Quarter 3: Finish -A- Long

Well I have been woefully absent on the whole "finish-a-long" thing...  Life's just gotten in the way of sewing lately, but I'm starting to get back in the swing of things.

Here's my list for Quarter Three:

1. Modern Scrappy Bits Swap (mail by 8/1)
I'll be making a set of coasters for my partner!

2. Triple Zip Swap (mail by 8/17)
Make a triple zip - my partner gave me no direction, so I get to be really creative!

3. Simple Sweet Scrappy Swap (mail by 8/26)
I have to make a wristlet pouch for my partner.

4. Sewing Room Swap (mail by 9/1)
This one involves two finishes - a small project and a big project.  Haven't decided yet what to do!

5. Laura's Quilt (wedding on 10/5)
This quilt just needs to be bound.

6. Wendy's Quilt
It's still a stack of fat quarters right now - dreaming big here, but I'd love to have it done by the end of September!

7. Set of placemats
This isn't critical, but I'd love to have a set or two of placemats for our table.

8. Schoolroom Quilt #1
This needs to be basted, quilted and bound.

9. Schoolroom Quilt #2
I need to finish the top, then baste, quilt and bind.

Finish-A-Long, 2nd Quarter

Ok - I didn't join in the first quarter, but I have a pile of WIPs that need to get cranked out this quarter...  More than I like to have sitting around!  I was going to post a list in my craft room, just so I can see them all in one spot, but I thought that was too old-school.  And I am, well, a technology addict...  so here they are, blogged:

1. The Laura
The other two quilts turned out so nicely - the top is finished, I just need to baste, quilt and bind...  Here's the binding, top, backing.

2. The First Schoolroom Quilt
This top is finished - again, "just" baste, quilt and bind.

3. The Second Schoolroom Quilt
I don't know if we'll really use both in the schoolroom - maybe one will be given away, who knows, but this one is in pieces.  Finish the top, baste, quilt and bind.

4. The Birthday Bags
Each year, for my nieces on my side, I pick a birthday present theme and give them all the same thing.  Last year, it was stuffed horses.  This year, it's a customized library bag (complete with a new book inside and some little trinkets).  The March girly already has hers, but the April, July, August and October girls are in pieces...  that will be so lovely to have those in the gift closet, ready to go.

5. Catch up on the Sugar Block Club
Okay, I admit it.  I am so stinking intimidated by paper piecing.  I know that tons of people just love it, and that if I just try it, it probably won't be too bad.  But I allowed myself to get derailed in February because of the paper piecing.  I have to say, though, opening this box and getting a look at all those completely gorgeous fabrics made me itch to jump back in.

Other projects to do this quarter, but that haven't actually been started so they don't count towards the FAL:

6. Friendship Bag Swap
This swap on Flickr looked so cool the first round that I jumped in to join the second round.  Everyone makes a version of the exact same bag and fills it with goodies for their partner.  That's due by May 6th (if I'm shipping internationally).

7. Fabric Basket Swap
This one's similar - make a fabric basket and include some goodies.  That's due May 15th.

The Pretty Little Pouch Swap just opened after I signed up for these two - and since it's due May 13th, I just can't imagine trying to get quality work done and racing to finish three swaps simultaneously, especially with a wedding and whatnot in the first week of May.  Bummer!  Guess I'll have to wait for Round 8 on that one.

8. Sort charms for girls' bed quilts
I won a contest at Southern Fabric recently which allowed me to go ahead and get the remaining charms I needed for the girls' quilts!  As I'm making three quilts, each of which needs 280 charms, I need 840.  Do you know how many that is!  Sheesh!  But with the 231 I just got from them, I'm done.  Phew.  But now comes the "oh but I want that one" debate...  I have to make sure that my "the universe revolves around me because I'm the oldest" six year old doesn't win every debate.

9. Cut and prep my Noteworthy quilt
This one's just for me.  I absolutely adore Noteworthy, and used my Christmas money to get as much of it as I possibly could.  LOL.  I'm planning an hourglass quilt, where each square is a charm and a solid (one of three solids: blue, mustard and gray).  The red stripe is for the binding, and there's two blue prints in there just for me.  There's an orange print at the bottom for backing.

10.  Plan two different projects
I've won both these stacks lately - I've been on a lucky streak! - and need to figure out what to do with them.  Doesn't that second stack just glow?  I thought that was a great photo to end this pic-heavy post with!

A New Year, A New Start

Okay. It's 2013. To be more precise, it's 1-3-13. Time to set some new goals, resolutions and start afresh... My craft room is stocked, organized and calling out to me to go spend some quality time with it, but instead I'm going to tackle an aspect of quilting that I'm rather pathetic at: documentation. I would love to have a record of all my quilts, especially as I have a tendency to give them away without taking pictures of them! I will never have a perfect record, but if I can take steps now to make it easier, I will do so. It's also time to step back and make some 2013 quilting goals and resolutions. Here we go!

1. Step out of my comfort zone and be consistent with the Sugar Block Club - my first BOM. I will tackle new and intimidating techniques, using peer pressure to help me power through. Seriously, though, I want a beautiful quilt for my living room at the end of the year, made carefully throughout the year. I am aiming for more precision than I typically achieve, and a sampler quilt is a great chance to stretch my comfort zone. Remember this contest? Well, I won it, and that bundle has been sitting in my craft room waiting for the perfect opportunity. I supplemented it with some additional fabrics (can't wait for them to arrive!) and will take a picture of all the fabrics when I have a complete set.

2. Achieve a better "scant 1/4 inch" seam. I think I sew a bit too big... the Sugar Block Club will help me with that, since I've never really made traditional blocks before.

3. Other than the Sugar Block Club quilt, only have one project going at a time. I was really good about this last year, and while I stalled for a while in the middle of the year (ahem, pregnancy!), I don't have a pile of WIPs. I know myself, and once I break that rule, I will have a giant pile of WIPs overtaking my space. Must. Maintain. Discipline.

4. Spend more time sewing than on Pinterest. What good does it do to pin hundreds of possible quilts and projects, and then never actually go sew? Blogging and keeping track of my quilts is fine... because that's not creating a giant wish list that will never actually come to fruition!

4b. Sew for at least 15 minutes a week. I know that for some of you, that would read "do something other than sewing for 15 minutes a week," but I have a tendency to get sucked into the computer and never make it downstairs to the craft room when I have a chance.

I think that's enough... If I can keep those 5 resolutions all year, I'll be thrilled!