FAL Q3 In Review and Whats up Next.

I'm time poor at the moment so I'm rolling my review for Quarter 3 and goals for Quarter 4 into one post because I'm nothing if not practical.(and considerate - this means you only have to read one post and I've even chucked in a bit of a fairy tale at the end which addresses the mythical finishes I'm hoping to achieve by the end of the next quarter) 

Frankly, I'm kind of horrified that it's October already. Before any of us know it we'll be butt deep in the C word that I can't bring myself to say just yet. (a hint just in case you think I was using thinly veiled profanity: present shopping , and the imminent arrival of fat guy in a red suit) Anyone who actually uses the C word out loud before November 1st should be publicly flogged in the town square as a deterrent to others who may be trying to get into the C*******s spirit way too early.

My performance on the "getting my goals completed" this quarter was somewhat dismal. It's not that I didn't sew - I did - a lot. Just not on very much that I had actually originally planned to finish. I was seriously affected by "Oh Shiny! " syndrome and kept allowing myself to be distracted by just about anything else that popped into my mind.

Finishes first ( don't blink or you'll miss it )

My Seville Quilt (featured on the Aurifil Facebook Page and pinned on Pinterest - too bloody right I'm being a big head about that) a vision of loveliness and my first ever meandering attempt. I've spent every night since I finished this snuggled up under it. Definitely in the running for my favourite quilt of 2014.

Re-do Cushion Cover- finished at practically the 11th hour but finished none the less!

Partial wins but no cigar 

Moroccan Tile Quilt- all the blocks are kind of ,sort of together but I ran into a wee snag with sewing the rows together ...so I'm taking my time and not rushing it. Like fine wine, this quilt will get better with age. I really like it so I want to do it properly so I can look at it in later years and still marvel that " I did that"

Abject Fails
Holiday Happy quilt - enough said. Didn't even take it out of the box!

Other stuff I got distracted by that unfortunately wasn't on the list.

Joseph's Quilt of Many Colours , Picnic Parade Donation Quilt, Irish Chain Donation Quilt, Postage Stamp Donation Quilt and Lee-anne's Baby quilt. 

Fairy Tales for Q4:

Moroccan tile quilt- I will vanquish curves and sew them in the right places to the rectangle blocks ! (not a full inch below where they are supposed to line up) 

Holiday Happy-I swear I'm going to finish it even if I get nothing else done. I hate working with black fabric and from memory that's where I last touched this poor neglected quilt two years ago....(or more - its been so long I can't recall) 

And my new project for this quarter - The Charming Stars quilt. I've had this on my list to do for about three years  and its time it was off the list and translated into reality. Fabrics picked and ready to go! 

Thats it for me...Three at this time of year is well and truly enough! If you want to see all the other very clever people and their goals for the last quarter of 2014 you can have a squizz here.

FAL -Quarter 3 Wish List

I've been working my way through my WIP list this year. I think I've whinged about not starting anything new for so long that there isn't a person left in the whole of blogland that doesn't know that. I started the year with 9 unfinished quilt projects and I've managed to whittle it down to just two. I'm feeling very virtuous and organised but oh so bored with the same old, same old. But the finish line of wipdom is in sight so my list this quarter is going to be short and sweet. 

1.Seville Quilt 

This vision of gorgeousness didn't quite get finished last quarter so I'm putting it on the list for a Q3 finish. Easy enough to do since I'm half way through finishing the binding. It almost feels like cheating putting it down as a goal, but meh ...I'm doing it anyway. 

2.Holiday Happy Quilt

Does anyone even remember this quilt? I started it at least two years ago and it's been sitting waiting in a box to be finished ever since my initial excitement. I bought it as a kit because I wanted something I could use during the Christmas holidays and every traditional Christmas quilt I've ever attempted has turned into a hot mess. To be honest - I think I hate this too. Maybe I'm just a Grinch when it comes to Christmas? But finished it will be - and if I still hate it - I can donate it or give it away to someone.

3.Moroccan Tile Quilt

I've got as far as cutting the first block. That makes this an official project under Katy's rules. I'm really looking forward to working on this quilt - I fell in love when I saw the pattern for the first time and didn't think twice about buying it. Let's hope I keep loving it as I work through the pattern! Yes- I'm using an actual pattern which in itself is fraught with danger since they always seem to be written in Chinese. 

4. Cushion Cover

I rescued this from my parents garage sale a month ago. Originally it looked like this...

and now it looks like this (actually it looks cleaner than that - I washed it after I took the photo) 

 I have no idea what I'm going to do with it (applique peels,flowers,bunting  ..hell I don't know!)  but it's going to be a finish by the end of the quarter.

That's it - that's all I'm committing to until the end of September. But I have lots of ideas for other quilts germinating away in my brain and who knows - maybe I'll even manage to make a start on one or two others, that can appear on my FAL Q4 list. 

I started my Lucy Boston quilt last weekend but honestly I think that's going to be a long long long term project . Going by the length of time it took to finish my previous hand sewn projects  -I'm predicting Lucy Boston will appear on my list of 2016 finishes.

If you want to play along pop on over to the official FAL post at Katy's by hitting this link. 

Finish Along-Quarter 2 List

Dear Blog Buddies, 

I apologise in advance for assaulting your eyeballs with the same unfinished quilts that you've already seen approximately a million times before and further inane chatter about how I really WILL finish them this quarter. 

If I had been more organised in the first quarter of this little linky party you may have had the pleasure of seeing at least one or two projects that hadn't been the subject of umpteen million previous blog posts. I started the year with the best of intentions to finish a goodly chunk of the projects on my WIP list before I started anything new, and while I've resisted the urge to start any aforementioned new projects it appears my will to finish the remaining WIPS has fled along with just a teeny bit more of my sanity. 

When I wrote my list for the first Quarter of 2014 , I was clearly delirious because I put 7 projects on it. I'm going to get a bit more sensible for Quarter 2 and make a list that is rooted in some form of reality. Football season has recommenced Down Under so I am officially a sport widow until Grand Final Day (late September in case you were wanting to book tickets- my team won't be there based on what I've seen so far this season)and since I find no pleasure in watching 8 matches of football over the weekend(and listening to Mr. P's armchair umpiring antics) this is the start of prime quilting season for yours truly. 

So here is my list for the second quarter....

Project 1 - Dresden Quilt.  If this isn't finished by the end of the quarter I'll strip naked and walk down Rundle Mall wearing only a feather boa. 

Project 2 -Hexie Flower Garden. I'm not making any promises about getting naked if this isn't finished because its being quilted by a friend who would hold up the process just to make me follow through ... 

Project 3- Stupid Triangles. Our wonderful hostess Katy has suggested I give this away to some other poor unsuspecting sucker.  My return suggestion was that I use it as a firestarter for a bonfire in the back yard. Mmmmmmmmmm...better not. I'm going to finish this one if it kills me because I don't intend to ever make a triangle quilt again. 

Project 4 - Seville Quilt. 31 peels left to go ...then I have to sew it together, baste it, quilt it and put the binding on. What could possibly go wrong?  

Stick around for tears, tantrums and lots of whining !