January Progress on Several Projects

So here's my start to the latest AHIQ 'Red is a Neutral' challenge. I had a stack of fabric already pre-selected for making a quilt for a certain someone. The red is not that gorgeous cherry red that looks so wonderful in most quilts, but most are the deeper, darker shades--more maroon. Very, very difficult for me to imagine working beautifully into a quilt, but exactly the shades this particular person prefers.

AHIQ: Red and U&U

I went ahead and combined the AHIQ prompt with the UANDUQAL challenge hoping to end up with something charming rather than flat out ugly! To further the challenge for me personally, I'm using the reds in the background {or neutral} position. I know it's confusing when you look at my practice block, but flip the colors and that's how it will look. All the lattice pieces will be blues and grays with maybe a few in a bright red fabric. Crossing my fingers it will be fast and easy and more importantly, look amazing. hehe  Well, maybe just look good. I have another idea for U&U challenge that feels more 'me' and also, now that I'm thinking about red as a neutral? Lots of things to consider there...

You probably forgot all about these baskets, but I've also been plugging along with the applique work for a long time now. Just little bits of time here and there when I was in the mood. I am positive that there were four identical green print leaves at the beginning, but somewhere along the way, one leaf apparently went missing.

Sweet Tart Baskets

We searched high and low, but never did find it. And of course, as usually happens, that was the very last of that particular fabric so had to find a substitute! The green plaid actually makes me very happy as I always love incorporating plaids and directionals into every quilt possible.  Then, imagine my surprise and dismay when I realized that somehow I had miscalculated the amount needed for the chosen sashing print! If I had a brain, I'd probably take it out and play with it! The closest matching fabric to this one looked very yellow/green and sallow when placed side by side, thus the decision to go with the almost solid green. Some of you might have ditched the original sashing print altogether when coming up short, but I just couldn't. It's absolutely perfect for the look and feel that I was aiming for and that was that.

Working on the center of the quilt...

I did have to take some extra time considering and weighing my options for the little cornerstone squares. Black? Green? Are they needed on the corners? Is this going to look awkward moving forward? Lots of decisions to make and really, it's all about learning to trust our instincts and doing what feels right in the moment.

Another project that I've been playing with lately is my Bullseye Medallion. I've had this stack of fabric sitting on the counters for a very long time and was determined not to let it be one of those projects that never ever gets going.  This blend of colors is quite a bit different for me too, but you know how it is, when something quilty is loudly calling our names! 

Starting the centerpiece for the Bullseye Medallion

This is an idea I drew up after looking at an antique quilt several years ago. Since then, I've looked and looked for that particular quilt and cannot find a picture, so off I go with my own made-up version! I made the mistake of using a lighter weight fabric behind the red circle, but the color is exactly what I was looking for--a charcoal with a blue tinge. It actually does lay flat, contrary to what the picture shows, but I am going to have to be careful when I add the applique stitching. It probably doesn't help that I don't iron and starch to the nth degree and therefore ensure that all my projects are polished and fabulous looking when presented on the blog!

Auditioning a bird

Originally, I had thought to leave the center of the circle bare {like what I remember in the antique quilt}, but the more I considered, it just had to have a bird included. I drew several different options and wound up with something that felt okay. Not great but doable. Then, on impulse, I told my daughter what I wanted and asked her to draw some free hand birds too. After seeing her birds, it became apparent that what I wanted had to be shorter and 'chunkier' looking than what I had settled on as 'okay'. 

Looking at the paper bird folded

Rather than drawing a new bird, I just played around with folding the paper bird until it looked right in my minds eye. Wallah! Applique template all ready for business! After that it was a short time until all the rest fell into place. You can see that all the various parts and pieces are now cut out and waiting on applique stitching. Yes, the centerpiece does look a bit busy at the moment, but should look better after the seam allowance is turned under and out of the way. So funny how any and every idea is completely open to change at any particular phase in a quilt!

Add with applique pieces ready to stitch

And of course, now there is this circular cut-out from behind the applique. Hmm...  It is oh-so intriguing and I find myself very determined to find something interesting to do with it. I'm leaving it on the design wall for the moment just waiting to see if something will spark and yet another quilt will be in the making here shortly. Just can't resist these sorts of challenges!

