2022 - A Very Quilty Year

2022 has been a very quilty year!   I met almost all my goals, .....

..... finished nearly everything on my "Sew What" ("to do") list, .....

 

..... had seventeen finishes for the year, and completed my 400th quilt. 

I even made two Christmas gifts, which I haven't done in many, many (many!) years.  (That may be the most impressive thing of all!)

Tomorrow I'll set new goals and update my UFO list.  Happy New Year, everyone.  May all your quilty dreams come true!

An Early Finish - Safari Babies

I may have planned too easy a goal for November.  The Safari Babies quilt is already done!  I quilted it with a simple meander on my domestic machine and put on a bright binding for a fun finish.

 

Such cute safari babies!

I've already found some line drawings for another quilt like this one.  This time - underwater babies!

Linking up with So Scrappy, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and One Monthly Goal

November Goals

I've done well this year getting things checked off my 2022 "To Do" List but not so great at finishing things on the "UFO" List.  I have three donation quilts along with the backings and bindings made and ready to be finished.  One is from last year, so it needs to be done first.  I found the cutest little safari animals online last year, traced them onto unbleached muslin, and embroidered them, but that's as far as I got.  That's what happens when I just have to have some handwork to keep busy.  Things end up on the UFO list.  

I think they're pretty adorable.

Last week I pulled a bunch of 2.5" squares from my (incredibly organized) stash and started sewing them together to come up with this -

 

Getting this done and checked off the list is my November goal.  If i can finish a couple of other WIPs (Works in Progress) and keep them from ending up on the UFO list at the end of the year, that will be a bonus! 

Linking up with One Monthly Goal

RSC-Purple Goal and OMG Goal Met

I was so busy sewing in July that I forgot to blog!  I set my goals for the month and posted them on the 5th, forgot all about blogging, and got to work.  I managed to dig up a few more purples for RSC2022 by looking through my Asian prints.  There weren't many there either, but my Sawtooth Star and Windmill blocks are done as are the 60 brick blocks.

My One Monthly Goal for July was to finish the One Block Wonder that has been on my UFO list for a while.  And I did it!  I had already quilted the center.

The hexies I'd started quilting in the borders looked better as tumbling blocks, so that happened.

It's quilted, bound, and washed.

The main thing I learned from this project is that even though I like the look of big-stitch quilting, I hate doing it.  I'm really over it.  

I do love this finish.  I'm not sure where it will end up, though.  It's a little small for a snuggle quilt unless I can find someone pretty short to give it to.  Hmmm, now that I think about it, I just might have someone in mind.

Linking up with So Scrappy

July Goals

Since I accomplished my June goals, after failing to do much at all in April and May, I think I might have enough mojo now to set my goals for July.   

I started on a One Block Wonder in September of 2019.  Yikes!  That's embarrassing.   Okay, it needs to come off the UFO list soon for sure!   I started quilting it around then, but got discouraged shortly after that (with Covid and life, not just with quilting) and set it aside.  I had quilted all the blocks in the center of the quilt but not the borders.

It is definitely time to finish it.  Hubby made a template for me to match the shape of the six inch hexagons.  (I tried, but mine was wonky!)  So far, I've stitched a few hexagons in the border, but it's going to need something else.  

I'm kind of figuring it out as I go.  I need to figure fast, though, because finishing this quilt is my July One Monthly Goal.  

Another goal for this month is to get my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks made using this month's color - purple.  This is definitely going to be fun since THIS is my purple stash .....

.....  all of it!

And this is everything from my juvenile/novelty prints that has any purple at all in it.

So.  Let the challenge begin!

Linking up with One Monthly Goal and So Scrappy

June Goals and a Stash Report

We've just returned from a little road trip where I got to see most of my family.  An extra special treat was being able to give my niece, Natalie, her quilt in person.  She loves it!  I thought she would.

I got to see all four of my sisters.....

 ..... and thirteen of my nieces and nephews. 

 

We had a blast!  That's bound to happen on a beautiful day with good food, cold drinks, picnic games, and nearly 60 loved ones getting together.  

So, about those goals.   I've decided to finish a UFO this month.  I started making these appliqued stars several years ago just to have handwork to take along when I needed something to do.  You know, idle hands and all that.

I only have a few more stars to stitch, then I can make some alternate blocks and finish it for a donation quilt.  

 

Hopefully, I've set a more reasonable goal this month.  

MAY

Fabric Added in May - 3 yards

Fabric Used in May - 8.7 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date - 29.3

Fabric Used Year to Date - 77.9 yards

Net Used in 2022 - 48.6 yards

Days I sewed in May - 30/31

Days I sewed this year - 144/151

Percentage - 95%

February OMG and RSC-Aqua/Teal Goals Met!

Was February even shorter than usual this year?  I think it was.  It went by really fast!  Even so it was a good month, quilting-wise.  

First of all, I accomplished my OMG (One Monthly Goal) hosted by Elm Street Quilts.  And then some!  My goal was to finish piecing the "Lazy Eyes" quilt top.  It was a LOT of boring piecing .....

