The year ahead...

Sophie suggested we blog about quilt plans for 2014, and share them on Block Lotto, so here goes!

This year should be interesting.  I have committed to cut back from full-time to 3.5 days a week at my paid employment (ie 3 days plus extra days over the year at busier times).  So that means that my (currently) unpaid after-hours job of about 10-15 hours a month will increase a bit, and I've been told I might get paid!   I am really looking forward to the changes.

Quilt-wise this year I hope to successfully complete the South African Quilters' Guild "SAQG Quilt Teacher's Accreditation Course" - lots of self-study work involved in this.  There are three deadline dates from April to Oct for the assignments that all require a pass mark of 80%.   Am still nervous but excited about this.

I decided that I am not buying any quilt fabric in 2014, I did this once before about 4 or 5 years ago and it had the wonderful effect of making me focus on what I have squirreled away and being a little more creative.  It's not easy!  Small consolation is that I am still waiting for 1 or 2 parcels of fabrics that I ordered in November and early December. 

One of my Groups has an exhibition in March - some finishes needed for that.

Make Block Lotto blocks every month.  Put together the two wins I had in 2013.

Finishes I would like to happen:
Orca Bay, Easy Street - both flimisies that need quilting, by June.  Piecing of Celtic Solstice - to do at least an hour a week, and complete at a week-end quilt retreat at the end of May, if not done by then - at this stage I think it is going to be 2 or 3 quilts, not a single king-size one.  Join in Bonnie's year-end mystery, if she does one again!

I think I would like to complete at least one quilt a month this year - I don't even want to think about how many are unfinished!  Actually, that is a goal - to make a new list of Projects in Progress!

Teach Mum to quilt!  Either on her own machine and/or on my frame.  She is building up a pile of quilt tops and blocks (for me to set together) and it would be good to see some finished.  It's on hold for a little while as she sprained/strained her wrist pruning trees in her garden this week!

Phew! that sounds like a lot of work - but "how do you eat an elephant?"  - one bite at a time!  Just need to cease  minimize the procrastination that overcomes me too often!!  Bought a diary today - I found last year that if I add just three tasks a day, one week at a time, it seems to create time for more to get done!  (Yes, yes,  I know I have all the electronic things I could use, but somehow that paper diary seems to work better!)

Happy, Happy New Year!

Last night was one of those rare perfect summer evenings that are wonderful for sitting out in the garden, ie it was wind-free!  Our prevailing summer wind is a south-easter that I believe originates in the South Pole which gives a nice cooling wind-chill factor to the Cape.  With little wind today, and the mercury hovering near 30degC, it's HOT!  At midnight it was so still we could hear the fireworks from the city harbour area which is about 15km away!  We weren't going to watch as the crowds are a little intimidating.

So I have the mobile air-con unit on in my sewing room (have to empty the water condensation tank about once an hour) and sewed!  I made six blocks for January's Block Lotto.  I'm still not sure whether I like them - I'm not a fan of putting white in my quilts, but contrarily I do like some of the modern quilts where they use lots of white.   I would like to try making some similar blocks with two colours as they were easy enough to do.  They start off with two 8.75" squares and you make the eight half-square triangles at once, cutting apart after sewing.  I cut 9" and trimmed down!  They are supposed to measure 14" x 7" but half are about 1/4" bigger, which is allowable.

Bonnie Hunter released the final step of her mystery quilt today, so made up one each of the two alternating blocks that go into the finished quilt.  They are the cutest 9" blocks!  Go together so easily WITHOUT pinning!  But don't have enough of some of the parts to do more at the moment, but motivated to find time.