So many possibilities!

Normally at least part of January is a slow time for us, but wowsers, it feels like we've been on a runaway train. Tonight is Senior Night for our youngest son in his varsity basketball season and later in the week we are having a very delayed 'Christmas' evening with my husbands mother. Sometime in the next month I have to get serious about making a baby quilt too as my next grandchild is due to arrive sometime in March! I have been longing for some quiet weeks but alas, it has not been on the agenda for us at all. Best to keep the applique bag prepped and ready to go and have the hand quilting hoop available at a moments notice....

Lots of Things Going On This Month

What have I been up to? Oh the list is so very long! For one thing thing, at the prompting of Ann, I attempted to clean up my blog. That resulted in having to eliminate a few widgets that I rather liked, such as 'LinkWithin', thumbnails at the bottom of each post to previous, but similar subject matter. I don't understand a lot of it, but don't want people to feel unsafe coming to my site.

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The Big Woven Basket quilt in the hoop....

I cleaned up some of the clutter, deciding to keep the 'Current Quilt in the Hoop' at the top of the sidebar. You've probably seen the progression of hand quilting projects there for years and years now. The latest quilt in the hoop happens to be 'Big Woven Basket'. It was one of those improv. projects that also sort of jumped into my Big Basket quilt series. I really love this one so was happy to get this one sandwiched and snug in the hoop awaiting quilting efforts.

Getting it ready for quilting

The hand quilting has been really sporadic on this one though, not an every night sort of thing like I expected. Sometimes I want to hand quilt so badly that's all the quilting that happens of an evening, but with other quilts, it's a different story. I've discovered that it's usually a stitching dilemma most of the time. Decisions, decision! If I can just push through, then it all gets sorted out and I'm back in the groove of wanting to stitch again.With a quilt like this, I often tend to get paralyzed at the thought of 'what' to stitch in those wide open borders. Stencils are just not my thing, so it can take me awhile to make up my mind how to address all that yawning emptiness. It's scary. That's where people can more readily see the stitching...

Always trying to figure out the game plan for stitching!

Being a new year, I've also been diligently trying to trim down the open ended quilt project list. How can I start all these new projects tantalizing me if I have oodles of old projects demanding my time and attention? One of the things that help to make certain projects drag on for so long is the addition of applique. Which is totally fine by me. There are always at least two or three {or more} projects that need applique attention around here and that is completely by design!

Quarter Circles sewn together

Eventually they all need some piecing work done on the machine though. This particular project was started with the leftover quarter circles cut from the back of another project. Rather than throwing them away, I saved them for a rainy day. In my original thinking, these blocks {after the spiky bits were added}, would have been left in the quarter circle presentation and simple joined together in rows. Then sometime during layout auditions, I absolutely fell in love with the look of four quarter circle blocks being joined together and making a sort of 'sun'.

Initial block layout

Okay. So off in that direction we went, having a grand old time. The reality was, unfortunately, that I wasn't truly happy with so much lightness glaring out at from what had become a busy, busy quilt. I played with all sorts of colors and ideas for sashing , alternate blocks,and/or applique in the centers. Finally, I settled on a cream/gray text fabric for the sashing and a basic dark fabric for the cornerstone squares. The text fabric was a last ditch effort to find something, anything and it worked because it adds whimsy, which I love. The center of the larger blocks took quite a bit more time and effort and in the end I just had to sleep on the idea one more night. The final solution just seemed way too easy, which always makes me nervous for some inexplicable reason.

Looking at the applique centers

Can you see that the circle applique is all the same fabric? The pink with white print really did the trick for me. And it's not a great fabric, just a basic two toned floral print! What's funny is that I pulled it directly out of the scrap bin totes, all that was left from the backing fabric on another quilt! Nothing else even came close to giving the feel that I was looking for. Okay then. All the circles were rough cut in different sizes and deliberately placed slightly off center. It's a really subtle thing from a distance, but really gives excellent feel-good vibes. Well, to those of us who like that sort of imperfection....

