Sewing Goals for 2014

Good grief, two posts in one day.  And I know, I know...the LENGTH of that last one.  Should be in the Guinness Book of World Records.

So I have a plan for 2014 for sewing!!  I have never done this before.  I think I owe it to writing this blog, as well as to following several other quilters' blogs, and seeing what they write about.  This has been percolating on the back burner of my melon over the past few days.  It is my very own idea; I did not read this one anywhere!  Do I care if someone else copies it?  Absolutely not for one nanosecond.

In view of the Modern Quilts movement that I have discovered during the latter half of 2013, I have decided to go back through my many years of American Patchwork & Quilting magazines (ahem, I believe I became a subscriber in... maybe 1999, maybe 98).  I plan to choose one project from each year and recreate it with a modern theme.  I'm not exactly sure how I will do this, but I do have some thoughts:  quilt the snot out of whatever it is; use out-of-my-comfort-zone brighter colours; simplify the pattern; incorporate some grey (I am not a fan of that colour); vary the projects; stick to my stash (as much as possible- - in view of the grey component, I might have to buy a little).  That's as far as I've got.

This will have some goals (remember, I like order and organization so I feel like I'm going in a planned direction, accomplishing something).
1.  Reuse
I'm reusing my magazines that are so nicely organized in their magazine holders, potential patterns carefully marked with pretty-coloured markers.  Get them out of there!  Put them to use!  (Not that I haven't over the years; quite the contrary; I've made lots of projects and even sent AP&Q a couple of photos, which they did not publish, sniff, but I'm over it.)
2.  Use
I'm USING fabric I've had.  For years.  Do I dare type it?  Okay.  Decades.
3.  Challenge
I think my creativity will be challenged as well as my comfort zone as far as colour, and choice of project, if I cannot just make a quilt each time.  The deadline itself will be a challenge!
4.  Deadline
I plan to make 6 projects over the course of 2014.  I'd originally thought one per month, but that is a little tough, since I know unexpected projects do arise, as well as for the first four months of 2014, I will be here in our condo, away from my stash of fabric and magazines.
5.  Design
I keep wanting, trying, to design my very own pattern.  Although I have started with someone else's pattern several times, and modified it, I have not, to my knowledge, designed a quilt 100% out of my head.  That does bear some reflection, however.

Ha, who knows, when (notice I wrote when) I send in some pictures and tell them what I did, maybe AP&Q will publish me!  However, that is not a goal.

And my second plan for 2014 is to choose a Quiltalong project from one of my online blogs, and follow along throughout the year.  I plan to still do Christa's Modern Trees (but that is a secondary plan, an "I hope to" plan).  I probably will do one of Leah's quilts, as I'd like to give back to her for all she's done, and continues to do, for free.  I think her Winter Wonderland Quilt would be a good challenge.  I'd like to support her new one for 2014, Building Blocks Beginner Quilt, but I think it would be too simplistic for me, as I have quilted on my Bernina, and before that, on my Elna, so for 14 years on a DSM.  I don't think this new one would be so adaptable to my Avanté.

And lest I forget, I do have my guild's Self Round Robin to continue.  I am behind on that, but never fear, it is on the list of 26 Projects!

So there you have it.  Time to get off here and finish the final quilt top for 2013, so I can post a third post of the day!!  My Quilts of 2013 post is already underway....