week 01

jan 1 to 7

Welcome to week one. This week I am planning the following items for my YotQ activity.


Be a Maker:

The pattern I've chosen for this month is from Issue 4 of Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine. It is called Flutter by Butterfly by Maureen Crackneil. This quilt was the cover that month and featured fabrics by Anna Maria Horner and Valori Wells.

Image from Love Patchwork and Quilting. All Rights Reserved.

Use the Stash:

I have a box set of FQ, I believe they are the Denise Schmidt solids, that I use for everything that needs a pop of color. I am going to use those for my background fabrics. Instead of butterflies I am going to use, well, whatever I can find that I have enough of. I might dive into my Tula Pink collection and fussy cut animals from her fabrics or maybe use up the considerable amount of Cotton & Steel I've amassed. I also have the Lizzy House collection with unicorns in a FQ set, so I might go that route.

Practice my Craft:

This quilt is pieced with solids and fussy cut squares. It's also got a bit of applique on the top. I taught myself to quilt long ago using a book I bought at a store that used to be here in Denver. Two years ago this coming March I took a class by the amazing Carolyn Friedlander and learned her technique for hand applique. It's one of the best classes I've ever taken.

Another way I want to practice my craft is writing patterns. I am setting a goal for myself to publish one per month this year. I have a few surprises planned and one major cool deal in the works for March, but I really want to flesh out my design page on Craftsy and get some of these ideas onto paper to share.

Also this week:

Gnome Angel is doing a weekly sew along for The Quilter's Planner by Stephanie Palmer, Ph.D. I had not planned to do this, but since I did buy the planner to keep track of myself in my quilting life, I figured I'd join in.

On Wednesdays I will be cutting the blocks during nap time then in the evening, once all extracurricular activities are complete and successful bed-time is achieved, I'll sew. Look for pictures of the blocks at the end of these posts or on Instagram.

I am determined to finish WiPs this year and first up is my brother's t-shirt quilt. This monster project has been in my to do list since I was pregnant in 2007! That's right, it'll be 10 years old this coming summer. It is BEYOND time to finish this thing and send it to it's rightful owner.

There are also other sew alongs I participated in last year (and the year before) that I didn't finish. I might do a block here and there from these and try to finish them up. I want to limit the amount of tangents I take in my planning but also leave some space to play. The last thing I want is this to feel like a job and lose my love for it all.


Later this month:

Sarah Fielke is doing a BOM called Down the Rabbit Hole. The monthly instructions are being released at the end of each month, so this will be a more prominent item in my planning of February.

On to week two...