Finish Along 2015 & 2016 Quarter 1

Hello again! I am so excited to embark on a 3rd year in the Finish Along. This has given me such a gentle but consistent motivation to get my projects planned at least and I've gotten more completed.

In Q4 of 2015 I had a list of 9 projects to complete, but with travel and little sewing time, I didn't finish much.

1. Finish Birthday quilt.  - Finished!

2. Dusseldorf pouches - Finished and gifted!

3. Paper airplane pouches - not done

4. Quilt for mom - not yet done

5. Quilt for friend's new baby - can't even quite remember which baby this was for lol

6. Quilt the stinking bee quilt that has been hanging around all year - not sure where this is in my sewing jungle.

7. Make something from my toppling stack of Lotta Jansdotter fat quarters - not yet done

8. Christmas table runner - not done

9. Fairy pillow (using PP pattern from Tartan Kiwi) - not done

It was a pleasure having Adrianne from On the Windy Side as host and cheerleader for the 2015 Finish Along!

Bring on 2016! I have 8 quilts in various stages of completion, from a pile of blocks to flimsy tops that I would love to finish this year, but I'll have to work them in 1 at a time. My quilting goals for 2016 include working on my blog photography and having more scheduled sewing time and FINISHING things! Finish Finish Finish!

Speaking of which, here is my Finish Along Quarter 1 list:

1. Commission - comfort quilt for girlfriend

2. Baby quilt for nephew due in March
3. 2 gift place mats for niece and nephew 

4. Succulents wall hanging (Love & Patchwork Mag Issue 19)

5. Playhouses Doll Quilt (Fat Quarterly Issue Issue 9) - partner project for me & little Bean
6. Purple Zippered pouch birthday gift

Wish me luck and I'll be following along with everyone ~ #2016FAL and follow @finishalong on Instagram!
FMT 

2015 - Year in Review

Happy New Year!

Although I don't think I made a formal announcement, I decided last January that this would the year of saying, "NO." It was a difficult decision, but I did not participate in any swaps or bees for the entire year, even though Instagram tempted me many times! In past years I have felt like I was doing a lot of sewing and not having much to show for it in my own home. It is very nice to have quilts made by talented ladies from all over the world hanging on my walls, but I wanted to concentrate on my own projects in 2015. As an added motivation, I did participate in the 2015 Finish Along. I must admit that I did pretty poorly with completing my lists, but I did get more sewing done and even had the chance to teach at a quilting retreat, participate in a new Bloggers hop and had a quilt block published!

January

Preppy Stroller Quilt

Catvent Knitting Bag

February

Graceful Dancer Mini Messenger Bag

March

1 hr basket

Noodlehead divided basket

ballerina pillowcase

April

Stash Bee

Dad's Birthday Quilt

June

Swoosh pouch

Confetti Stars Improv

July

1 hour teacher baskets

September

Treasure Map Block Design

October

Tidal Pool test block for Molli Sparkles

Kitchen Placemats

Drawstring Ballerina tote with zippered shoe pouch

Birch Trees for Patchwork in the Peaks

November

Radschlager pouch

December

Flying circle of geese wreath wall hanging

Star Plus quilt for Jamie

Looking forward to lots more sewing and being super organized (with the help of the Quilter's Planner of course) in 2016!!

FMT

Last bits of sewing 2015 - Star Plus Birthday/Christmas Quilt

Squeaking in just in time for Christmas - tada! My son's birthday quilt was finally finished and put in the washer at about 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Ok fine, technically it was Christmas morning. I even had to sneak down and get it out of the dryer around 8 a.m., stuff it into a gift bag and ram it under the tree before he woke up. Luckily, he is very easy to sneak by early in the morning.  His favorite colors are green and orange, so I started out early in the summer with an improv green triangle idea set in a navy background, but I never got farther than one column completed. I've had this set of Simple Marks Summer charm packs for quite awhile without a specific project in mind. These charms, with the addition of Kona white, ash and steel were a great combination for him. This also gave me another opportunity to play with and learn more about EQ7.

blocks finished about 17.5"

fun with basting!

looks pretty good on my own bed - tempting!

All finished!

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: (3) Simple Marks Summer charm packs
             Kona white, steel & ash yardage
Blocks - 17.5" unfinished
Binding - Kona steel, leaf and ash
Finished quilt - 70" x 70"
Inspiration:  Chandelier Quilt along at WeAllSew.com. My hst's and pluses are of equal height & width - measurements, cutting instructions and finished block/quilt sizes from quilt-along were not used.