At least one thing about this project has remained constant from the beginning! Back in 2017, I saw a picture over at Kankerdoodle blog. At that moment, I knew the antique crows would be making their way into a quilt of mine at at later date! Isn't it funny the things that set off a spark of inspiration? I've been fiddling around with the parts and pieces, trying to expand the graphic out to a longer border look. Still have to get the bias stem sewn up of course, but I'm almost at the point of being able to situate the pieces and get them ready for the applique stitching.

Playing with the applique border parts and pieces for antique crows border

And last but not least has been the quilt room re-organization, de-clutter attempt. It started when I took an afternoon and pulled out a few small totes worth of scraps, thinking to use them in my string quilt blocks. The impulse was very strong to get rid of all the rest of the scraps--just toss them into the dumpster!

The larger scrap re-organization attempt....

Being a frugal soul, I resisted and delayed, thinking there had to be a better solution. Then one evening I read through Cheryl's 'KonMari Your Sewing Room Space'. I've heard lots about the book and recent show, but am not much of a trend follower honestly! Cheryl's blog though, is something I generally read. This post was very timely for me as it hit on several of the key things I had been struggling with. 

Getting things organized....

Although I do keep things fairly tidy {else I couldn't ever even function properly}, the scrap bin for sure had gotten completely out of control, my love of quilting books were crowding into every corner of my space and entirely too much 'stuff' had resulted in yes, a feeling of being flooded and overwhelmed.  Cheryl made the case that , 'We are sewers and quilters, arguably everything we have for creating sparks joy - eventually.'  That really made me think. She gets it, us, the whole creators extraordinaire! Maybe I should pay attention and see how it could apply to my lovely mess.

She started from a different angle altogether, and broke things down into simple categories. Then she lined out a plan of attack in a direct and no-nonsense way that totally made sense to me. And part of the good timing was that it happened during those days while I had such a bad head cold so didn't feel like doing much else. Otherwise, I might never have done anything but read through the post and think 'what a good idea that is, maybe I'll get to it sometime later in the year...'

The wall of totes between my sewing room
and my sons bedroom....

It took three very long days, but I went through every single drawer, tote and shelf except for the stash fabric itself. In the end, I tossed out three black garbage bags full of stuff and kept back one box of quilting books, patterns, blocks etc. to give to some quilting friends. I organized ALL of the scraps by color and put them into totes--something I've always scoffed at before. If they don't see a whole lot more use by being organized in this manner, then the goal is to eventually start tossing certain un-used colors at the time of cutting. I keep all the stash fabrics in opaque totes so that the sun doesn't bleach them, but the scraps were put into see-through totes. Hopefully this way they will catch my eye on occasion and inspire me to do a little bit of string play or whatever. It just feels weird to keep so many scraps, but I could NOT ditch them all, though I did dump more than you realize. Part of one black garbage bag was filled with scrap fabric. That's a start!

My quilting space feels so much better now. It's been needing this for several years now. I was brutal in throwing/giving away things that hadn't been looked at for a very long time {other than the scraps}. The books are down to two shelves and a small book caddy on my ironing counter. All the old thread has been discarded and the batting remnants organized by size into two totes or otherwise tossed. All the old applique templates {kept from every project ever attempted}, have been gone through and reduced to a small drawer full. I found things that I didn't even know were lurking in the corners of my quilt room! It felt good though I was exhausted every single evening after. 

The stash fabric itself is still up in the air. As long as it fits into the current totes I use, it feels okay. One of the things I love most about scrappy quilts and flying blindly through quilt making, is the idea that I can somehow manage to use a piece of unloved, deep in the stash totes kind of fabric and make them shine. Tossing every piece of stash fabric that is years old, an odd color or so-dated-as-to-be-ugly might take away from my joy. So I'm calling it good. Brushing my hands together in a 'project finished', 'putting it all behind me' sort of way. The lure of those new projects is starting to sound pretty irresistible....

Winner of the Giveaway and the first 2019 Finish!

First of all, the winner of the Strip Quilt Secrets giveaway is Kyle, who wrote, '...Don't know if I have a true favorite book, but I love looking at all the different states documentary quilt books.' As do I! So much inspiration in many of those books. Lots of ideas for further reading in all of the comments, so be sure and check them out too!

