FAL Q1--Charming table set: DONE!

Making time to write a blog post seems to be the trickiest thing for me to do (so far) this year, but here's a quick one. I finished the placemats and runner from my Allure charm pack. I intend to write a quick tutorial on the process, because I think this is a great way to feature an entire charm collection with no waste. Bottom line: Sidekick ruler 4.5" half triangles, left half from charms, right half from contrast. Sew the remaining charm chunks into a continuous strip then add borders of any width. The width of mine was determined by how much fabric I had leftover from another project.

So, pix or it didn't happen, right?

Charming "Allure" placemats

Coordinating "Allure" table runner

ETA: This was #5 on my list of Q1 finish-along goals.

Q1 Finish-Along Goals

My last post summarized some of my long-term goals for the year, but with an eye on Connecting, I guess I might as well specify some specific tasks for the first three months of the year. Thanks to Stacey at SloStudio for hosting the Finish-Along as a kick in the pants to stay focused!

These are supposed to be projects that are already started, so here goes:

1. My Junk Drawer challenge project, due next week at my art journal meeting:

2. Hexagon suns quilt:

3. Best. Day. Ever. herringbone quilt:

4. Finish writing the pattern for my Triangle Tiles quilt:

5. Allure placemats:

6. I haven't technically started it yet, but I'll also be making a little Skinny Mini quilt for my secret partner during Q1. Very excited about this one -- I love this particular shape!!

7. Zombie shirt for my boy's 12th birthday next month.
8. Two beer shirts for my BIL's birthday next month.

OK, that's a pretty respectable list -- that should do it for Q1! I'm sure I'll make a hundred more things in that time, but these are the ones hovering at the moment. Let the games begin!

ETA #9: Rocky Horror Challenge with the Badass Quilters!!

2016 Goal Setting

It's the right time of year for making the type of sweeping statements about all the many many things that I intend to accomplish, a list that will no doubt exhaust me when I re-read it in a week or two.


First off, I'll be teaching four university classes this spring, so that will be the top priority through April. I'm also planning to take a university class in printmaking (if I didn't wait too long to sign up). So that's an ambitious start!


In addition, my "one little word" for 2016 -- the overarching focus that I want to use as a stay-on-target reminder -- is Connect!

I want to be a more active participant in the "social" part of social networking, which means reading other people's blogs more regularly, commenting on other people's work, and replying to comments here! I joined up on Instagram last fall, which I really like for its immediacy and short-burst visual format. Somehow I've gotten just over 110 followers in three or four months, something I haven't managed to figure out on Facebook where my page has just over 50 followers...not disappointing, just a different nut to crack.


In hopes of linking up with more IntraWeb stitchy types -- and, of course, to flex my design muscles -- I've joined the Lucky Spool Quilting Club for the year, and I've already started slashing a bunch of bias strips for the first month's challenge -- which I will write about later (to connect...see?).

I'm also hoping to dabble in the monthly tutorials at The Printed Fabric Bee. I know two of the members of this group from the Connecticut chapter of SAQA (that's "Studio Art Quilt Associates" for those of you following along at home) and having a chance to learn some Mad Skillz from artists like these (for FREE!) is too good an opportunity to pass up.




Time permitting (ha!), I might also dive into the Modern HST Sampler that Alyce is hosting at Blossom Hill Quilts.

My husband gave me a gorgeous stack of fat quarters for my birthday last fall, and these have sat sadly untouched -- this sampler will be a nice chance to play with my peach tree, as the kids today say:

What else? I signed up for a little swap, I'm spending a week in San Diego before classes start, teaching a Gypsy Wife class this spring at Lisa's Clover Hill Quilts, taking a map-quilt workshop with Timna Tarr at Sew Inspired, attending the opening of the SAQA-CT show in Guilford in late February, sharing two trunk shows in May, and -- eventually -- polishing off my first three patterns (that is a lot of work!). Plus I guess I should throw in some time for homeschooling the boys while I'm at it. So that should do the trick to keep me out of trouble. If you have found your way here from Instagram, or Facebook, or Pinterest, or anywhere else, I hope to hear from you, and I will do my human best to reply to you in a reasonably timely way!


OK, yep, that is definitely one exhausting list. (How do I do it, you ask?)


Happy 2016!!