Goals for 2014 and January

Having closed out another year, it's time to look back and reflect but also time to look forward and plan. I feel I do both pretty well. So here are my finishes for 2013:

 

1. Fracture Quilt - Complete Top, 2. Applique Toucan, 3. Red and White Star Quilt, 4. Low Volume Baby Quilt, 5. Christmas Quilt, 6. Riley Blake Challenge

The Riley Blake Challenge quilt was finished on New Year's Eve, I just don't have a final picture yet.

I will be participating in the 2014 A Lovely Year of Finishes again. I also decided to wait to restart Color Bee Shocked, because of some issues later in the year that I haven't quite gotten over. Instead I somehow managed to sign up for the Stash Bee, without actually remembering signing up. I have February as the queen bee. 

My January goal is to make the January block and finalize my plans for February, make a block, and write a tutorial.

As a stretch goal I have the following:

1) Finish putting together the Community Quilt top; I've given up on waiting for other people to make additional house blocks. 

2)  Keep cutting half hexies.

My sewing goals for 2014 are as follow:

1) Finish the Community Quilt

2) Finish the Hexie Wedding Quilt

3) Finish the top of the Plus Wedding Quilt

4) Make a commissioned plus quilt

5) Learn how to use a longarm machine

6) Make baby quilts as necessary (perhaps one for us, we'll see, no news yet)

Low Volume Baby Quilt

Final Stats

Name: Low Volume Baby Quilt

Dimensions: 35x45 Inches

Pieces: Front - 126

Pattern: Simple Split Rail

Technique: Patchwork

Materials: 100% Quilting Cottons

Quilting: Machine quilting done on my little Euro-Pro

 

This quilt is for a coworker whose baby is due middle or end of December. For some reason I thought it was beginning of December, so when I had extra time the weekend before Thanksgiving, I finished it up real quick.

 

The only direction I got from my coworker was the following: 1) they wanted to keep it gender neutral even though they knew they were having a little girl (which I'm totally cool with) and 2) the nursery walls are beige and she didn't want anything too bold, because she wanted the nursery to be very soothing (to each their own, I guess). That wasn't a whole lot to go on, so I decided to do low volume. But being me, I just couldn't resist throwing in one or two slightly bolder fabrics.

 

The top is a simple two patch split rail pattern, with the stair steps in alternating blue and green, with neutral creams and whites in between. I outline quilted it on both sides of the blue and green steps at about 1/2 an inch from the seam. The backing is a Riley Blake fabric and the binding is Kona White. I was going to add an applique sea turtle to the front, but decided to leave it as is. I embroidered my initials in the corner on the subway ride into the city to drop it off.

 

My coworker loved it, and said it matches her nursery perfectly. Mission accomplished. :)