May Progress

I can't believe that the first 5 months of 2011 are already over. I was impressed to check in on The List and find that I have actually completed 10 quilts this year so far! Now, a lot of them are small, and I still have a big ole stack of tops and WIPs to finish, but that is a pretty satisfying number. Check it out!

Finished Quilts of 2011

1. 2 Christmas Tree Mini Quilts done 1/11
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10, done 1/11
3. Bloom Mini Quilt done 1/11
4. 3 Quilted Book Covers started and done 1/11
5. Girly I Spy Quilt done 2/11
6. Baby Blocks: Blue #1 done 3/11
7. Garden Path baby quilt done 3/11
8. Grayson's baby quilt done 4/11
9. 12 x 12" Mini done 4/11
10. Memory Basket AAQI mini done 5/11
    

2011 WIPs:
My list is back up to 20- uh-oh! I added and finished the AAQI piece, then started a Block of the Month project hosted on the 15 Minutes Play site. It's too fun to resist! I spent most of the month working on other projects, so I didn't get any other quilts done.

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress
   
2. Houses Donation quilt top done 8/10
   
3. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
4. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
5. Indian Summer top done 12/10, expanded 4/11*
   
6. Gypsy Madness Leaders & Enders top done 1/11
   
7. Wedding Ring Table Runner top done, quilted 10/10
8. Amish-ish Mini Quilt top done & basted 2/11
   
9. Triumph Star top done 3/11
10. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
11. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
12. Seasons Mat for R's preschool
    
13. Crumb Blocks-->stars
14. Pinwheel Quilt
15. Holy Night
16. Soup Dragon*
17. Yellow & Orange Log Cabins blocks done 5/11*
18. Rainbow String Quilt*
19. Scrappy Sixteens*
20. 15 Minutes Play Blocks of the Month
    

* Quilts I worked on this month

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Bricks & stones baby quilt
2. Girl blocks baby quilt
   
3. 2233 Pineapple
4. Bento Boxes for S
5. Leopard Roses
6. Christmas quilts
   
7. Donation quilt for A's school auction
8. Retro Rail Fence
   

Quilting
I have mostly been un-quilting (ugh!) my Indian Summer quilt this month. I decided to rip out the progress I had painfully made and try again with better thread. I'm not sure what is slower- quilting with thread that just won't cooperate, or ripping out said quilting. Either way, it's a lovely quit and I am enjoying spending time under it. Even if it's picking out the quilting.

I tried quilting with a different color bobbin thread on my Memory Basket piece for AAQI. I learned a bit about balancing the tension to make it a success, and I am really pleased with how it turned out. I love these little mini quilts!

Stash
I had to get some more yellow and orange fabric this month- especially for my juicy Yellow & Orange Log Cabins! Other than that, no fabric came in (good) and I reorganized my stash storage so it's easier to use. Yay! It's exciting to be surrounded by so much gorgeous & inspiring fabric, and even more exciting to liberate it from being hoarded in piles and put it to use!

April Progress

I'm wrapping up April with a look at The List . This was my big quilt-a-thon month, which kicked off which great success on Grayson's quilt. Then the throw I planned to quilt next morphed into a full size quilt and has been a pain in the neck ever since. I am taking a break from it, then I am going to rip out that quilting and try again with better thread!

Since I only finished one quilt (and a mini!) I am going to continue the quilt-a-thon into May... and as long as it takes!

Finished Quilts of 2011

12 x 12" mini

1. Christmas Tree Mini Quilts done 1/11
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10, done 1/11
3. Bloom Mini Quilt done 1/11
4. 3 Quilted Book Covers started and done 1/11
5. Girly I Spy Quilt done 2/11
6. Baby Blocks: Blue #1 done 3/11
7. Garden Path baby quilt done 3/11
8. Grayson's baby quilt done 4/11
9. 12 x 12" Mini done 4/11
   

2011 WIPs:
This list actually got smaller! I finished one quilt, and added and finished another for the 12" x 12" mini quilt swap.

