WIP challenge 2014

My challenge to myself for 2014 is to get the incomplete projects done and moved on or in use in our home! I have challenged myself with this before and it really does make a difference to my "productivity".

So, what needs to leave the sewing room in 2014?

Samuels Quilt - needs binding
Zara's Quilt - needs binding
Zoe's Quilt - need to buy border and backing backing fabrics, otherwise piecing finished
Sew in ends of Zoe's granny square blanket
Sew in ends of Ciára's ripple blanket
Window seat quilt - basic charm quare quilt, part way through being pieced
Liberty quilt for our bed - fabric cut
Finish Pies and Tarts Quilt
Start Handstitched Quilt
Do 20 blocks of Dear Jane (to get it back on the radar!)


If I get these out the door, or onto beds/lounges in our house plus some art journaling and zentangling - then I will be a very happy crafter come the end of 2014!

WIP # 1 - Finito

OK, so I may be a month behind but I did get this finished, washed and fluffed up in drier last night. Hand pieced and hand quilted except for attaching the binding, I like it more than I thought I would. This past week I also got my RR blocks sewn together and the VHC top and backing sent off to be quilted. Quilting aside, I also got some granny squares done for Zoe's bedroom, just 4 of them but it is a start right? Amazing what can happen when you utilise a few spare hours effectively!

This WIP challenge has me thinking about what I need to get done and what I haven't even started yet, and making me very eager to get quilty again. I am determined to make a dent in my WIP's in 2012, even if I don't conquer them all!

Today I have the 7 year old home after a huge scooter stack yesterday so I plan on getting the machine out once the chores are done and she is set up in front of a movie!

WIP's to tackle in 2012

1. Block quilt

2. Nikki's 40th birthday quilt - a quilt I started for one of my best friends that never quite got finished for her 40th last month!

3. Abby's quilt - top done. For another dear friends little one - she was one last September! Cent decide whether to send it off to be quilted or to give it a go myself...

4. Mai and Micks 40th wedding anniversary quilt - for the inlaws! I know she'll love it but these aren't fabrics that particulaly appeal to me so I get sidetracked easily when working on it! This one will definitely be sent off to be quilted!

5. The Butterfly Quilt - I had visions of a pretty litle butterfly bedroom for Ciara - though that was not to be as she was determined to have a mermaid room. I think I will gift this single bed quilt to a special little family friend of ours for Christmas this year, Zara. That also means that I need to make her brother a quilt which leads me to...

6. The Rocket Quilt - I bought this fabric to make a quilt for my step sisters little man but she wanted different colours.....so I will put this together and add some fabrics to make it a single bed quilt and give it to Samuel for Christmas.

7. This Sarah Fielke kit "Bless You" will be for my sister and her partner. I have a feeling there might be a special celebration this year so want to be ready for it!

8. The Owl Kit - bought from my LQS and I love it. Doesn't go with a thing in my house so I think I will use it as a picnic rug as it goes perfectly with our picnic set. Any hints on what makes a good inner and backing for a picnic rug?

9. Whoopsy Daisy kit - gorgeous Prints Charming kit that I bought from the quilt show in Sydney a few years back. Not quite right for our bedroom but I love it so much I don't care!!!!! This will be our Christmas gift!

10. Christmas Table Topper - yessiree I am the kit queen! This one from The Fat Quarter Shop and I initially bought it to take to Ireland as a gift but that never quite happened! So not sure where this will end up but it is calling out to me to be put together!
11. And one extra for luck. Ciára's Mermaid Quilt - must get that finished for her for this year for her very blue mermaid room!

So there you have it. Still on my teensy tiny little brother machine, hoping that he will be upgraded when I turn 40...and I should have my sewing room sometime next month ... No excuses not to power my way through this list!! Good intentions and all that hey!

2012 ? What? So soon? Yikes!

Where on earth did 2011 go?

What happened to my normal life?

What happened to blogging?

Renovation renovation renovation - seemed to be the word of the year for 2011. To say that the renovation consumed me, would probably be an understatement. Real life was put on hold. Reading slowed, craftiness was almost at a standstill, exercise was totally inconsistent, some nights I think the kids only just got fed (well, that could be a slight exaggeration!).

2012 is the year of ME!

Time to get back into routine, back into consistent exercise, lose that blasted 5kgs I have talked about for years, and time to craft! With the internal renovation just about finished (the new section that is) and the smallest one of the family off to school, 2012 will be the year of recovery, re-igniting passions and getting back in the game!!!

As we have started to unpack the garage I have come across tubs and tubs and tubs of fabrics and amongst these many WIP's! The lovely AJ over here at AJ's Antics has kicked off a WIP 12 month challenge which you can read about here. Oh me, oh my!! So perfect for getting back onto the quilting bandwagon and ploughing through some of the WIP's that have been hanging around for years and years. In fact, January's WIP is to put together some hand stitched blocks that were my first ever foray into quilting! See below for more on that! Over the next couple of days I will photograph my WIP's and blog my list! I still have a couple of tubs to look through (hangs head with red face!)

To help me get back into the swing of things I have signed up to round 1 of Michelle Bridges 12wbt. A 12 week body transformation program. And I am going to kick butt. Pre-season starts in 9 days and I can not wait!

I will also start my 2012 book reading challenge up again. I am currently reading Tracey Wickham's autobiography and am really enjoying it. I have also joined a book club. An old high school friend who now lives in London has started it up, there are a few of us and we are spread all over the world - London, Sydney, Munich, Hong Kong, Wagga Wagga. Where else? I am sure there were other places as well. We are going to do it all by email. I am super excited as I have always wanted to join a book club but with Dave's travel and having to rely on sitters when he wasn't around I was always a little nervous about letting people down. This way I can actually do it. We have all ordered our book and will post more about that once we get into it!

I will also blog more frequently than I did last year. So please leave me a comment so I know I am not talking to myself!

For now I am off to keep on hand stitching my January WIP. I went to a quilting class way back in early 2006 when I wanted to learn to quilt. I just picked some pretty fabrics and then realised it was all to be done by hand! So I am going to hand stitch the 4 blocks together, sandwich and hand quilt, machine sew the binding on, stitch it down, pop the label on and then who knows what I will do with it. It matches nothing in my house and I am not sure if I even like it much. BUT as it was my first attempt those few years back I feel I should hang onto it. We will see!!