January finishes

I am going to go ahead and post this today because it is doubtful that I will get another on finished by the 31st.  If I do it would be great but I am swamped at work with several huge projects with deadlines fast approaching.  I will be working extra.

My goal for this month was to finish three quilt tops.  Last weekend I was out of town.  I thought I would get to sew on MLK day but I ended up working the holiday.   I did get 2/3's of the way there this weekend.  I finished two quilt tops.  I never did get the third one laid out.  Instead I dug out a different UFO and sewed the strips together now I will need to cut them and make the blocks.  I was sewing, just not on what I planned to work on.  It was sunny on Sunday so I drove the quilt tops over to my daughter house so I could have her hold them up outside.  The pictures are not the best because not only was it sunny it was windy so I was facing into the sun to get the shoot.  Otherwise the wind was wrapping the quilt around my daughter.

I also sewed the back for the Daliha Quilt.  The other one will have minky on the back so I made the front to fit the minky.

I then made the back for one of my daughters quilts.  She has been trying to figure out the piecing for several months now.  I gave her a piece of fabric from my stash that was for the same line.  She had found a good size end of bolt some where a while back that just need a little more fabric sewn on one end to make it long enough for another strip.  But the quilt is big and was going to need a third strip.  She has a bunch of fat quarters so I was going to use those.  Then we found that she had 6 half yard pieces.  I ended up using those instead.  The quilt top was started last May when her husband's aunt invited her to a quilt retreat. She got all the blocks made while she was there and finished it up last May or June.  Now the back is done.  Before she will be able to quilt it she has to finish up a quilt she is doing for a charity raffle and mine.  I am holding on to her back until it is done.

Now just because I really don't have enough to do i have decided to participate in the Quilty Stitches sampler with Little Miss Shabby http://www.littlemissshabby.com/

Plans for the New Year

Well it has been a busy end of the year, although Christmas day was actually pretty quiet.  Just my husband and I.  We actually went out to dinner so I was able to sew all day.

So in December I made gifts for friends at work.  I made two mug rugs using left over fabric from Bear Mountain Log Cabin.  I actually made them fairly large.  I like to be able to hold a bowl or plate on them.....usually in front of the TV.  She said her husband loved the size.

 I had another friend who had requested one or two dozen mug rugs.  I got nine done for her.  They were from left over block from another quilt.  Great way to use up orphan blocks.   These I quilted using my embroidery machine.

For Christmas I also made a pillow case for every grandchild.  I forgot to take a picture on with the last one made for the foster grandchild.  It was a different colorway of the same fabric.

I did finish getting the names on all the stockings.  Here they are hanging up.

I cheated and had my husband bind 4 of my quilts for me in December.  Since they had been sitting around since last spring waiting for me to bind them I decided that having him do them would at least get them into the done pile.  Hey, whatever it takes.  This time of year is so hard to take good looking pictures.

I also bound two quilts from the same pile.  The second one I started way back in 2005 and was my first finish of 2013.  I finished it on January 1st.  I realized I had stopped working on it back when I started it because I had used one of the fabrics for it in something else and never replaced it.  I decided to use what I had and not worry about it.

This year I need to keep better track of what I have completed during the year.  I know I did more than this I had nine quilts that I had to bind and this is only six.  But I can't remember the other ones and did not take pictures of them.
That will be part of my 2014 goals to be better at taking photos and documenting my completed projects.
My goal for 2014 is to use fabric.  I have a bunch to use.  I planned on going through the piles this last weekend and finding all my UFO's so that I would know where I stood but instead I started a new quilt.  I got the blocks all sewn and need to lay it out.  It is one of Camilla Roskelley's quilts.  Piece of Cake 2.  Fun and easy to put together.  You feel like you accomplished a lot by the end of a few hours of sewing.
I changed up another quilt that I started in November and then decided to make bigger.  I cut out more fabric and started sewing that one also.
I then worked on a quilt top that I am making for me that will have minky on the back.  I just need to lay that one out also.  I am making this one because I have quilt envy.  My husband was given a minky backed quilt for Christmas that our oldest daughter made.  I love that quilt.  It is so warm and wonderful to cuddle up under.  Now I need one.  He had to bind it himself because my daughter did not have time.  But he is well trained to do binding.

All that just to avoid finding my UFO's...I made two more and made another project bigger.

So this next weekend.  I plan on looking for UFO's and making a list of projects.

The first ones I will work on in January are the ones listed above.  I also still need to finish some more mug rugs for my friend.
I really want to do the APQ quilt along.  Do I have time?  Or will I just start another UFO?  I am sure I have enough fabric to pull from my stash for it.  If I am able to do that next weekend I may start it.  We will have to see.

I know that I started a quilt for my youngest daughter last year.  That will be on my list for this year.  I will put that one on the list for February.

Also I need to make a baby quilt for a gift.  That will have to be January or February - the baby is due in March.  I have already pulled the fabric.

Another goal for 2014 is to quilt a quilt on my home machine.  Not a full size.  I will start with a baby quilt.

One more goal is to really look at what I have a de-stash.  There are fabrics I have that I will never use. My tastes have changed.

That is what I have planned so far.  When I pull out the UFO's I will list more.