This post is a bit late, considering it’s almost February already, but I feel the need to post it in order to make it real versus just something floating around in my head. I have several Quilty goals for 2015, and my hope is that I keep up with them via this blog.

1) Whip my WIPS – I have an absurd amount of WIP’s for someone who has only been quilting for 3ish years. My goal in the next month or so is to add a section on my blog with various WIPs I plan to finish and what the status is. I’ve already started on this goal, having quilted a quilt top this past weekend that had been sitting on my shelf, pieced, for two years. Tommorow I’m turning the quilt top pictured below (I need a bigger design wall!) in to my long-armer to finish, that has also been sitting around since the last Quiltcon. I finally got the queen size top together and the back pieced last night. Those two projects are just the tip of the ice berg! (Linking up to Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!)

2) Sew my Stash – Late last year I decided I need to come up with quilt patterns for the fabric I have, versus picking quilt patterns first and fabric second. I have so many lovely collections and it just makes no sense to just let them sit there. I don’t have enough will power to not buy more fabric, but I’ll feel less guilty if I also start using some of what I’ve got!

3) Learn how to hand-piece a quilt – This is a big one. I’ll post more about my inspiration and plans later. Ultimately, I want to spend 15 minutes a day hand sewing. I started an applique quilt two years ago that quickly got put aside for other quilty endeavors. In addition to continuing work on that quilt, my hope is to start a hand-pieced quilt that I will eventually hand-quilt. Wish me luck.

4) Document my Quilting Journey – I never really understood the need for labeling a quilt. I never considered my quilts heirloom quality, and I can’t imagine anyone caring 50 years from now who made a quilt of mine they might come across. Recently, the great Karen Kay Buckley visited the Austin Area Quilt Guild and one of her biggest regrets was not numbering her quilts. That’s when it hit me. Duh, label them and keep a record for ME. In 40 years I’m not going to be able to remember what order or year I made quilts, wouldn’t it be nice to have that on the quilt and perhaps in a book? So, this year I plan on making some custom labels on Spoonflower for all the quitls I’ve made, and start a book with details about the quilts. I figure I can get custom labels printed a couple times a year. Originally I thought of my blog as the way I’d keep track, but with all the custom printing out there, I just think it would be super fun to have a book with all the details.

Ok, those are my goals! Now for some photos. In line with goal #2: sewing my stash, here are a few photos of a Koala block I designed. I whipped up a few practice blocks in various sizes, and then set my sights on my solids stash to make a larger quilt. The blocks are all pieced, but I’m debating sashing. I’m planning on using buttons for eyes once it is all quilted. Koalas are my favorite animal, so it seemed only natural that I’d design a block displaying their cuteness. When I was a kid, there was nothing more offensive to me than when someone called a koala a bear. I would matter-of-factly point out to the person who made the egregious error, “Koalas are NOT bears, they are marsupials.” Whether or not you call them bears, I hope you like my block.

Piece Out~

Corinne