2016: The Plan

I've never been much of one for planning what quilts to make. But now that I have a "real" job, I realize I will need to schedule my sewing time!

So here's what I've done. First, I pulled out the UFOs I want to finish this year. I listed them on my whiteboard:

more or less in the order I intend to finish them.

I arranged them on the cutting table and took a photo:

UFOs are projects that have been actually started -- not just cut, not put together as a "kit," but actually partially sewn. Sometimes mostly sewn.

Then, I pulled out the "kits" I want to sew this year.

Starting in the upper left, clockwise, are:

1. Jen Kingwell's "Gene Pool." A belated 25th Anniversary prezzie for my nephew and his wife.
   
2. Another Jen Kingwell pattern, "Stardust." Donna at Ruth's Stitchery cut a half-yard of the entire JK line for me, so I'd better sew it up!
   
3. Carolyn Friedlander fabric to make "Meter Maid" from Abbey Lane Quilts.
   
4. Tula Pink "Fox Field" mystery from 2011. I forgot I had this until I went stash-diving, looking for quilt backs.
   
5. Denyse Schmidt pattern. Included here to remind me that I have an enormous stash of DS fabrics, and I want to make something with it!
   
6. Fab Five kit of an early Sweetwater fabric line, "Sunkissed." My favorite Sweetwater collection. Plus, Abbey Lane introduced a new ruler to make the Fab Five quilt even easier.

Not included in the photo, but scheduled for 2016:

1. Kansas Connections by Mary Ellen Hopkins. A really old kit (it's been in the UFO Challenge bin for at least three years!)
   
2. Batik "Run With Rectangles" kit from Granny's Attic in McCall, Idaho. I love Lori's kits, because they're already cut and ready to sew!
   
3. Two "Lover's Lane" by Villa Rosa Designs lap quilt kits. three fabrics, one afternoon, and they're done!

Plus three more kits to select at a later date from my extensive collection of kits!

Because so many Blocks of the Month (BoMs) wind up in the UFO bin, I'm only allowing myself to start one (1, that's ONE!) BoM this year. It will be "Park Bench" by Jaybird Quilts. The fabric in the kit is "Botanics" by Carolyn Friedlander. This quilt will also be Second WEdnesday block party at Ruth's Stitchery.

I have two other BoMs still on the BoM list, Jackie Robinson's "3D Patchwork" and Marti Michell's "Bordered Rows."

Add to this the twelve Jelly Roll Party samples, and I have scheduled 36 quilts for 2016! I'll share the Jelly Roll pattern list on Friday, January 8, when I share the first JRP sample of the year.

No pressure!

From the desk of your