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress *
   
2. Houses Donation quilt top done 8/10
   
3. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
4. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
5. Indian Summer top done 12/10, expanded 4/11*
   
6. Gypsy Madness Leaders & Enders top done 1/11
   
7. Wedding Ring Table Runner top done, quilted 10/10
8. Amish-ish Mini Quilt top done & basted 2/11
   
9. Triumph Star top done 3/11
10. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
11. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
12. Seasons Mat for R's preschool *
    
13. Crumb Blocks-->stars
14. Pinwheel Quilt
15. Holy Night
16. Soup Dragon
17. Yellow & Orange Log Cabins
18. Rainbow String Quilt*
19. Scrappy Sixteens*

* Quilts I worked on this month

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Bricks & stones baby quilt
2. Girl blocks baby quilt
   
3. 2233 Pineapple
4. Bento Boxes for S
5. Leopard Roses
6. Christmas quilts
   
7. Donation quilt for A's school auction
8. Retro Rail Fence
   

Quilting
I had a great time free-motion quilting Grayson's Quilt. Then I tried quilting with a different kind of thread for Indian Summer and it has been a real disappointment. Lesson learned! It's time to go back to the stuff that works, even if it costs a little bit more.

I am hoping to finish at least 2 quilts this next month... with decent thread this time!

Stash
My stash situation has not improved. There were a few thrift store finds that I could not pass up, then some reds that needed to be restocked, and then the cuteness of the new Denyse Schmidt collection. The good news on that front is that all this beautiful fabric makes me so happy and gets my creative juices flowing!

March Progress

Are we at the end of March already? It's been such a whirlwind... and it's time to check in with The List again.

This month, I've been working on getting my sewing machine fixed and trying out a new-to-me machine. I had big plans to finish, like, 4 quilts this month, which was so unrealistic for me. Between working, and all the family birthday activity this month, I need to realize that my sewing hours are more limited! After I finish sewing on a machine binding tonight, my total for the month will be 2 finished quilts, so that is pretty good!

Finished Quilts of 2011

1. Christmas Tree Mini Quilts done 1/11
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10, done 1/11
3. Bloom Mini Quilt done 1/11
4. 3 Quilted Book Covers started and done 1/11
5. Girly I Spy Quilt done 2/11
6. Baby Blocks: Blue #1 done 3/11
7. Garden Path baby quilt done 3/11
   

2011 WIPs:
This list is the same size as it was last month... it didn't shrink, but it didn't grow either. Nothing else is getting added until some items get taken off!

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress *
   
2. Houses Donation quilt top done 8/10
   
3. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
4. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
5. Indian Summer top done 12/10
   
6. Gypsy Madness Leaders & Enders top done 1/11
   
7. Wedding Ring Table Runner top done, quilted 10/10
8. Amish-ish Mini Quilt top done & basted 2/11
   
9. Grey baby quilt top done 2/11
10. Triumph Star top done 3/11*
11. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
12. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
13. Seasons Mat for R's preschool *
    
14. Crumb Blocks-->stars
15. Pinwheel Quilt
16. Holy Night
17. Soup Dragon
18. Yellow & Orange Log Cabins*
19. Rainbow String Quilt*
20. Scrappy Sixteens*

* Quilts I worked on this month

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Bricks & stones baby quilt
2. Girl blocks baby quilt
   
3. 2233 Pineapple
4. Bento Boxes for S
5. Leopard Roses
6. Christmas quilts
   
7. Donation quilt for A's school auction
8. Retro Rail Fence
   

Quilting
It was a struggle to get my machine to cooperate, but we finally made peace and got some quilting done this month. My walking foot seems to be kaput, so I tried FMQ in the ditch to quilt the Garden Path. I don't know where I got his idea. I thought I read it on a blog, but it turns out not too be there, so it must have been a casualty of blog reading before coffee. Very dangerous! The technique was tricky, and imperfect, but it looks great as a Monet and gave me great practice.

Next month, I will be having a quilt-a-thon to turn my finished tops into bona fide quilts, and practicing my FMQ on my mini Triumph Star quilt.

Stash
I have a sad situation with my stash: it doesn't fit on my shelves. I've been working to whittle it down, but it is not going so well. I had an inkling to go into Goodwill one day this month, and they had 30% off linens (that includes fabric!) It was too good of a deal to pass up, but it put me over the capacity edge. I'm not going to worry about this until after my quilt-a-thon, since I should be able to piece a bunch of backs and open up some shelf space.

Here's to lots of finished quilts in April!

February Progress

It's already the end of February? I know it's a short month, but I don't know if 3 more days would make it seem any slower... It's time to check in with The List , my annual goal setting and focus-inducing effort.

