2011 Quilty To-Do List Check-In

Thanks, Elizabeth, for hosting this check-in. I really needed a reminder of the goals I set for this year. I'm sad to say that I'm pretty far off from where I'd like to be. I didn't realize how unproductive being pregnant would make me.

1. Cathedral Windows Quilt - Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen. I at least bought all the background fabric that I'll need, so I'll be ready to go whenever I get around to starting on this one.

2. Bee Quilt - I'm mailing out the fabric today for my month in the Sew Beautiful Bee. I'm really excited to see what everyone sends back and how my circle of geese quilt comes together. Once all the blocks are received, I'll need to make two more blocks and then I can piece the top. Hopefully, this quilt doesn't get put on the back burner.

3. Goldfish Quilt - I've fussy cut all the goldfish for this quilt and pulled the fabric I want to use. Now it's just a matter of starting to piece the blocks.

4. New Bed Quilt - The quilt top for this one is almost finished and I'm really excited about it. I started heading in one direction (using All Star 2), but then changed my mind and decided to use my Far Far Away 2 Kitchen Windows quilt for my bed. Thankfully, the mister is on board regardless of the princesses. =)



5 & 6. Quilts for two of my sisters - I've got most of the HSTs pieced for one of the quilts. I've also gathered the fabrics for the other quilt and need to finalize the design I want to go with.

7. Quilt for my mom's bed - Haven't started on this one.

8. Colorbrick Quilt - I've got my fabrics set aside for this one (are you seeing a pattern here?), but haven't cut into them at all.

9. Wheels Quilt - Haven't started on this one either.

10. Figgy Pudding Christmas Quilt - I hope to make this one over the summer. I will have my hands full with a sweet new baby during the months that I would normally work on Christmas items, so I think Christmas in July will be in order this year.

11. Unfinished quilt tops - These are still on hold and will probably stay that way. I'll probably finish the Patching Up quilt I made when I had my miscarriage last year. I think it will be a good way to allow the quilt to come full circle by finishing it for this baby.



12. Swaps - I think I can fully check this item off my list. I participated in the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap, the Urban Home Goods Swap, and the Make Mine Modern Swap (shipping today!). I'm taking a break from swaps for the rest of the year. I officially return to work in the office in May and it may take me a while to find a good balance in my new schedule. I don't want to commit to anything that I may not be able to give my full attention to.

So there you have it. I definitely can see where I need to step up my game and "git er dun" as my work friends would say. Now that I'm finished with my swap items and have a month off in my bee, I'll be able to start prioritizing and check a few items off this list.

Now, head on over to Don't Call Me Betsy to see how everyone else is doing on their 2011 goals.

What projects will 2011 bring?

Elizabeth over at Don't Call Me Betsy has put together a list of projects she wants to work on in 2011. She's a list girl, you see, just like me. (I love it!) I thought it would be fun to put together a list of my own. Here goes.

1. A little while back I made my first cathedral windows pillow. I got this crazy idea that I should make an entire quilt using this method. So, 2011 will officially be my year of the cathedral quilt. I say 2011 because I don't want to put a due date on it, rather just have it be something I work on throughout the entire year, with a finished quilt come December.



2. I'm participating in my first bee this year, the Sew Beautiful Bee. Elizabeth is the bee mama for this and I'm really excited for it. I've been tossing around ideas for the quilt I want to make and I'm actually really excited for what I've got planned. More on that as my month gets closer.



3. After I received my Pillow Talk Swap pillow, I decided that I wanted to make a quilt out of the goldfish fabric Mari sent me. My plan is to fussy cut each of those fishies, sash them in white, and then use blue and orange square in square blocks to make up the quilt. There will be 12 blocks on the front and three on the back. Ooh, I'm so excited!



4. The very fist quilt I finished was a quilt for my bed. I was so proud of myself, but now I'm rather embarrassed to say that I made it. I didn't know what I was doing and just quilted it by stitching in the ditch. The fabrics are so not me anymore. Another project for 2011 is to make a new quilt for my bed.

5 & 6. As combination birthday and Christmas gifts, I'm making quilts for two of my sisters (I have four of them). I've started on one (a zig zag quilt) and have the fabric for the other.

7. When I was six, we had a Japanese exchange student over the summer. His name was Hideyuki and I loved him! He brought us a bunch of fun things from Japan, including a few framed origami art of people (they're hard to describe). My mom and dad have them hanging in their bedroom. I told my mom I would make her a new quilt for her bed that has a more oriental feel than her current quilt does. This will be an interesting challenge for me as I've never made anything with a theme like that.



8. Also on the list is Rachel's Colorbrick quilt. I think hers is so pretty.

9. My son loves cars and trucks and pretty much anything with wheels. I want to make him a cars quilt out of some Wheels fabric by Riley Blake. I think I'll fussy cut the large print cars and make something similar to Allison's Orange Quilt.

10. Over the past year, I bought lots and lots of Figgy Pudding fabric whenever I could find it. I'm going to make myself a Christmas quilt so it will be all ready to use next year.

11. I have three quilt tops that need to be basted and quilted. I'm sure these will be lumped in with other unfinished projects that I've started this year.

12. Finally (since this list is getting pretty long), I plan on participating in more swaps this year. I've been in three swaps in the last couple months and have really enjoyed them.

PHEW! There you have it - my list for 2011. What projects will you be working on next year?

Quilting To Do List

A few weeks back, the mister and I took time off work to do some home improvement projects. No sewing got done that week, but I finally made a list of the quilts I wanted to make based on some of the fabric in my stash. (There's something about knowing what my fabric will be used for that makes me feel a little more in control and organized.) After making the list I realized that there are a lot of to-be quilts designated as "for me." I hope that's not as selfish as it sounds.


A few of the quilts are going to be designs that I want to try: stacked coins, Oh Fransson's New Wave, disappearing nine-patch. Not on the list yet is a half-square triangle turned zig zag quilt (which I've heard from a few in my quilt guild group can be scary) for my sister's birthday.


I was thinking last night about the advent calendar I want to make. The mister's grandma has an embroidery machine and I'm half tempted to ask her if she can help me embroider the numbers on each pocket. The idea of appliquéing all those teeny numbers makes me a little crazy. The only problem is that she lives about 2 hours away. But, then again, it could be a nice day trip for us to head up as a family and she can spend some time with her great-grandkids.

*Did you see at the bottom of the list "Arcadia - wonky blocks - Josh"? That's the mister's quilt project. I'm pleased as punch that he wanted to make a quilt by himself for himself!