Friday, January 4, 2019

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!


27 comments:

  1. There are some lovely quilts in those photos! My goal for the year is to finish one quilt (I'm a beginner).

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  2. You have done a wonderful job this year of filling our hearts with quilty joy. Nice to see everything in one place. Just so fun!

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  3. that is a lot of quilts that you have given away and I know one day I will be doing the same as I have been gathering them up and I can't stand to part with many but one day -- you have a lot of beautiful colorful quilts and I always love looking to see what you are up to next!

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  4. I never thought of it before but you are right. Each quilter's page of finishes speaks of them, like a finger print. I enjoyed seeing your year. Some really great quilts here.

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  5. Lots of lovely quilts, and heaps of inspiration! So nice to see them all together.

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  6. You accomplish a lot in a year. Gorgeous, beautiful quilts!

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  7. So many lovely ones. I especially like the medallions and have decided I must make one this year. Thanks for the inspiration and fun.

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  8. Love the pictures of all the finished quilts. They are beautifull and as always I'm looking forward to everything that is coming. Warm greetings

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  9. Wow! Each of your quilts speaks of your creativity...bravo!!

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  10. I could definitely sense your quilting voice - it gets into everything you do, even if it's just a whisper!

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  11. What a beautiful parade of your work Audrey - nothing shy about your quilting voice. And it was fun to read how much you are loving Quilty 365. There are some quilts that we just really love snuggling under, aren't there?

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  12. Wonderful finishes! It will be fun to watch what you work on throughout 2019.

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  13. Congratualtions on all your finishes!! You're inspiring me to finish more this year too.

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  14. I can see you in all the quilts you showed and finished last year. Even if the quilt has been in the corner growing old and moldy, your today's thumbprint is still pressed into it's design.

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  15. So many wonderful quilts in those photos - and I do so agree with your comment about seeing them all together and recognizing the voice of the maker. Here's to 2019 and more quality quilting time!

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  16. Nice to have a review of your gorgeous finishes Audrey! I can't wait to see what's next :-)

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  17. You offer me encouragement- they are all so beautiful and unique! Thank you for sharing!

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  18. You are amazing! Always love to see what you are creating! Whenever your blog posts pop up in my inbox, I get excited to see what you are doing! May 2019 be as beautiful, productive and fun! Hoping I'll get a few finishes this year!

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  19. Audrey, your many finishes are amazing. What a testimonial to the power of perseverance. I, too, find relaxation in hand quilting and love to do it in the evenings while I am pretending to watch TV with the Mr. Your quilts are varied, but they all say you made them. Nice work and congratulations on many finishes.

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  20. Wow!!! Congratulations on all your wonderful finishes - it's so good to see them all again in this one post. I shall have to come back again tomorrow and really spend time looking at each one.

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  21. You were on a mission! Nice job!

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  22. That is quite an accomplishment! It is good to reflect back on the year. You are so kind giving away those quilts too. I think it allows you to get going with the new ones. I hope 2019 brings lots of stitching! I love that hand stitched piece!!!

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  23. Phew! I am once again blown away! And all those donations. You are an inspiration! I'm happy to hear that you are sleeping under your Quilty 365. It is a happy one to wake up to! I gave mine to my niece for her wedding and she cried. That is always a good sign that someone loves what you have given them. I do hope you join Sujata in her sew-a-long. I am sooo tempted, but have too many commitments as it is. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  24. Hi
    I love your quilts, I love some of your colour combinations they really speak to me! I find your process quite intriguing and I always come away feeling inspired. I have started hand appliquéing big squashed circles this week. It’s really helping me pull out of a big craft slump and it’s making my heart feel calm and happy and I’m looking forward to making them into a quilt:) Thanks for sharing:)

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    1. Thank you! So glad you're finding some peace in a little hand applique. Funny that it really can make a difference to work slower for awhile! I can't seem to find your email, though I know I was able to once before in the past.

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  25. Another productive year, full of beautiful Audrey quilts. Even the ones you didn't love so much came to life when they were quilted. I can't wait to see what 2019 has in store.

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Thanks for visiting! I love getting comments and always try to respond via email. Please leave an email in the comment to ensure a return reply! {Many of you are popping up as Anonymous for some reason, so I have no idea who it is.} Regardless, I appreciate all the comments and read every single one.