The Year Review

This year I made...
1. iPad case
2. Catnap dress contest
3. Square Toddler Floor Cushion
4. Pillowcase Dress
5. Purse
6. Cushion
7. Hexagon bag
8. Project bag
9. iPad mini case
10. Skinny Pincushion
11. MapleO
12. Teddy Bed Mini quilt

13. Magic wand

14. Wedding Quilt
15. Advent calendar

Not bad! Fifteen things! I am amazed at myself. The year of the small project has been a success. I have really enjoyed it, especially as some things only took a few hours to make. The cushions and the wand were probably the quickest. Makes me realise I could have gone that extra mile and finished them off a bit more professionally. Next time...

So 2014 has been a good year for making things. Mostly I've kept to my resolution of making small things - no big quilts. On reflection I think I won't be making many more clothes for Penelope. It's just very expensive and they are too short lived. I prefer things which last forever. Plus she's really not girlie enough for most of the dresses. She needs maximum manoeuvrability. She is basically a cross between a dog and a monkey, either running or climbing. I might make her some legging type things when I see cheap jersey but that's all I have planned. The other dresses on my project list are on hold.

I think the big success for Penelope was the simple cushion. It is now Penelope's chill out cushion, she will accept no other. Occaisonally she will now lie on the sofa and submit to watching the TV, usually the first 10 minutes of Frozen or The Wiggles, that's about it. It is a glorious 10 minutes though. 

The MapleO is my biggest endeavour and most favourite thing. I love looking at it. I love the fabric combinations. I want to make another even though I already have one. I would like to make something else with the same fabrics. I don't have much left though so it would be pretty small. I realise I am a bit rubbish at generating my own ideas, I just copy other people's. Sorry guys. I just fall in love with things and when I try and make my own I fail somehow and they just aren't very nice in the end. I need to take some risks though and give it a go. 

New projects for 2015

Jay/Ray/Annie quiltalong - Roll up roll up! If you fancy joining us as we make the Jitterbug quilt from this book then check out my next post all about the quilt we are going to make. It's a biggun as well. You just need to buy the book so you have the pattern and we can all get going.

Miniquilts - I want to make some small ones for ipads and phones to rest on.

Posie improv quilt - another big project I have been putting off so we'll see if it comes up this year. I'd like to do it though as I don't think it will take too long and I have so much fabric set aside for it that I can't use it for anything else. So even if I just make the top, that would be something.

Triangle quilt - I'd like to make something from my own design. This is me giving it a go! A kind of sampler quilt of different sized blocks. I am thinking about it. I need to be brave!
Liberty ninepatch - A good use of my Liberty bits and I have some nice grey or green fabric for the skip blocks. I have the book 'Liberty Love' so I am all ready to go.
Maggie Rabbit - Penelope loves the one Rachel made her. My pieces are all cut and just sitting around so I just need to sort them out and get going.
More purses with zips - I love project bags. This is my next one.
Tova tunic - I just need to find the perfect fabric that I will wear. It also needs to fit well and not look like a sack. Rachel has bought the pattern but it only goes up to a size 12 so I need to get down to a size 12 first! I like this fabric or something plain and soft like Chambray with neon pockets like these

Projects for some time this decade

Clam shell quilt - I bought some mini templates from Birmingham. I might make a small bag. It's all a bit vague though, so maybe not this year.

Knitted handwarmers - I got given a book of patterns at Christmas and they look small enough for my attention span. I got given some tokens for my 40th which I plan to buy some Hiya Hiya sharp circular  needles with so I might make a pair of wristwarmers my first project. More in a later post.

Hunter's star mini quilt - Mum bought me this pattern from Birmingham.
Log cabin sewing kit - Another present from mum. She needs to teach me foundation piecing first.
Supertote - I am still hunting for the perfect fabric so maybe not this year.
Irish chain quilt - Another use for all my Liberty bits. I just love it. But maybe not for this year.

Projects which need completing
One inch Hexagon Purse - I just need to line and finish this but now I have lost the snap opener. I need to do a bit of a tidy up first
Postage Stamp - This is my first project of the year to attack. I am going to lay it out and baste it in Penelope's room this Friday hopefully. Then I can sit on the sofa hand quilting it in the evenings. Perfect. Mumple gave me lots of new Wonderclips so I am all ready to go!
Sawtooth Star Quilt - It's still too big to think about.

Resolutions from last year
To use up scraps
To not buy new fabric unless it's for something specific
To make time for sewing
To do more knitting specially a pair of socks!

I failed on the knitting but otherwise I did pretty well. I'm really getting into using scraps so I'd like to keep this up. I also did really well with my project notebook, making five of the thirty projects listed. It's been a really useful tool for seeing what I have and what I need in order to start a project. It means I can amass things slowly as I see them. So hopefully I can do more of them this year as most are very small and don't take long at all. There are a few big ones in there though which I should probably shelve for a while as I lack the funds to complete them. I did buy quite a lot from Birmingham this year with the last of my savings so with this in mind...

Resolutions for 2015

Use up all the fabric I bought from Birmingham

Use scraps

Make small things from my project notebook

To finish things and not have piles of projects lying around

Make more time for sewing (luckily Penelope hates homemade food at the moment so there is more time these days)

Try to knit a bit

Try to crochet a bit

Learn to foundation piece

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