A New Year with New Goals

Structure, organization... sorting, packing, purging...

We are finally ready to REMODEL the kitchen!
I have waited far too long and the excitement is a bit overshadowed presently by the prep work.
So my quilting time has been limited.

BUT

I have come to a realization at this, the start of the new year...

I have agreed to participate in both my modern quilt group & quilt shops block of the month.
Can I admit this out loud as a quilter? or will I be struck down by the Quilt Police?
Well, here goes...

I HATE BLOCKS OF THE MONTH!

There- I said it and my sewing room did not explode!
Perhaps it is the requirement to create someone else's pattern... or use their fabrics... or perhaps it is the commitment. But I think it is far more likely... I do not like to measure, cut, piece, and then figure out why my block fails to look like or measure as expected in block description. :(
I think that is why I am an art quilter. I can design my own quilt and do so as I see fit in my own timeframe. 
So... here it is: the January block for my modern quilt group. 
(It is actually a pattern from the block of the month shared by The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild)

 

I Tried & tried to get piece "E" to fit in the middle without its pucker. Eventually, I gave up and decided it was "good enough". Perhaps I will come back to it... but I doubt it.

I also needed to complete a challenge block for my guilds show. Since I am currently working on star blocks (I will get to that in a moment), I decided to use their fabrics for that. But when I was done... it was too small, so I added uneven borders. This morning I looked at it... I hate it :( So I will have to figure out how to alter it.

Any suggestions?

My other big commitment is for quiltcon. 
I registered for a class with Lee Heinrich called "Off The Grid: Working alternative layouts".  
I need 5-20 pre-made, completed blocks to be the main quilt design.
No big deal you are thinking?
Alas... I made it one anyway and decided to grab my bags of selvedges & make the fabric for the blocks.

I plan to use several different star designs.
I will post some blocks soon...

1/30/14
Update of Our guilds quilt show challenge block.
I recropped, used what little colored fabric I had left and pieced it. I am much happier with it now. TY for feedback

  

Goal Setting for the New Year

Goals for January: Planning for 2015 It's a new year with new goals & new projects. One of my goals will of course be to finish up the UFO's from 2014! But my primary quilting goal for January- is to remember my Girl Scout days & "be prepared". I ordered supplies for Quiltcon over the weekend. It is exciting to get in to the classes you eagerly register for, but so easy to forget all the prep work needed ahead of time. So... I reviewed my supply lists. OMG... What was I thinking??? One of my classes- Off the Grid: Creating Alternate Layouts with Lee Heinrich (requires 5-20 pieced quilt blocks)- so I am determined not to wait. For my Strings of Florid Blooms Double wedding ring workshop with Victoria Findlay Wolfe I need over 14 yards of varied fabrics for the front!!! 6 yards for background and 32 fat quarters. I tried to order her fabric color recommendations and each time the websites would run short. Finally, I lucked out & stumbled on a pack of 50 assorted solids fat quarters from Nancy's Notions. Though they are not the Kona cottons I am used to- I am trusting Nancy's reputation & their quality. My final workshop- Bias strip curves with Sherri Lynn Wood will require several more yards of fabric as well. That works out to over 25 yards of fabric- and that is just for 3 workshops! So, my first goal was to order all that fabric. My next is to get started on those quilt blocks for Off the Grid. Quiltcon is only 6 weeks away!