It seems the theme of February, was variety! January was a great month quilting wise and while I've kept up some of the momentum in February, I worked on a huge range of different projects, and only finished one quilt. But, I also started a new job as a preschool teacher and managed to troubleshoot and (hopefully) fix my machine.

Finished Quilts of 2011

I finished the cute Girly I Spy this month, bringing my total finished for the year to date up to 5.

1. Christmas Tree Mini Quilts done 1/11
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10, done 1/11
3. Bloom Mini Quilt done 1/11
4. 3 Quilted Book Covers started and done 1/11
5. Girly I Spy Quilt done 2/11

2011 WIPs:

I finished one project from this list (yay!), added 2 (whoops!), and moved 2 projects off the design burner to here... which both got a lot of my attention and are almost finished quilts.

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress*
2. Houses Donation quilt top done 8/10
   
3. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
4. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
5. Indian Summer top done 12/10
   
6. Gypsy Madness Leaders & Enders top done 1/11
   
7. Wedding Ring Table Runner top done, quilted 10/10
8. Amish-ish Mini Quilt* top done & basted 2/11
   
9. Boy blocks baby quilt top done 2/11*
10. Grey baby quilt * top done 2/11
11. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
12. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
13. Seasons Mat for R's preschool
14. Crumb Blocks-->stars*
15. Pinwheel Quilt
16. Holy Night
17. Soup Dragon*
18. Yellow & Orange Log Cabins*
19. Rainbow String Quilt*
20. Scrappy Sixteens*

* Quilts I worked on this month

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Bricks & stones baby quilt
2. Girl blocks baby quilt
   
3. 2233 Pineapple
4. Bento Boxes for S
5. Leopard Roses
6. Christmas quilts
   
7. Donation quilt for A's school auction
8. Retro Rail Fence
   

Quilting
I would like to practice my FMQ more. I talked to some quilters who keep a scrap sandwich by their machine, so they can practice different motifs whenever time allows. I like this idea, but I think I'll keep a mini quilt on hand for this purpose.

Stash
OK, just a few irresistible thrift store finds, some Katie Jump Rope off of Etsy for the Soup Dragon (I had to have the yellow posies and then 2 other favorite prints came along for the party), and a wool scrap bundle to celebrate my new job.

The next goal: a quilt-a-thon in March... tops be gone!

January Progress

I'm doing an end-of-month review of The List , my annual goal setting and focus-inducing effort. Here at the end of January, I am doing... well, great! If I can keep this up for the whole year, I am going to be one accomplished lady.

Finished Quilts

4 of this month's finished quilts

I finished 7 quilts this month (6 of them small, but hey, that's still 7 quilts!) 4 of them were on my WIP list (the 2 Christmas Tree Mini Quilts were one item.)

1. Christmas Tree Mini Quilts done 1/11
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10, done 1/11
3. Bloom Mini Quilt done 1/11
4. 3 Quilted Book Covers started and done 1/11

2011 WIPs:

I only added 2 items to this list this month, so with the finishes above, I am heading in the right direction: towards starting some new projects that are currently just glimmers in my mind's eye...

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress
   
2. Houses Donation quilt top done 8/10
   
3. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
4. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
5. Indian Summer top done 12/10
   
6. Gypsy Madness Leaders & Enders top done 1/11
   
7. Wedding Ring Table Runner top done, quilted 10/10
8. Girly I Spy Quilt top done 1/11
9. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
10. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
11. Seasons Mat for R's preschool
12. Crumb Blocks
13. Pinwheel Quilt
14. Holy Night
15. Soup Dragon
16. Yellow & Orange Log Cabins
17. Rainbow String Quilt

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Bricks & stones baby quilt
2. Boy blocks baby quilt
3. Girl blocks baby quilt
   
4. Grey baby quilt
   
5. 2233 Pineapple
6. Bento Boxes for S
7. Leopard Roses
8. Christmas quilts
   
9. Donation quilt for A's school auction

Quilting
I did it! I bit the bullet and practiced my Free Motion Quilting. I only procrastinated in that for a year, so I am going to wait a little longer to post about it ;-)

Stash
Uh-oh, not so good here. All those irresistable year end sales that I just had to treat myself to for Christmas and my birthday mean that I can barely put all my fabric away. As long as I stop buying and keep sewing, this will work out fine, but I need to correct that course ASAP!

