February 1: Motivation

In May, we will be moving back to South Dakota.  We came to Vermont for the year with the truck and trailer.  All of our other things are in storage.  Since we arrived, we have accumulated a few things, but most of it is furniture that Kevin has built and will be building this semester.  Therefore, we have to consider how we are going to get it back to SD without hiring a moving van.  The opportunity to take a truckload has presented itself in March when we are attending a wedding and doing our house hunting.  We will scale back with things and move most of my quilting studio to SD storage then.  THAT IS MY MOTIVATION  TO FINISH THINGS!!!
Adding to the challenge is the fact that I love to be a little spur-of-the-moment when my creative juices are flowing, so I will have fight temptation to sneak other projects in as well. Therefore, last night I made the February Craftsy Blocks of the Month and will finish piecing Jim's quilt today so that I can quilt it this week and set it aside to do the hand stitching of the binding whenever an evening presents itself.
I have not touched my stash to figure out what UFOs I am going to keep with me when all the rest of my sewing supplies move back to SD for storage, but I did let Deb help me decide between the batiks and the Hop quilt. I will keep the batiks here. I am also going to keep my strings and complete the 48 block HeartStrings challenge. That leaves me two or three others I can choose, and I am narrowing them down in my head. Jamie's Christmas BOM and a fat quarter sampler are major contenders.  I will also have my travel quilt in the frame for hand quilting.  So don't be sad for me.  I will still have plenty of fabric to touch.
The big quilt I have planned for this month will be started this afternoon.  The fabrics are purchased and washed and waiting for my rotary blade.  Today is the day that I begin cutting out Amanda and Kyle's wedding quilt.  Their invitation arrived yesterday, so it seems fitting.  Over the next few weeks I will probably mention this quilt often, but it is a gift so the final quilt photos will have to wait until mid March.  They know they are getting a queen sized quilt and that it will be made in batiks, but that is about all.  Since neither of them know a great deal about quilts, I can say that it is made up of HSTs and rectangles, but that is all.
My biggest challenge is making this quilt top in two weeks so that I will have time to quilt and bind it.  Remember, my longarm is being packed away at the end of the month for its trip to storage in my sister's basement for 3-4 months.  I should not even feel sad about this considering that originally it was not even coming to Vermont for the year, but I do spend a lot of time with it!!!!!!

Guess I better get crack-a-lacking and see what I can accomplish today.