Finish along 2nd quarter goals

This quarter I'm going to try a different strategy.  The reality is that finishing isn't really a problem for me.  It's starting that's a problem--a serious problem.  After I finish a project, it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to more than a month to start another.  I'm essentially paralyzed by indecision.  So, this time I decided not to decide.  Rather than pick one project from the list of things I want to make, I said yes to everything.  Well, not quite everything, but quite a lot.  Then, I just pulled fabric and started cutting. I'll work on whatever takes my fancy on any given day.  This is totally different from my usual serially monogamous behaviour.

None of the project are very large and some are quite small.  I'm going to attend a conference in June and I need some type of tool case to hold all the odds and ends that I'll need for classes.  I spent a bit of time sketching out what I needed and picked some fabric that makes me smile.  Those little blue birds with their red beaks and spindly legs remind me of pukekoes, and there's no way you can see a pukeko running along and not smile.

For the same conference, I'm also going to need a tote, but it's going to have to be a purpose built one.  I need pockets of particular sizes and shapes.  I've sketched out the pattern and pulled the fabric.  The pattern is a hybrid of several existing totes that I use for grocery shopping.  I like the shape and weight of one, the pocket placement of the other, the way the end pockets are invisible on another, and the straps of a fourth. I also want interior pockets, which none of my totes has, and I'll need a much more rigid bottom panel than I would want for a grocery tote.  It probably took longer to make up the pattern that it will to sew it.  I might even make a tutorial of the process since I haven't seen anything like it in my searching for the perfect bag.  Assuming it turns out, that is.  

I'm also going to make dresses for the girls--pink and purple of course, although I think that this will be the last time for that combination.  Elyse has decided that she loves turquoise--a definite sign that she's growing up.  Since these will be made from (beautifully soft) fine wale corduroy, I'll have to get to them fairly soon while it's still cool enough to wear them. But Kid's Clothes Week is coming up, so that shouldn't be a problem.

And, keeping in the garment sewing vein, I'm finally going to make myself a Tova tunic.  This voile doesn't photograph very well, but it's pretty in person and very soft. I can see wearing this a lot when it gets warmer.

There are three quilts on the list as well.

The first of them is a red and white one that I'm making for a good friend who could use some cheering up.  I haven't completely decided how I will arrange the Arkansas Crossroads blocks yet.  I like the medallion arrangement, but the concentric circle layout is also attractive and so is the wavy version.  I won't decide on that until I have the blocks finished.  So far I have half of the 4-patches sewn, and half of the white squares done.  Two of each make up a block.  I made little 1-inch hsts from the corner trimmings, and I might use them to add interest to the back of the quilt.

The second is a modified version of the Baby Chevron quilt.  I want a larger quilt and I also want to change the balance of the elements to make it a bit more symmetrical.  I'm also replacing the beige fabrics with greys.  I'd actually started this one before the red and white one, but the red and white one has now taken precedence.

The third quilt is the Dresden that I started in the late 70s/early80s that was lost for so long and that I'd put on the list last year before I realized how long it would take.  I've been making steady progress with the hand quilting, although I sometimes wish that I'd used perle to quilt it rather than the  variegated Aurafil.  It would have made more of a statement.  But then, the Auriful is so pretty and the colour changes keep me interested, so I think that there might be a good chance that I'll finish it this quarter.

And I think that I'll call it quits there.  I have some non-sewing projects to complete as well within the same time frame.  I need to weave off a set of dinner napkins so that the table loom is ready to warp for the conference.  This would be a breeze on the big floor loom, but it's fairly tedious on the table loom, and I have to pay close attention, so I can't even listen to an audio book to pass the time.  And there is fringe to twist on a couple of scarves.  And I really need to finish spinning up the cashmere silk blend (one ply of each) so that the yarn is ready to work with when the weather turns cooler again. That's more of an ongoing project than a quarterly one though.

Now, I'll link this list up to Leanne's 2nd quarter page to make it official.