Final Clearance!

Ahhh, December is here and that means it's that time again --- to work on the projects I'd like to try to finish before the year ends.  In the past I've joined Year-End Finish Alongs and did manage to get some things done through them.  This time I'm going to try to go the low-pressure route and just do my own personal challenge.  In the last two years I've gotten a lot of long overdue projects finished as well as a good number of projects completed this year so whatever gets done is a bonus at this point.

I haven't been able to sew at all in the last two months.  I've been busy managing a fundraising campaign for my son's high school and then had to add to that all the clean up, set up and hosting duties for Thanksgiving for my family this year.  I had figured it would be hard to make time to quilt and unfortunately I was proved right!!

But now with the campaign almost done, the holiday now past and the year end upon us, it's time to challenge myself to clear out a few more projects in order to take as few UFOs and PIGS (Projects In a Grocery Sack) into the next year as possible. As usual, this is no small task!  In preparation for the holiday, I had to clean out all the bins, boxes and bags under and around my cutting table since my "Quilt Studio" is in my dining room.  When done, I was left with a fairly large pile of stuff (for now, all piled up in my bedroom).

My flimsy piles have also grown - particularly with the last tops produced for my Civil War Series.  Once I get them all quilted, I then need to finish the display I have planned for them.

 

There is also the Autumn Double Wedding Ring quilt that was supposed to have already been a completed top by now.  Can it leave 2014 either as a flimsie or dare I hope, even a finished quilt?

 

 

I also need to make a baby quilt for a friend's daughter who gave birth just before Halloween.  I've already chosen one of the designs from this book (which I got introduced to through a recent post from Martingale's "Stitch This!" blog)  but it won't necessarily be in these fabrics.  This past year, I had collected a lot of baby quilt fabrics as I went through my stash or caught them on sale.  My plan was to make some quilts to donate, so maybe now's the time to clear out all that too.

Then there are a few new Christmas holiday projects I want to make for decorating this year.

As always, my plans are ambitious to say the least -- but doable?  Well that remains to be seen!  The goal for right now is to try to sew a little each day and see just how much I can get done as the year winds down.  When the fundraising campaign is over in two weeks, I am also looking forward to having a two week block of time (through to New Year's) for a personal "Quilt-A-Thon".  I get excited every time I think about the prospect of being able to devote time completely to quilting!

However, the next post will be about the first "Final Clearance" project:  something quilt-related but not a quilt.  Stay tuned!!