Looking at the stitching

My Rising Sun quilt has become the first 2019 quilt finish of the year! It was the one that kept me company late in the evenings, all through the holidays. As usual, the quilting is mostly echo style quilting with a little bit of grid work over the top of the appliqued vases. 

Rising Sun is a finish!

I machine stitched in-the-ditch between all the blocks and then put the quilt top in my hoop and started filling in the insides of the blocks with hand quilting. That little bit of 'stitch-in-the-ditch' work, prior to hand quilting, is something that I have started doing more of in the last couple years. Whether it saves me any time or not, it certainly feels like it does. Mind over matter. And we all know how important it is to have positive endorphins....

Still loving these folky vases!

I have been using Perle Cotton thread exclusively now for several years and will probably never go back to standard hand quilting thread. There is just too much joy in using #8 or #12 Perle Cotton thread. All the different color choices, including variegated threads.*swoon!  Plus, the texture from this slightly chunkier thread makes me all kinds of happy!

When the quilting makes it all look even better....

I ended up having to soak this quilt for most of two days because of a bad fabric bleed. It didn't even show in the water {just a light tinge}, but when I started to take the quilt out of the bathtub, I could see where the bleed had pooled at the back of the quilt. Only behind one vase and that fabric was a high-quality woven that should never have reacted that way! I'm telling you. This quilt top was put together a long time ago, but for the last year or so, I pre-soak every suspect fabric until all the water is clear as can be. This is getting tiresome.

It's big enough to use on a bed!

So I went ahead and soaked it overnight and then most of next day. Uggh.. I'm half regretting the remaining soak. Yes, the bleed disappeared from the back of the quilt, but unfortunately, some of it ended up migrating to the front of the block in three spots. Very, very annoying. THREE SPOTS! How does that happen? I soaked until the water ran clear for hours and then washed the quilt in the washer with lots of color catchers. They ended up with only the faintest tinge of pink, but I still have the slightest of bleeds in those three spots. They lightened considerable, but as they are a dark purple/red/blue dye, would never go entirely away. Maybe if there wasn't blue in the mix?

Some finishes just feel a little sweeter....

I made sure to not dry it fully in the dryer and so the next time I wash this quilt, it will probably be washed with Oxi-clean. That will be eons down the road though. For now I am done messing with it. Most people will never see the problem areas because they simply won't look hard enough! After a stint of brutal disappointment, I was able to shrug it off and go back to loving my quilt. This one was always meant for me anyway. It's been a bit of a problem child from the beginning, and I had great, enormous fun in fixing it so that it looks fabulous to me. 

The gold floral sashing fabric was won from a giveaway over at Barb's, and is the understudy star of the entire quilt. It simply wouldn't be the quilt it is, without that particular fabric! I want to put on record, that I'd still be tremendously nervous to make these sorts of rising star blocks again. They were very difficult to piece and that sort of complexity is just not my strong suit. Still....  even knowing that, I am extremely grateful to see this quilt laying here in front of me. Courage, my quilting friends. We're never going to get better if we don't even try!

Clearing the Old Adhoc. Improv. Projects Out of the Way

*Don't forget! There's still time to enter the Strip Quilt Secrets giveaway over at my last post!*  I really don't mind having a whole list of open-ended projects to work on. It keeps things interesting as I can feel free to work on whatever phase of a project that currently interests me, be it hand work, chain piecing, layout dilemmas, or perhaps the addition of a new border. It honestly works quite a bit better for my quilting mojo when I'm not dedicated to working on a single project until its finish.

Playing With Scale #2 a finished quilt top!

That being said, I often end up working on several different quilt 'series', throughout the length of a year or two. It's not like it's usually even on purpose, but after finishing up one quilt {or perhaps the new idea hits smack in the middle}, I'm eager to see how a certain element will look if I tweak it just a little or try a slightly different spin on things. This particular quilt came along as a companion idea to our Adhoc. Improv. playing with scale challenge. I ended up with a quilt top that was quite satisfying in terms of completing the challenge, but I just had this niggling feeling that the results had room for growth.