The List for 2011

Now that 2011 is here, I'm looking forward to what goals I'm getting focused on for this year. I have a pile of quilt tops all stacked up, WIPs in queue, and as always, a lot more ideas than time. I will use this list to keep me on track all year.

WIPs
Clearly, I did finish some WIPs last year, but the list (below) keeps growing. I currently have 15+ projects in some uncompleted stage! My first goal this year is to finish those beauties, and especially to quilt my finished tops!

Quilting
Speaking of quilting, I had a goal last year to improve my machine quilting skills and I still need to tackle Free Motion Quilting. I can do this! This year, I will make some mini quilts for FMQ practice and work on at least 2 different FMQ techniques.

Stash
This seems like a perpetual goal of most quilters: use up my stash. I actually enjoy quilting from my stash, but I enjoy collecting fabric even more. I don't actually want a smaller stash, but I am just running out of room. So, I'm renewing my goal to use up enough stash to fit my boxes of fat quarters on my fabric shelves. This will be the year that this happens- it will!

I also aim to use up scraps, especially strings, and keep my scrap bins at a manageable size.

2011 WIPs:

1. Christmas Tree Mini Quilts done 1/11
2. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress
   
3. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10
   
4. Donation quilt: houses top done 8/10
   
5. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
6. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
7. Indian Summer top done 12/10
   
8. Gypsy Madness Leaders & Enders top done 1/11
   
9. Wedding Ring Table Runner top done, quilted 10/10
10. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
11. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
12. Seasons Mat for R's preschool
13. Crumb Blocks
14. Pinwheel Quilt
15. Bloom Mini Quilt
    
16. Holy Night
17. Soup Dragon
18. Yellow & Orange Log Cabins
    

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Bricks & stones baby quilt
2. Boy blocks baby quilt
3. Girl blocks baby quilt
   
4. Rainbow book stack baby quilt
5. 2233 Pineapple
6. Bento Boxes for S
7. Leopard Roses
8. Christmas quilts
   
9. Donation quilt for A's school auction

2010 in Review

1. I Spy Houses quilt, 2. Rosebud Doll Quilt, 3. I Spy Quilts, 4. Flower Patch Quilt, 5. Crow Mahalo, 6. Doll Quilts on a Line, 7. Sun Break Quilt, 8. Baby Bricks 2, 9. Modern Rococo, 10. Baby Boy Book Stack11. Collaboration Doll Quilt 12. Christmas Table Topper

I really can't believe it is already New Year's Eve 2010. This year seems to have zipped by even faster than any before it! Nonetheless I did make time to create all the quilts above, as well as a number of other non-quilt items this year.

Looking at all these works together, I realized that 2010 was the year of giving- all of these items were gifts or for donation. I did enjoy sharing my love of quilts this year, but next year I'm finishing some quilts for myself. But before I get ahead to next year, I want to revisit my goals for this year.

At the beginning of 2010, I set goals for the year, to improve my skills, reduce my stash and finish a number of projects.

Machine quilting skills: I got a walking foot and improved my straight line quilting, but I did not work on free motion quilting. I will definitely tackle that in 2011!

Applique skills: I learned needle-turn applique this year, and tried out fusible, machine and raw-edge techniques. I love applique and want to incorporate more of it into my work!

Stash goals:

1. I did quilt extensively from my stash, and even started making a visible reduction in it. But then I filled in some gaps, and added some finds... and there's no chance that I'll be able to fit my fat quarter boxes on my fabric shelves. That goal is getting carried over to next year.
   
2. I finished a Leaders and Enders quilt top. It did make a huge dent in my scraps and stash. I enjoyed working this way and have a couple of baby quilt tops cut and ready for more Leaders and Enders work.
   
3. I did make 12 quilts this year- more if you count all the doll quilts. I have 2 ready to donate, and 2 doll quilts that I donated to an auction. One more donation quilt top is finished... so I am pretty close, but not quite at my goal of 6 donation quilts for the year.
   

