Best of 2018

Time to wrap up another year of quilting!

Although I didn't feel as though I'd accomplished as much this year, I ended up with 12 completed quilts. I have a few more tops to finish, but I'm still waiting on my machine to come home.

I also continue to love sharing and documenting my finishes here. I plan to continue that through 2019 and I'm sure hoping you'll continue to join me.

What were my top 5 blog posts this year? Here you go:

Number 5
Playing with Triangles

Number 4
Intertwined

Number 3
New Sewing Room

Number 2
How to Make a Quilt Pattern Your Own

Number 1
Summer String Quilt

I'm linking up with Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs as she and others also share their top posts of the year. Be sure to check it out!

My final words for 2018 are Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I so appreciate your visits here, your comments and your questions. I'm looking forward to another great year of quilt making!!!

Planning for 2019

I have one more quilt to share for 2018, before I recap the year of quilting, so I thought I'd go ahead and tell you what I'm planning to make in 2019...

For 2019 I'll be using the Quilter's Planner and I'm super excited about it! Although this is at least the third year for the planner, it will be my first time using it. My plan is to use it as a daily calendar, quilt project planner and a journal of what I do, make, read, watch and think. For the first time, I'm looking forward to having all of my thoughts and plans in one place.

I'm currently trying to finish up some WIPs - I love starting the new year with a clean slate. Unfortunately my Bernina is in rehab, and since it's the machine I do all my quilting on, I'll start the year with several tops to quilt.

But I also have some new projects that I'm gearing up for in 2019! I think the reason I've remained interested in quilting for so long is the fact that there is always something new to try or something old that has a new twist. So my goal for 2019 is to push myself to new designs, colors, fabrics and aesthetics. Lately, I've been draw to neutral colors, natural fabrics, hand-printed looks and vintage/modern.

With that in mind, here are a few projects on my 2019 list:

The Quilter's Planner came with a magazine filled with patterns, including the cover sampler designed by my friend, Cheryl Brickey. I love the blocks and her setting is so unique! But you know me, I have to do something different, so I'll be making many of the blocks and setting them into a different design that I created in EQ8. My version will be in shades of blue and blue/green.

The second project that I'm excited to start soon is this "Plot Twist" pattern by Anna Maria Horner. I've been itching to do some appliqué again and I love the boho feel of this pattern. I've changed the design a bit (no surprise!) and will end up with a completely different look as I'm using white and silver Essex Linen for my background stripes.

Speaking of linen, I've been stocking up on linens and hope to utilize them more frequently in my quilts. They give such a nice textural feel. I'm also playing with new-to-me color combinations and spent several hours the other day mixing and matching swatches from my cut-up Kona color card. 

I'll be using this beautiful Kaleidoscope fabric in Sapphire for a background on something. It's a beautiful dark blue fabric created by weaving two different colors of yarn. It also has a natural linen-like texture. Not sure what yet - maybe the Atomic Starburst?

Another beautiful neutral I can't wait to use is this Manchester embroidered cotton. It has tiny plus signs embroidered throughout. I bought it from Cottoneer Fabrics and it washed up wonderfully. 

"Mirage", which is included in the Quilter's Planner magazine, is also on my must-make list this year. It was designed by Yvonne from Quilting Jet Girl. You know I want to change it up - maybe a darker background? It's going to be tough because I love this version so much.

I belong to a Design Bee locally and I'm looking forward to trying some new out-of-the-norm designs this next year. Each month someone presents a photo and we all make a block, mini or whatever inspired by the photo. This was my December mini quilt, inspired by the photo below it. I used Quilting Jet Girl's free pattern - the Diffraction block. After making 4 blocks, I added sashing between them and used the 6-Minute Circle technique to create the circle. It was a fun little project and I challenged myself to find a new-for-me quilting design. This one is found in Jacquie Gering's book "Walk".

I think those projects will keep me busy for at least part of 2019! I'm linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl for her 2019 Planning Party. Be sure to check out all the other "Linkys" if you're looking for ideas!

2017 Wrap Up and Best Of

It's always fun to look back on a year of quilting and making, and be pleasantly surprised with all you've accomplished! I highly recommend it, whether you have blog or not. Several years ago I started putting a photo of every quilt as it's completed in a digital album for the year using the Photo App on my computer. I wait until the last quilt for the year is completed and can easily count them up. For 2017, I've completed 13 quilts and several smaller projects like bags, pouches and garments. I'd call that a great year!

As many of you that have been around here this year may know, I've also been trying to clean out some of my stash and find homes for many of my quilts. I'm happy to say that I've given 6 quilts to friends and family and donated 29 quilts to charity. Twelve of the charity quilts were for my local MQG's Quilts for Kids philanthropy project and helped me make quite a dent in my stash. I haven't counted yard by yard, but it feels like (judging from the shelf space) that I've reduced my sash by about 40%. I'm going into 2018 lighter in terms of stuff!

It's also interesting to look back on the blog posts and find which were the most popular. I'm linking up with Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and sharing my top 5 posts based on the most views.

Number 5

Rifle Paper Company Quilt

Number 4

Another Plus Variation Quilt

Number 3

How and Why I'm reducing my Fabric Stash

I enjoyed rereading all the comments on this one. It's an ongoing dilemma for those of us who love fabric, isn't it?

Number 2

Pineapple Block Tutorial

Number 1

Quarter Log Cabin

No surprise with any of these - they were some of my favorite quilts.

According to Blogger, I've written 584 blog posts as of today! Whether you've read 1 or 584, I truly appreciate this community. Thank you for being here. Thank you for leaving your thoughts and comments. Thank you for sharing this love of fabric, sewing and quilting. Here's to more creative fun in 2018! Happy New Year!

2015 Review and Best of...

2015 has been quite a year for me. Hard to believe that 1 year ago today, we had no plans to leave Missouri.

And as much as I miss so many friends from St Louis, especially the quilting kind, our move to South Carolina has the perfect decision for us as this point in our lives.

I felt like I hadn't accomplished as much as previous years, certainly rightly so, but as it turns out the quilting projects have been fruitful.

The final count is in and I finished 24 quilting projects. Three of them quite small -tablerunners and wall quilts that were gifted. Four of them small lap quilts, and the remaining 17 larger quilts in my go-to size of about 60"x72".

I thought it would be fun this year to join Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and share my top 5 blog posts. These are the posts that got the most views according to Blogger stats.

5 - Playground
This wasn't one of my favorite quilts, but it definitely beat out several others in viewership. It may be because it was the last quilt before my Summer hiatus!

4 - Tucker Prairie
No surprise here - one of my favs!

3 - Irish Chainish
All Anna Maria Horner fabrics. I love this one!

2 - Charley Harper quilt
This one is hanging in my home and probably my favorite for the year!

1 - New Design
The Arrow quilt was one that was on my drawing board for months. Glad I finally made it!

2015 has been a stressful year. I'm grateful to have the craft that I love so much to turn to. It truly helps me stay calm, think and appreciate the beauty around me. I thank each of you for being in this Bloggy space with me. I love sharing my work, reading your comments and knowing that we share this love of fabric and quilting.

I'll be back on January 4th to start our Outlined Plus Quilt Along. I'm so happy that many of you are joining me. Have a Happy Happy New Year!!!