Improv. is something that I definitely feel more comfortable working though after this past several years of dipping my toes in the water, then trying to float, later on starting to learn how to tread water. But... {you knew there was going to be a 'but'}, I still have a long ways to go before it feels like second nature. It still stresses me just a little, and so I often drag my heels and easily allow myself to procrastinate on the follow through. And I wonder, so much of the improv. work I see online and from viewing major quilt show pictures feels a little bit cold. Maybe even a teensy bit harsh at times.

It took a couple hours worth of tinkering before
 the layout finally started coming together...

Please tell me I'm not wasting my time pursuing something that will only result in making my quilts look more 'modern or contemporary'! Don't misunderstand, some of that work is very compelling and I admire all the creativity involved in the making. A lot of it is just not my thing.  It doesn't resonate on a deep level. There's something about say, the QuiltCon style of quilts that feel especially chilly and there's sort of a implacability about them. I can't even explain. To put it bluntly, I usually like the QuiltCon rejections much better than the QuiltCon winners! Hmmm... That's an interesting thought. Oh well. I would sincerely love to go to a show someday and see if my reaction would be different in person, because it's obvious that a ton of people get very excited about these quilts! Maybe you have to be there to feel it. It's so painful that the Australian and French {Quiltmania} style of quilting are so underrepresented at shows here in the states. I have a feeling those sorts of quilts would be tremendously inspirational to someone like me!

My best inspiration overall, is in the vintage and antique style of quilts, preferably the softer, less perfect looking utility style of quilts. Those are the ones that invariably make emotion well up inside me and cause me to dream about making my own versions of what I've seen. If there are only five antique quilts mixed into the annual, regional quilt show, you better believe I've circled around to see them at least three or more times before I leave! If I see them in a book or a magazine or even online, I'm almost drooling over them. That's my lodestone if you will, and why I ever, ever even attempted to dive into the scary world of 'improv.'  Something had to give, 'cuz making straight-up traditional style quilts wasn't getting me where I ultimately needed and/or wanted to go.

The upper applique block is approximate 2" larger than
 the smaller one in the lower left corner of the quilt.

This particular quilt feels like a HUGE step in the right direction of somehow getting my quilting voice to speak louder than the fact that it's actually made in the improv. style. Yeah, yeah, I've heard you. I get it. Most of my quilting efforts do fall underneath the umbrella of  'improv.' {working in an unscripted manner and working successfully to resolve any/all issues that come up, etc. etc.}. I think you all know what I'm getting at though. If you type the words 'improv. quilts' into a search engine, there's a certain distinguishable style that immediately pops up. 

As you can see, this quilt is made up of many of the very same underlying elements today's improv. quilters rely on. Yet somehow, I ended up with a look/style that does actually resonate on a personal level! And so now I'm pondering. Is it the fabric print that makes the difference for me here? The color palette? Adding in a little bit of applique? A bit of vintage and up-cycled shirting fabric? All of these things, without a doubt, help make the quilt more appealing to me. Having those elements, alongside the improv. piecing, somehow makes it more snuggle-up lovable. I guess it's sort of a package deal in my world.

It's the best part of the quilt, those two applique additions...

So it's been a journey. If my quilts don't end up feeling cozy, whimsical, sweet, comforting, joyful, or perhaps even a little bit primitive and naive, then I feel bit lost and maybe even a lot disconnected. Feeling like I completed wasted my time and energies. Sometimes I win and yes, sometimes I lose, but I'm always, always, trying to move forward. Kaja and Ann have been a huge help with their Adhoc. Improv. linkups/blog and real efforts to support and nurture individual creativity and exploration of personal style. It's been great fun to ride along with them and see what new challenge they present next!

Although the rest of the quilt has its charms as well...

So Yay! for a complete win in the 'me quilt' category! Yay! for wrapping up another individual challenge! All that striving, practicing and sweating out the decision making part is finally starting to come together. Don't mind me. Mentally, I'm doing a little fist pump here. It's wonderful to have evidence that all the hard work in the trenches is starting to pay off.

Ultimately, every element seemed necessary to the
success of this particular quilt. Even the vintage
and shirting fabrics play an important part!

