I am going to go a little out of order here and post the year in review and this year's goals before I wrap up December and my stash report, but I will get back to them soon. I also have a couple quilts to wrap up for 2015, so will work to get them posted quickly...might be a busy weekend on the blog!
First up, 2015 recap. I declared 2015 the Year of the Kits - I started with a lot of kits and focused on working through them. Below are the pictures of the kits at the start and end of each year, stitching and quilting kits.
I am really pleased with the progress I made and I am glad to have so many of them completed or in progress. I will continue to work on the kits over the next year, a little at a time.
My other goals for 2015 and comments on how I did follow:
Crafting goals:
1. Experiment with some single color piecing (many fabrics, one color) - I did pretty well on this by making string blocks almost every month. I really enjoyed making the blocks and now need to decide whether I will make more or finish up what I have made into a top. I am leaning toward making more.
2. Start to clear out some of the stash - I feel like I knocked this one out of the park. I got through a little more than half of my bins and donated over 80 yards of fabric to the guild for our quilt show. I have also been setting aside additional yardage for a quilter's garage sale, which we do every few years at our guild - and I am hoping we do it this year!
3. Keep quilting - quilt at least another 20 tops on my HQ Avante. I didn't make this one. I quilted 12 quilts this year, and didn't do any from early June to late August, the longest gap in quilting since I got my Handiquilter.
4 Keep stitching - continue my momentum from the past month and get some serious cross-stitching done this year. Done - very successful on this one as I finished up 13 stitching projects. I now need to spend a little time on getting them into frames, fabric framed, or made into cubes or stand-ups.
First up, 2015 recap. I declared 2015 the Year of the Kits - I started with a lot of kits and focused on working through them. Below are the pictures of the kits at the start and end of each year, stitching and quilting kits.
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| Quilting Kits - Before (bottom) and After (top) |
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| Stitching Kits - Before (top) and After (bottom) |
My other goals for 2015 and comments on how I did follow:
Crafting goals:
1. Experiment with some single color piecing (many fabrics, one color) - I did pretty well on this by making string blocks almost every month. I really enjoyed making the blocks and now need to decide whether I will make more or finish up what I have made into a top. I am leaning toward making more.
2. Start to clear out some of the stash - I feel like I knocked this one out of the park. I got through a little more than half of my bins and donated over 80 yards of fabric to the guild for our quilt show. I have also been setting aside additional yardage for a quilter's garage sale, which we do every few years at our guild - and I am hoping we do it this year!
3. Keep quilting - quilt at least another 20 tops on my HQ Avante. I didn't make this one. I quilted 12 quilts this year, and didn't do any from early June to late August, the longest gap in quilting since I got my Handiquilter.
4 Keep stitching - continue my momentum from the past month and get some serious cross-stitching done this year. Done - very successful on this one as I finished up 13 stitching projects. I now need to spend a little time on getting them into frames, fabric framed, or made into cubes or stand-ups.
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| Stitching finishes - 2015 |
5. Continue to learn crocheting - I continued to crochet this year, and learned a few new stitches. I got close to finishing two projects, but came up short. I did buy a fair amount of new yarn throughout the year, but almost all of it for specific projects.
Personal goals: Each week, I will clean up one small space. I started and ended the year well on this one, but didn't do much picking up in between. I am happy to report that several of the small spaces I cleaned up are still in pretty good shape.
Now it is time to turn to 2016 and establish my goals for this year:
Crafting goals:
1. First, a finish - this is going to be my mantra for this year. I would like to start each month by finishing something. It can be cross-stitch, crochet, or quilting. It can be a UFO, a project that is already in progress, or something new that I dedicate my attention to. I have lots of things in half-done status or I have good ideas to finish up things that I just don't execute, so I hope this will help.
2. APQ Resolution - I have made a list for the American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge. I did this with my bee several years ago and really made some good progress. This time, I am mixing up UFOs with kits and patterns that I just really want to make, so some months I will get to start something new.
3. Keep quilting - quilt at least another 20 tops on my HQ Avante - let's see if I can get back into the swing of things to get more tops done!
4. Keep stitching - I'd like to make more ornaments this year and have them ready to go on my tree or be gifted next Christmas. I have joined a facebook group to help me make progress in this area, and we will be working through ornaments in Just Cross Stitch Ornaments 2015.
5. Finish some crochet projects - I'd like to get at least 3-5 crochet projects done this year to have something to show for my new skills.
Personal goals:
1. Get moving on house work - our house needs a lot of work these days...new roof, paint, updated kitchen and bathroom, etc. and I am bad at taking the time to make the calls to get quotes and then get the work done. I resolve to be better at this so that we can get some improvements made.
2. Start swimming again - I was on the swim team as a kid and loved my time in the pool and used it as a good way to keep fit in college. I haven't swum for many years now, but a new Y opened near work and they have a lap pool. I have a new suit and goggles on the way, so I'd like to use them!
That's my plan! What do you have on your list for 2016?
Personal goals: Each week, I will clean up one small space. I started and ended the year well on this one, but didn't do much picking up in between. I am happy to report that several of the small spaces I cleaned up are still in pretty good shape.
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| Quilting finishes from 2015 |
Crafting goals:
1. First, a finish - this is going to be my mantra for this year. I would like to start each month by finishing something. It can be cross-stitch, crochet, or quilting. It can be a UFO, a project that is already in progress, or something new that I dedicate my attention to. I have lots of things in half-done status or I have good ideas to finish up things that I just don't execute, so I hope this will help.
2. APQ Resolution - I have made a list for the American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge. I did this with my bee several years ago and really made some good progress. This time, I am mixing up UFOs with kits and patterns that I just really want to make, so some months I will get to start something new.
3. Keep quilting - quilt at least another 20 tops on my HQ Avante - let's see if I can get back into the swing of things to get more tops done!
4. Keep stitching - I'd like to make more ornaments this year and have them ready to go on my tree or be gifted next Christmas. I have joined a facebook group to help me make progress in this area, and we will be working through ornaments in Just Cross Stitch Ornaments 2015.
5. Finish some crochet projects - I'd like to get at least 3-5 crochet projects done this year to have something to show for my new skills.
Personal goals:
1. Get moving on house work - our house needs a lot of work these days...new roof, paint, updated kitchen and bathroom, etc. and I am bad at taking the time to make the calls to get quotes and then get the work done. I resolve to be better at this so that we can get some improvements made.
2. Start swimming again - I was on the swim team as a kid and loved my time in the pool and used it as a good way to keep fit in college. I haven't swum for many years now, but a new Y opened near work and they have a lap pool. I have a new suit and goggles on the way, so I'd like to use them!
That's my plan! What do you have on your list for 2016?
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