Quarter 4--the wish list

Well, this post should be easy enough to write--I could practically cut and past my quarter three goal list, and barely have to make any changes, since I only managed one finish.  Oh, well.  This quarter will be more productive.  But, I think that I'll also be a bit more realistic, so that should help as well.

I'm going to carry forward two projects big from last quarter, and add two new small ones.

1)  I've made a bit of progress with the Anita's Arrowhead quilt.  I've gone from this

to this.

Actually, that only about half the blocks I've finished.  Which is about a third of the number I need.  They're taking a while because I'm being really picky about making sure the points match.  And they are.  This one's going to be beautiful when it's done--how can it not be with so many truly lovely fabrics.  And I'm really looking forward to quilting it.  After the minimalist straight-line approach on my last quilt, I'm really craving lots of dense swirls and curves and loops. 

2)  The Christmas star quilt (Oh My Stars! designed by Sheila at Thought and Found.) is exactly where it was in July.  I haven't made a single cut or stitched a single stitch.  And, if I intend to use it this year, there's a built-in deadline.  So, I'd better get hopping.

3)  The first new project is a wall hanging.  And, dare I say it, it's an Art Quilt.  It's the second time that my friend Anne and I have come away from an exhibit and challenged ourselves to create something that reflects what we've seen.  Last time it was a single technique.  This time, it was a very eclectic show put on by the Vancouver Island Surface Design Association, so we decided to incorporate a number of elements--including something that sparkles.  So far, I've just made the foundation from a variety of different neutral cottons and muslins, but I've been thinking about it a lot.  And,  I've pulled a selection of possible embellishments--beads, ribbons, threads, and other fabrics.

This is so far out of my comfort range that I can't believe that I'm doing it, let alone posting about it.

4)  Also, I need new cushion covers.  I posted this last time in a vague sort of way, but this time I'm serious.  I need to replace the shattered fabric on the back of one, and finish this one started in September 2012 as my traveling project and needlepoint wool scrap-busting activity. I don't expect to do any more traveling in the near future, and I just want it done.

And those four items are the only projects that I'm going to set as concrete goals. I learned in the last quarter that a lot of time can be taken up with what you might call "off-list" projects. For example, the fall edition of Kid's Clothes Week is coming up, and while the timing doesn't coincide to allow that sewing to be included on this list, it will still take a solid chunk of time in addition to the actual sewing week (especially since I haven't yet decided what I'm going to make the kidlets, let alone bought any fabric).  And I'm doing a complete sewing room overhaul now that I've sold my huge loom (we didn't call it the loom room for nothing). And even if I may have started Christmas gifts, they can't be included in the quarterly list because unlike last year, this year's recipients are old enough to read about them.  And so on and so on. 

Keeping my fingers crossed that this quarter is more productive than last, and linking to Leanne's post.

Finish Along 3rd quarter goals

It's time to put together our list of goals for the 3rd quarter.  I'd like to use the same strategy as I did last quarter--that is, seriously over commit so that I don't waste so much time dithering about which project to start next.  Deciding is such a painful process.  The problem is that having been out of commission for the last month, I don't actually have that many projects started that require finishing.

The first project I want to finish is a summer dress.  It's been years since I made a dress for myself, but it's time for me to start sewing again.  There are just so many beautiful fabrics out there.  The plan is to make this dress...

Photo from Sewing Patterns.com

...from this beautiful Kaufmann Essex linen/cotton blend designed by Melissa Crowley.

Photo from Fabric.com

I've made the muslin...

(no, I never sew in both the sleeves) and I think that I've worked through all of the fitting issues, so now I just have to sew it up. Should be a piece of cake, right?

The second project is the modified Baby Chevron.  It was on the list for last quarter, but life had other plans.  I'm really looking forward to working on this again. The strips are ready to be sewn together.

Third, is an arrowhead quilt.  I recently signed up for a Craftsy course on making traditional blocks--Traditional Blocks Made Simple.  It was an accident--I'm not really a traditional block type of person, but as it turns out, I loved the course. The instructor--Anita Grossman Solomon--was a delight. And, while this may be a traditional block, it looks modern to me.

Fourth, I'm going with the Christmas in July theme, and getting an early start so that I can make at least one quilt, and perhaps a couple of runners and wall hangings by December.  For now, though, I'm going to make a Christmasy version of Oh My Stars! designed by Sheila at Thought and Found. Yes, I realize that the quilt along has been over for a long time, but it really is the perfect Christmas Quilt. This is the first block, and I need to make six more of them. Then on to the other 14 variations.

And fifth, I'm going to deal with this leftover block from my Mystery Stars Quilt.  I made a slight miscalculation and the block ended up being too large.  But I love the block and I think that it would make the perfect centre for a medallion quilt.  What looks like very noticeable seam allowances on the white pieces are actually strips of paper that make it easier to whip stitch those sections to the paper pieced star.

And, there are a few more projects I need to get started--some big and some tiny.  For example, there is the summer edition of Kid's Clothes Week.  I want to make some pretty summer things for the girls. I have the patterns and the fabrics ready to go, but I haven't started cutting yet.  That will have to wait for the launch on the 15th. The backs of my cushions have worn out--it was one of those fabrics that, while lovely, just tend to shatter with age and exposure to light. And there are the bench cushions that need recovering.  But I'll be happy to finish up the five projects I've identified as priorities for this quarter. 


I keep saying that I need a start-along more than I need a finish-along, but I think that this finish-along is helping me get out of project monogamy rut. It encourages me to start things so that I can add them to my quarterly list.  I need to thank Leanne (and Rhonda before her) for their help with this.

Now, I'll link this list up to Leanne's 3rd quarter page to make it official.   

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