..... sewing the same seams over and over (and over) again.

 

I wasn't sure I was in love with it once the blocks were up on the design wall.  Is it me, or does it look like it's covered with Post-It notes?  Oh well, quilting designs cover a multitude of sins .....

..... and it's a finished top, which was the goal.  I even made the binding .....

..... and sent it off to my quilter.   AND I did all that by the 19th!  Not to brag or anything.  Alright, I kind of am.

The RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) color for February was aqua/teal.  I threw some turquoises into the mix. Aqua is a shade of blue, and turquoise is a shade of green, and as everyone knows teal is green, so.... there's that.  (Insert grin here!  What's blue and what's green is an ongoing argument at my house.)  I got my Windmill and Sawtooth Stars made and cut up some of my aqua/turquoise/teal scraps.  ( I will not give up on that teal being green thing.)

Meeting goals is one of my favorite things to do.  What to do for March?  I'll let you know soon.

Linking up with "RSC-2022" , "One Monthly Goal" , and Oh Scrap!

2022 Goals

After almost a year of Covid isolation, and then another year of being hesitant to get back out into the world, I think I'm just going to keep hanging out at home and get some serious sewing done.  I'm already used to being inside, I might as well get something done.  I must have been in a good mood and feeling energetic the other day when I wrote down my goals for 2022, because it ended up being quite a list!  In addition to my "regular" goals, I have twelve quilty goals.  Everything from "sewing every day" to "stash-busting" with a lot of other quilt projects for good measure.  

No peeking though!

 

In addition to my goals I plan to participate in several sew-alongs.  The monthly "Whoop Whoop!" link-up at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, the Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy, and the "One Monthly Goal" link-up at Elm Street Quilts are things I want to participate in this year.  That's a lot, right?  I'm feeling good about it, though.

My "One Monthly Goal" for January is to assemble my Jen Kingwell "Long Time Gone" quilt top.  I haven't even told you about that one!  All the blocks are made, but there are a lot of them.  Now that I look at it I already see a block I want to make some changes to first.  Here's a preview -

Looking back at what I just shared with you I think I need to quit typing and get into my sewing room for a while.  As far as those goals are concerned, I'll keep you posted!

Linking up with "One Monthly Goal"

Hypnotic

May seems to be going much better than last month as far as goals go.  I'm "this close" to completing the batik quilt I started at the beginning of the month.  

These two blocks make up the design.  The pattern is "Hypnotic" from the Book Strip Therapy 2 by Brenda Henning.   

I tried to lay out the blocks in a different way than the pattern dictated, but I couldn't come up with anything I liked better.  I do like the original design.   

I knew I needed to make 32 blocks, but after they were made and I started laying them out on the design wall I realized I actually needed 36.  I got a big stack of batiks out (again), cut out all the strips for four more blocks, and sewed them up.  Once it was all laid out on the design wall, guess what?  I had four blocks left over.  What??  How in the world??  You know what?  I don't want to talk about it!

Next I found a yard of yellow ombre batik in my stash that I just had to use on the back.  Might as well work in those extra blocks, right?

   






















I usually baste quilts on my king size bed.  It's a little unorthodox, but it works for me.  I just can't crawl around and baste quilts on the floor like I used to!

First, I stretch out the backing.  This one barely fit!

Then, batting (of course) .....

..... and the top (naturally).

Lots of pins!

Throughout the process, I stop about every two or three rows of pins, roll it up,  reach under and stretch the backing at the sides and the opposite end, smooth out the top, and start pinning again.

All basted!

Even though I basted it this morning (which totally wore out my back!) I was ready to start quilting it this evening.  Of course, a lovely one hour massage this afternoon might have made it easier for me to get back to it! 

It's about one-third quilted now, so there's every reason to hope it will be done and ready to gift by next weekend.  

Linking up this scrappy quit with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework 
Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I do believe I deserve a Whoop Whoop for that!

April Goal Met - Sort Of

My goal for April was to "make something with" the fat quarters my friend, Leigh, had recently given to me.   I didn't realize just how many there were in that deceivingly small gift bag until I set the goal and then counted them.  I knew I couldn't use all 47 in one month, but I knew I could make "something".  I chose the green batiks and started cutting squares for my first Disappearing Nine-Patch.  A search through my stash resulted in some purple that looked good with the print, and I found three different cream prints for a neutral. 

The fabrics played well together, I thought.

To make that nine-patch "disappear" you cut it into four pieces .....

..... and sew them back together in a different configuration.

I felt like a small inner border was needed and found the perfect eggplant that was a close match for the dark lines in the purple print.  Stash to the rescue again!  I hadn't planned to use the purple stripes in the border at all, but I had used every last bit of green so I ended up using it on the corners. 

This is all that was left of the purple!

I may not have used up all the fat quarters, but I did "make something with" a portion of them.  Eight to be precise.  That's something!

It's just a flimsie for now, not a finished quilt, but it will have a home.  How could it not, right?  It's too cute.  

This was my 6 & 6 in 2018 goal for April.  Linking up with pomegranate and chintz.