On a different note, I decided to throw in a couple more pictures of the Maps Challenge quilt. The color in the pictures from the other day were absolutely terrible. Ughh! I was in a hurry to get the post up, but later on, realized that all my blog records would forever be warped by those lousy pictures.

Adhoc. Improv. Maps Challenge quilt

Who was it that initially raised the bar for having Pinterest worthy quilt pictures anyway? Well, these are much better than before, but they would never qualify for 'Pinterest worthy' that's for sure! This quilt top had already been stuffed in a clear zip-bag and shoved into the quilt tops drawers. Did I iron it upon taking it out of the bag? Um..., no?

Still in love with the brown/white gingham fabric...

Really? The sun was shining and I had about 15 minutes before people were charging through the living room and making demands on my time. Would you have been ironing? Don't answer that.

It's simple, but it works for me

I picked off a lot of stray threads. Surely that counts for something. And you have to admit, now that you're seeing this quilt top in better lighting, it's starting to look a lot more attractive, in spite of its rumpled appearance.  I'm telling you, it looked amazing draped over my sons bed! Couldn't take a picture of that though as there were piles of clothes on the floor. Whatever. It feels good to be starting with a clean slate for the 2019 Adhoc. Improv. challenges and inadvertent detours!  Linking to Wendy's Peacock Party!

Day 6 of the Strip Quilt Secrets Blog Hop. You Could Win a Copy of This Book!

Woot! Woot! Diane Knott has a brand new book out and I think you're gonna want this one too! In her introductory she says, 'I want to make quilts that are comforting to look at as they are to use'. Oh yes, she's definitely speaking my language.

Reading through the book, I came upon several interesting tips on dealing with strip sets. Things that I always have problems with, like sub cutting the long strip sets. You know how they tend to get this slanted thing going on, and you always have to trim a little bit more to get those nice, sharp pieced units? She addresses that in a way that I can't wait to try out.

The true test of a good quilting book {to me} is when I find a quilt that resonates and suddenly I'm imagining it in fabrics that are already stashed away. I've been wanting to find a good 'chain' pattern and Shimmer really hits the high notes. You have to know that I'm already envisioning it with an appliqued border....

After dithering about color palettes and little details like that, I read a little deeper into the pattern. Hallelujah! She even has pressing instructions for all those strip sets! In the picture below, you can see that the arrows indicate proper pressing directions. Yep, I'm sold. So very frustrating to try and join multiple strips into something that looks good, when all your best efforts inadvertently end up causing stacked seams.

I tried not to veer too far off the pattern with this fabric selection pictured below. Really! So surprising as I usually upend the entire suggested pattern selection and practically stand it on its head. I ended up choosing lighter purples for the chains than what Diane chose, and then mixed up the value in the middle units a little bit more than what might be wise. Didn't choose as many bright and happy colors. My goal here is to create a fade-in, fade-out look with the lighter purple chains barely holding the line. I love that this pattern is so set, but you know me. Always having to take a risk somewhere to keep things extra interesting! We'll see if it works out, but regardless, the strips are cut out now. Guess that means I'm committed!

I also took a good hard look at the Fiesta quilt. Diane does such a fabulous job with value and her brighter, more cheerful quilts are, as always, especially inspiring. When you get a chance to flip through the book, you'll quickly realize that many of the quilts also come with pieced border instructions. Love that! Having collected many scrap quilting books throughout the years, I can tell you that this means that Diane has went the extra mile to make each quilt extra special.

You can also be sure that she is a true-blue, die hard, scrap quilter at heart, by the fact that she includes instructions for the quilt below. Be still my frugal, utility quilt loving heart! Made in different colors and older fabrics, it could very well have been made a hundred years ago! There are great directions for diving head first into your scrap bin and making use of all those little bitty castoffs. Not in the mood to spend much time pre-planning or cutting before getting started? This is your quilt!

Diane is giving away a Strip Quilt Secrets book at every single one of the Blog Hop sites, including this one! For a chance to win a copy of this book, just leave a comment below telling me what your very favorite quilt book is. {I don't care if it's already on your shelf or a new one that's currently just on your wish list, inquiring minds want to know!} And oh yeah, present book excluded as there's no doubt it's front and center in everyone's mind right about now!