WIPs finished in 2010:

1. I Spy Houses (started 2009) done 1/10
   
2. 2 I Spy donation quilts 1 done 1/10, 1 done 4/10
3. Flower Patch done 4/10
4. R's mini quilt done 7/10
   
5. Baby quilt: floral log cabin (top done 3/10) done 7/10
6. Baby quilt: "Sun Break" grey & orange rails (top finished 1/10) done 8/10
   
7. Baby quilt: shirt scrap bricks done 7/10
8. Baby quilt: blue + green book stacks done 9/10

Outstanding WIPs:

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009, WIP) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress
   
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10
   
3. Donation quilt: houses top done 8/10
   
4. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
5. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
6. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
7. Indian Summer
8. Leaders & Enders
   
9. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
10. Seasons Mat for R's preschool
11. Crumb Blocks

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Baby quilt: boy blocks
2. Baby quilt: rainbow book stack
3. Baby quilt: bricks & stones
   
4. 2233 Pineapple
5. Bento Boxes for S
6. Leopard Roses
7. Christmas quilts
   
8. Donation quilt for A's school auction

I'm really looking forward to 2011, and taking all the positive developments of 2010 further in that direction. Happy New Year!

August Inventory

I have been working away on my list of works in progress, after taking a good look at my projects for the year about a month ago. I am happy to say that this kind of inventorying has been very productive for me, and it is really energizing creatively to see the work-in-progress pile diminish and get to play with new or set aside projects.

I've updated my July list to track my progress, so all the changes are in italics.

Finished quilts this year (4 quilts from the WIP list finished in the last month! YES!):

1. I Spy Houses (started 2009) done 1/10
   
2. 2 I Spy donation quilts 1 done 1/10, 1 done 4/10
3. Pink Squares done 4/10
4. R's mini quilt (quilted and ready to bind) done 7/10
   
5. Baby quilt: floral log cabin (top done 3/10) done 7/10
6. Baby quilt: "Sun Break" grey & orange rails (top finished 1/10) done 8/10
   
7. Baby quilt: shirt scrap bricks done 7/10

Works in progress that need to be finished, in order of priority (this list has shrunk slightly, and I have finished 4 tops and gotten started on quilting 2 more) :

1. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009, WIP) top done 7/10, basted,hand-quilting in progress
   
2. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10), basted 8/10
   
3. Donation quilt: houses top done 8/10
   
4. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
5. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
6. Baby quilt: blue + green book stacks done 9/10
   
7. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
8. Indian Summer
9. Leaders & Enders (top done 9/10)
   
10. Crumb Blocks
11. Say Cheese Self-Portrait

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Baby quilt: boy blocks
2. Baby quilt: rainbow book stack
3. Baby quilt: bricks & stones
   
4. NJ wedding gift - liberated wedding rings
   
5. 2233 Pineapple
6. Bento Boxes for S
7. Leopard Roses
8. Christmas quilts/ table runners
   
9. Donation quilt for A's school auction
10. Seasons Mat for R's preschool

Just one new project added to this list, for my youngest daughter's school- and I am really excited about it!

Mid-Year Review

At the beginning of this year, I posted about keeping focused on my quilting goals this year. Now that the year is at the mid-point, I'm checking in and seeing what I can check off my list, and what I need to hone my sights on for the rest of 2010.

Overall, I am happy with with the goals I set so far, and feel much more focused than last year. But there is still more to reach for, especially in terms of finishing projects!

First, my skills checklist:

Machine quilting: I will improve my machine quilting repertoire including better free-motion quilting.

I got a walking foot to help with my straight line quilting in February (check!) but I still need to seek out resources for free-motion practice. Shelly is a great FMQ cheerleader- I just need to take a big breath and follow her advice. That will be coming up next as I finish some of these WIPs.

Applique: I will try at least 3 different applique methods this year.

I fused (check!), I needle-turned (check!) and I have a raw-edge applique project simmering on my mental design burner. It's been great to expand my applique skills and be inspired by my ability to incorporate this technique into my work.

Stash: I will strive to quilt exclusively from my stash unless I absolutely can't find a satisfactory option there. By the end of the year I will at least make space for my fat quarter boxes on my fabric rack.

I have definitely been doing a better job of reducing my fabric consumption, but I still have a long way to go before I can eliminate a stack of fabric from my shelves. I need to up my output and get more creative about using my stash to piece quilt backs in order to accomplish this goal.

Stash: I will work on at least 1 Leaders and Enders project this year to maximize my quilting time for the goal of using up my stash of scraps.

I have a L&E project underway (check!) I have pieced enough 4.5" four-patches for a queen sized quilt! Now to start piecing them together as I sew other quilts...

