Creative Juices Project #1

I managed to finish hooking my chairpad/table mat in only a couple of evenings. I still need to steam it and finish the edge, but I'm excited that I finished the hooking so quickly. I'm already thinking about another diversion - this one a bit larger. I know I shouldn't, but it is oh so tempting!!!

Sidetracked...

I'm deviating from the plan already! I went to a "Creative Juices" class on Monday at Nola's studio. The project-of-the-month was a hexagon chair pad. We brainstormed different ways one might fill a hexagon, including diamonds ("lonestar" look) and tumbling blocks. I like the idea of hooking log cabin squares in tumbling blocks, but doing it as a chair pad would be a bit tedious. I decided to follow Nola's original plan and use the diamonds for my project. I chose a seven shades of blue/teal for my color pallete. I got a pretty good start on it on Monday, and spent several hours last night and tonight filling in the diamonds. I had hoped to knock it out this weekend, but that's probably not going to happen. Between the Creative Juices classes Nola is planning, my upcoming camp, the Anita White class, and another rug Nola is teaching that I fell in love with, I think it is safe to say that I am not going to get my original list of rugs done this year!

First Finish!

I actually managed to finish my first project of the new year! Of course, it was mostly finished in December (or perhaps November?) , but I needed to finish sewing the binding tape down. It doesn't have a label, but I'm still counting it!

Facing Reality

So, it's time to face the fact that I've fallen short of the first goal I set for 2009. Only one day left before the "Creative Juices" class and I haven't finished stitching tape on the basket rug or even come close to finishing the Illinois rug! I have been working on the Illinois rug up until last night, but I'm only about two-thirds of the way done. The method I am using to hook the sky really slows me down.

I've decided to switch over to the Fraktur rug for a while I'm less than half way done with that one. The teacher of that class, Susan Feller, contacted us to ask for photos of finished projects for possible inclusion in an upcoming book. I'd love to be able to finish in time for possible consideration. I think it means having it done within the next month or so.

I have been working on my Faceted Jewels quilt and am making headway on that project. I am hoping to have that one completed, including quilting, in time for the quilt show. Hopefully I will be able to list it as my first completion for 2009.

I did manage to add another project to my ever-growing wish list yesterday - an X-block project. One of the demo-day teachers at the LQS had made up the "Venetian Tiles" pattern with horizontal black "lines" instead of the vertical light lines shown on the pattern cover. She had used scraps of reds, blues, golds, and greens for the colors in the quilt, keeping them all together in each block. Hard to describe, but really striking. I may use this for my retreat project at the end of February. Of course, that would mean taking one of the others off the list. Hmmm....decisions, decisions!

Back to Work...Sigh!

It was difficult to get back in the work groove this morning. I was rather enjoying my temporary life of leisure. I spent a little time working on my Faceted Jewels quilt project yesterday and again after work tonight, and also worked on the Illinois rug both days. I'm actually progressing pretty quickly on the Illinois rug. Not so on the Faceted Jewels quilt. There's a lot to that project! I need to do a better job of taking notes when I stop working on it for a while. Every time I pick it back up I have to spend a half hour trying to figure out where I left off.

I'll have to try out the new camera and post a picture of my works-in-progress in the next couple of days. My short-term goal is to complete hooking the Illinois rug and finish sewing down the binding tape on the basket rug BEFORE I take Nola's "Creative Juices" class on January 19. It would be very exciting to complete two UFOs before the end of January - what a great way to start the year!

My List for 2009

I'm trying something new for 2009 - working to focus my efforts on a select group of projects in an attempt to see them through to completion. I have to have variety - no way I can limit myself to one quilt and one rug at a time, and absolutely no way can I avoid starting new projects until others are finished. Instead, I have come up with my "top 10" quilts and "top 5" rugs to focus on in 2009:

Top Ten Quilt Projects

1. Applique Affair BOM
2. Elegant Garden
3. Joy's Garden
4. Feathered Friends
5. Sweet Annies' BOM
6. Tile Tango I & II
7. Faceted Jewels
8. Holiday Sampler
9. Disappearing Nine Patch (batiks)
10. Dear Jane

Top Five Rug Projects

1. Baskets
2. Illinois Postcard
3. Fraktur
4. Jumbo Star
5. Paisley

I may start another BOM next week, and if so will have to eliminate one of the listed projects to accomodate it. As a project is completed, it can be replaced with another. If nothing else, it should be fun to track progress over the year and see where my time goes...