I'll draw a winner on Monday, January 14th. Please leave an email within your comment if there's any chance you might be a no-reply commenter. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of postage, this giveaway is only open to US residents. For those of you unable to leave a comment, due to the vagaries of Blogger, you can drop me an email at audkateaster at gmail dot com. I'll make sure to include you in the drawing as well. Only one stop left after mine, so you'll want to be sure and check that out on Thursday! Let's give some love to Diane and have a whole bunch of comments for her to check out. You and I both know that she'll be reading each and every one.....!

Time to See All Those 2018 Finishes Together in One Post

Some years there are more finishes than others. The last two years have been especially good ones for bumping the oldest quilts off the list . It's often difficult to want to work on the oldy moldy quilt projects, but they never get any easier to work on by just ignoring them!

2018 Finishes

It's always great fun to slip a baby quilt or two into the mix and have a fast finish. And this year I even made an oversize doll quilt {hmm... is that actually a baby quilt too?}

2018 Finishes

As usual, I kept my hand quilting hoop busy all throughout the year {both of them, if you want to know the truth of it!}. It's become an oh-so-important part of my quilting journey and I can't even imagine life without that little bit of stitching time late in the evenings. Those peaceful, meditative hand quilting minutes have become something I unabashedly crave at times. It positively grounds me in the best way possible and dare I say, nourishes me as well.

2018 Finishes

The program used to group my picture collages didn't have a good 4-picture setting, so I put my Quilty 365 in two different groupings. It's been on our bed for quite awhile now. I adore waking up to it and then later in the day, snuggling back into bed with it once again. Move over husband dear, I got a good quilt now. lol  Sometimes I think that all my quilting years have led up to this one quilt, in terms of making a quilt that resonates on almost every single level.

2018 Finishes

Overall, I'm not sure how much these quilts represent 'me' as a whole--the way I've mixed up the old quilting projects with the new. It's something that I always find very interesting though, these end of the year quilt reviews. You pop over to someones page and in one click, get to see an entire lineup of the years finishes! What fascinates me the most, is the quilting voice that is always so immediately apparent! There's rarely any doubt whose quilt page you're viewing and that's the very best thing about this time of year. I bet most of us could look at any of these picture groupings and immediately tell what quilter made each of those quilts. Love that!

So now with the details: 2018 found me ending the year with 19 finishes again! That kind of suprised me as it didn't feel like so many. Yep, I was on a finishing mission once again. Trying to get some of those very old, not-as-interesting quilt tops out of my hair.*whew! It was very, extremely, tedious at times, I kid you not. Crossing my fingers things won't get quite that bogged down ever again! Want some year end statistics? I do like to keep track just for curiosities sake.

• 1 Doll quilt
• 2 Baby quilts
• 1 Comfort quilt
• 7 Lap quilts
• 8 Bed-sized quilts
• 6 quilts were completely hand quilted
• 9 quilts were a mix of machine and hand quilting
• 4 quilts were completely machine quilted

By the end of the year I had also given away 17 quilts, a mixture of new and old quilts. That was a little nerve-wracking at times. My family lives in dread that they'll wake up one morning and all our quilts will have been given away! hehe  One was given for a church raffle, for helping to make money to buy their building. Still waiting to see who winds up with that one as I do like to keep track of where my quilts end up!

Lots of ideas for the next year. Stacks of fabric that have been simmering on the counters for months and months and need a little bit of attention. Mostly I just intend to quilt the things that I find interesting without getting too far into the weeds with those pesky squirrels! There are 5 or 6 open-ended quilt projects that will hopefully get wrapped up and around and around we go. I loved diving into the orphan blocks totes and intend to try that some more of that. Adhoc. Improv. is definitely still a happening thing and umm..., there is a scrap bin monster that just has to be addressed soon. No ifs ands or buts about it! Taking up way too much room over there in the corner of my quilt room.*sigh Oh, and don't forget about those oh-so-tempting QAL's popping up all over blogland. Probably gonna join in on with the Unconventional & Unexpected one and also, Lori's String Quiltalong. Sounds like a good start to me!