Work in Progress Round Up and 2016 Goals

Welcome to the third annual Snippets of Sweetness Work in Progress Round-Up and New Year Goals post! At the start of each year, I like to reflect on my current pile of WIPs, as well as my goals for the coming year. This time last year, I had seven WIPs. This year, I have six. Here they are, for your reading and viewing pleasure:

Cuzco Days Quilt

I haven’t worked much on this quilt this year, although I have made progress. Last time I worked on it, I realized it needs more solid fabrics than I had set aside for it, so it has been pushed to the bottom of the WIP pile.

Christmas Scrap Quilt

Poor Christmas Scrap Quilt! It seems I only work on this one during Christmas break. This year, I sewed together all the segments for the next three rows. I really enjoyed working on it, but it lost its appeal as soon as the new year started.

Unvalentine Quilt

I started this quilt at the beginning of 2015. In preparation for Lee Heinrich’s Alternative Gridwork class at QuiltCon, I cut up a bunch of blocks I didn’t like, sewed them back together and got…more blocks I didn’t like. I finished the top during the class, and started quilting it once I returned home. The quilting wasn’t speaking to me, so I put it aside until I figure out how I want to quilt it.

Seattle Modern Quilt Guild 2015 Block of the Month Quilt

This is my current favorite WIP. However, I got stuck when I decided to replace one of the boards with hand appliqued circles a la Carolyn Friedlander’s Ariel Grove quilt. I really want to finish this one so that I can start the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild 2016 Block of the Month Quilt guilt free. I just need to set aside my crocheting and start hand sewing!

Scrap Vortex Quilt

I love this quilt, but a hot summer and nebulous pattern sidelined it before I could complete the top. I would love to finish it before this coming summer.

Four Patch Scrap Quilt

This quilt was started just before I learned about the Scrap Vortex sew along. I may cannibalize it to speed up my Scrap Vortex quilt.

Astute readers will notice that two of my WIPs from last year are not on this list, and have not been finished. The Low Volume Hexagons and Sashiko Waves projects are officially abandoned. I am trying to figure out if I should pass them along to someone else, or if they are destined for the trash. Either way, I have too many projects that I’m passionate about to spend any more time on projects that just don’t speak to me anymore.

2016 Goals

Last year, I had six really big goals. This year, I have one main goal for my creative pursuits: Spark Joy. Yes, I got that from the uber popular book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. In 2016, I want to focus on making room in my life for the things that truly bring me joy, and let go of the things that don’t. I’m purposefully not making more specific goals so that I can see where this new mindset takes me. This month, it means I’ve been binge sewing garments from my apparel sewing stash. Turning stashed fabrics into wearable garments has freed up a bit of space in my sewing nook and has lifted a weight from my shoulders and has brought me joy. Once I run out of steam (or fabric), I may finish a quilt, or start a new one for a friend. Who knows! What I do know if that I am looking forward to doing lots of sewing, quilting and crocheting this year.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.