Here's what I have so far:

(Love this raccoon peeking out here!)

Blocks 1-8

[Please forgive the bad lighting in these photos. There has been no sun here for days!] 

The challenge has been to work with such tiny pieces and to make those seams accurate. I've made a few short cuts with strips when possible so they are a little easier to manage. I'm pretty smitten with these 6.5 in unfinished blocks and look forward to building this collection. I'll post them at the end of each month so please stop by to check their progress. 

What projects are keeping you busy this year?

New Year's Re"sew"lutions!

Happy New Year!

I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful holiday and shared some great memories. We kept it pretty simply around here and it was so nice. I can't even explain where the time has gone!

Here's my favorite book, a gift from my love:

I've wanted to learn this technique for a while.
I am so excited to play with dimension this year.

So cool. I love that there are no
crazy seams to achieve these looks, too.

 I have many re"sew"lutions this year including:

- Regular blog posts showing works in progress/completions
- Finish UFOs hanging in sewing room
- Learn new techniques and experiment with the art of quilting
- Finish 2 blocks per week from Tula Pink's City Sampler (100 can easily be done in a year.)
- Improve free motion quilting skills
- Create blocks on EQ7 and share some tutorials
- Use up more of my stash (so I can get more to replace it, of course.)
- Have more fun! (Try not to stress over work!)

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My dear friend is visiting from Korea and brought an amazing gift from her travels. She teaches overseas and is able to take several weeks to travel to various countries. She recently went to China and Mongolia...so jealous!
She did stop for shopping there and brought me this:

They feel as luxurious as they look.

I love this red!
Love, love, love this one!

This photo does no justice to the softness of the blue
and the boldness of the gold dragons.

Part of me has no desire to cut this fabric. The rest of me want to make something practical so I can see them on a regular basis. I am open to suggestions in the comments below.

She will be on the lookout for bojagi cloth when she returns home to Korea in Feb. I hope she can find some to bring back next year when she returns stateside.

How were your holidays? Did you do anything/get anything fun?