Stash: In the interest of giving back as well as stash busting, I will donate at least half of the 12 the quilts I make this year, or at least 6 quilts if I make more than 12.

I have finished 2 donation quilts, and started a third one. I'm a little behind to meet this goal, but only slightly. I'd be doing really well if I can finish two more this month, but I'd be happy if I finish the one donation quilt WIP.

Quilts to finish/ make

Here are my finished quilts so far this year.
Making this photo mosaic, I realized that

1. I haven't made as many quilts as I would like (I think I should aim for at least 2 per month!)
   
2. I have finished a number of quits that were not on my January list
3. I have a LOT of projects in underway that really need to be finished.
   

Finished quilts from the January list were:

1. I Spy Houses (started 2009) done 1/10
   
2. 2 I Spy donation quilts 1 done 1/10, 1 done 4/10
3. Pink Squares done 4/10

Works in progress that need to be finished, in order of priority:

1. R's mini quilt (quilted and ready to bind) done 7/10
   
2. Baby quilt: floral log cabin (top done 3/10) done 7/10
   
3. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009, WIP) top done 7/10
   
4. Baby quilt: "Sun Break" grey & orange rails (top finished 1/10) done 8/10
   
5. Baby quilt: shirt scrap bricks done 7/10
   
6. Baby quilt: spring strings (top done 3/10)
   
7. Donation quilt: houses top done 8/10
   
8. Bright Snowballs (started 2009, top done)
9. Leaders & Enders
   
10. Applique Flowers Wall Quilt top done 8/10
    
11. Indian Summer
    
12. Crumb Blocks
13. Say Cheese Self-Portrait
14. Stash Busting Bee International Log Cabin
    

On the design burner (fabric has been pulled or cut, but no sewing has been done):

1. Baby quilt: boy blocks
2. Baby quilts: 2 book stacks
3. Baby quilt: bricks & stones
   
4. NJ wedding gift - liberated wedding rings
   
5. 2233 Pineapple
6. Bento Boxes for S
7. Leopard Roses
8. Christmas quilts/ table runners
   
9. Donation quilt for A's school auction

Crikey! It's pretty clear what I need to focus on- finishing up these WIPs and getting to my list of quilts in planning! That's enough to keep me busy for a looooong while!

My 2010 Plan

As I start off the new year, I am wrapping up projects that started in 2009. It was year of exploration and creativity for me- more time sewing, participating in a number of swaps and my first bee, trying out new approaches and techniques. I achieved alot, but I also felt busy and scattered, so my overall goal for this year is FOCUS.

I read Kit's Year in Review post and was struck by how much she had accomplished and how much she had progressed in her quilting skill in only a year. I was inspired by her intention and the attention she put on learning and expressing specific skills, feelings and relationships in each quilt. In that spirit, I am going to hone my quilting to achieve more specific goals this year.

Skills

1. Machine quilting: I will improve my machine quilting repertoire including better free-motion quilting. I will get a walking foot to help with my straight line quilting done 2/10 and seek out resources for free-motion practice.
   
2. Applique: I will try at least 3 different applique methods this year.
   

Stash

1. I will strive to quilt exclusively from my stash unless I absolutely can't find a satisfactory option there. By the end of the year I will at least make space for my fat quarter boxes on my fabric rack.
2. I will work on at least 1 Leaders and Enders project this year to maximize my quilting time for the goal of using up my stash of scraps.
3. In the interest of giving back as well as stash busting, I will donate at least half of the 12 the quilts I make this year, or at least 6 quilts if I make more than 12.
   

Quilts to finish/ make

1. I Spy Houses (started 2009) done 1/10
   
2. 2 I Spy donation quilts 1 done 1/10, 1 done 4/10
   
3. Bright Snowballs (started 2009)
4. Stars & Strings tabletopper (started 2009)
5. 2233 Pineapple
6. Baby quilts for D&B, B&C, S&S, L&K- grey & orange rails top finished 2/10, pink Hop Skip Jump, and floral log cabin top done 3/10 among them?
7. Leopard Roses
8. Pink Squares top done 3/10
   
9. Christmas runner(s)
10. Wedding gifts for E & for NJ- liberated wedding rings as placemats, throw?
11. Donation quilt for A's school auction

Here's the first almost-finished quilt of 2010 already...

I am setting the bar high for this year. It's a new year, a new decade, a new era... let's start it right!