2016 Finish Along – Q1 Goals

It’s that time of year again – for me to set some goals, and to plan a bit ahead, with some help from the online quilting community.

I participated in the 2015 Finish Along with some success – I completed four quilts over the first half of the year, before losing steam and then becoming buried by the holidays.

I’m participating again, because it was a great experience for me, and it held me to some goals. I’m competitive (even against myself) so it’ll be fun to see how this year stacks up against last year.

I’d already done some preparation for the 2016 Finish Along, without realizing it. I took a good, long look at my projects, and eliminated a few that were never going to be finished, because I’d fallen out of love with them. Now, my WIP list for 2016 is updated, even with brand new projects that I started in the last couple of weeks.

Without further ado, my goals for this first quarter of the year:

To finally quilt and bind ‘Charmed, I’m Sure’. This beast has been sitting in my pile for too long. I’d like to get it quilted up and into rotation sooner rather than later.

To quilt and bind this scrappy baby quilt. I pieced it on a whim, and even started quilting it. I just need to finish the quilting, and then I can bind it.

To quilt and bind ‘A Swirling Sea of Stars’. I’m so excited to have completed this quilt top, finally! I just need to decide on backing it, and figure out how to quilt this monster. There are A LOT of seams to conquer here.

To complete my Fibs and Fables quilt. It’s not even a complete top at this point, and has a lot more piecing to go. And I’m still waiting on fabric to arrive, so that I can complete cutting.

I’ll leave it at just the four projects for this first quarter… Somewhere in all of those, I’ll need to get a leg up on piecing the rest of my projects.

2015 Finish Along – Q1 Goals

As part of my goal to hold myself accountable and actually finish out some of my WIPs, I’ll be participating in the 2015 Finish Along, and the 2015 Lovely Year of Finishes (see sidebar for links).

For the first quarter of the 2015 Finish Along, I’ve identified the following five projects I’d like to take to have finished by the end of this quarter. Since I have 20 WIPs, per my list, if I can manage to take five WIPs to completed each quarter, I’ll have conquered my WIPs.

3xS

This top is actually on the quilting frame right now. I just need to figure a last couple of issues with the sewing machine, and I can have this quilted in short order.

Night Sky

Another completed quilt top that is small enough to fit on my frame. I have the batting. I just need to figure out a backing, and load it onto to the frame to quilt it up. Part of the challenge might be figuring out backing. I’m attempting to use as much of my stash as possible. I’d like to avoid purchasing backing. I also need to identify a binding fabric from stash.

Embers

Yet another completed quilt top. Again, small enough to fit on my frame. This is another for which I have the batting for, but need to figure out backing. I have the binding fabric on hand already.

Sunsets and White Beaches

This is a hand-quilting project that is already in progress. I estimate that I’m about 30% through quilting this one. I just need to keep plugging away. I also need to identify a binding fabric from stash.

From an Unquiet Mind I: Semi-Phores

This actually is partially quilted, but quilting it resulted in some distortion. I need to rip all the stitches out, and start over. I’ll also have to decide on a binding fabric. I’d like to keep to solids for this project, so I will probably have to order that.

That’s my five for this quarter… I see a lot of stitching down binding in my future!