2018 plans

Happy New Year!!  Another year has passed and a new one begun and here I sit, in front of the fire considering the year that I will turn 56. 

And, how much I don't feel 56. 

And, how I don't act 56.  I mean, yesterday, I fiddled with Sydney's hand-me-down camera until I got frustrated (about 2.5 hours) and then we went to the grocery and then home and I took down the swag in the living room and then we took down the tree and then I cooked five dinners for this week and we ate and I washed dishes and we watched a movie.  That don't sound like 56, right?

Until I dragged myself off the couch and crawled to bed at 9:30.  That looked petty much like I thought 56 would.

It's cold here and we have the house closed up tight and all the curtains drawn. 

I've been making plans for 2018, but first, I wanted to show a picture from yesterday's tree un-trimming. 

We've been collecting hand painted li bien ornaments from Pier 1 since the late 90's and we have quite a few.  Now, the thing about these ornaments is that they each have a custom box that they fit perfectly in.

These are the boxes (and Sydney's feet), turned upside down and sorted by year.  They're turned upside down because last year, we got tired of spending at least an hour every year figuring out this puzzle, so we wrote the year and, where there wasn't one, a description on the bottom of every box.  So, all I had to do was locate the year on the bottom of the ornament, then the box.  And, it only took an hour.

So, there's no way I can continue to work full time and make 18 quilts in 2018.  But, that doesn't mean I can't pick a few projects to try to focus on.  Things I really would like to get finished.  It won't be an exclusive project list.  There's no way I'm going to kid myself into believing I won't go chasing after something shiny and new as soon as it passes.  But, these are things I hope to finish and when I'm hunting around for something to work on, I hope to refer to this list. 

In order of oldest project to newest:

This is my second oldest UFO, from probably 2003-2004-ish.  The oldest UFO is a hand quilting project, and just, no, we're not going there right now.  But, my second oldest UFO is a machine quilting project gone seriously wrong.  You all have heard me talk about marking paper and then pinning that paper to the quilt to mark my quilting design.  Well, now I use tissue and I needle punch it.  But, in this early experiment, I used white paper from a flipchart and I marked it with sharpie and I quilted it with white thread and when I pulled the paper off, the sharpie ink had turned the thread a dark grey.  So, I've spent a few days a year for the last few years picking that out so I can try again.  I also had the brilliant idea to quilt it, then add borders to save on bulk while I was quilting.  There aren't even borders cut, but the back and batt are both wide enough for me to add them later.  Yes, I was a new quilter once, too.  When I unfolded it this morning, I noticed I had cut the batt into thirds with curvy lines so the center could be quilted, then one side of the batt added and quilted, then the other.  Another way to save on bulk.  I'll probably take advantage of that again.  This is my own Maple leaf layout with few leaves at the top and many leaves at the bottom, as though they were falling.  Wouldn't that have been nice on a light green or blue background?  Oh, well, new quilter.

 

Next is a collection of fabrics that Rob bought me about that same time.  I love this collection of fabrics.  They all play together and Rob bought them for me as a challenge that I have not lived up to.  But, they've been on my mind lately and I'd like to actually get around to making something out of them.  I think they'd be perfect as a double wedding ring with a dark brown background and the brown floral on top as a border.  I even found a dark brown with white micro dots that I think would be nearly perfect.  When  I made our wedding quilt, I thought of these fabrics and how nice they'd be for that pattern.  And, since I made the mistake of using a wool batt in our wedding quilt and it can't be tossed into the dryer and is therefore not practical to use because we sleep with cats and dogs, I might just need to make another wedding ring quilt.  And, that's about as much of a rationalization as I can work up this early on a Monday morning. 

Next up is a BOM I did through my LQS about 5 years ago.  It was the last one I did with them.  All it needs is a border, which I have cut and ready to sew on...and I can't remember why I stopped.  But, I'm in a 30's reproduction kind of a mood and thinking this might be a good one to finish this year. I'm in a 30's repro kind of mood because I need to start a baby quilt that I'm making with those fabrics.  So, hopefully, I'll have two 30's repros in me this year. 

Okay, this one is just a year or so old.  And, it's small.  But, I really love it.  It's my triple 9 patch.  This is one of those quilts that I feel like needs something that I can't quite put my finger on.  And, I'm hoping it's the quilting.  That's really the reason I want to finish it.  It's a challenge to see if I can make the quilting turn this from so-so to spectacular...or a dog bed.

And, finally, I hope to live up to Rob's newest challenge.  Still thinking this needs something simple.  But, not willing to commit yet. 

I also want to finish one vintage UFO remake project.  There was a wonderful vintage hand pieced trip around the world quilt top that almost made it into the list.  It just needs a few more rows.  But it needs about 5 hours of ironing and I just couldn't quite see myself doing that right now.  And, there was this one...

Did the quilter think that was going to quilt out???  Or iron out?  And, the other end is just as pointed, but outward, like the feathers in an arrow.  I didn't quite feel up to that challenge either. 

This one almost made it...

But it weighs 412 pounds and I really didn't feel like pushing that through the Bernina right now.  That might be my first quilt to send out for long arm. 

Don't be surprised if this one sneaks in.  It just needs a new border.  The polka dots aren't working for me.  They overpower the piecing.  This was a vintage UFO remake that's gotten this far and wants a finish. 

 

But, the vintage project I picked to finish this year is the small red bordered blocks.  I've finished remaking them all.  There are 105.  I messed up one block's worth of pieces.  I want to set them with alternating green squares.  But, the original green I picked wasn't "the" green.  It all looked washed out when I laid squares on the fabric.

So, I picked a different green and it made the blocks pop and it's been ironed and cut and about half of them are attached.  We will see how this continues to proceed because I want to do 13x13 so that I can end up with a red block in all four corners.  But, that means a bunch of leftover blocks and am I willing to relegate them to the back?  Or another smaller project?  Now, there's an idea that just popped into my head.  That way, I don't feel like they're wasted.  A small wall hanging.

Okay, that's enough thinking and typing for the day.  Now, it's time for some sewing time.  I have a blue and purple quilt to finish quilting.  Or, maybe I'll keep sewing red and green squares.  Or maybe I'll make some hst.  Or, maybe I'll take a nap.  Because what you do on New Year's day is what you do all year long, so make sure you do something that's important to you. 

And, enjoy your New Year's day.  Poor Sydney has to work.  That means she will have to work all year.  Poor thing.  I felt sorrier for her before she reminded me I was turning 56 this year. 

Lane