Best of 2024--End of Year Review

For the tenth straight year, Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs is hosting the Best of 2024 Linky Party, a chance to link up our top blog posts from the past year. Cheryl suggested some ways to choose our best posts such as most views, most comments, best tutorials, and favorite finishes. I'm going to include several of her suggestions, plus throw in a couple of my own. Each listing has a link back to my original blog post.

1. Most views: Jabberwocky

The blocks for this quilt were made throughout 2023 as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I got them all joined together in late January, 2024. The block pattern is by Judy Martin in The Block Book. The book is out of print, but you can still find copies online.

Jabberwocky, block pattern by Judy Martin

65" x 76.75"

2a. Most comments: Orange Peel Rainbow

The applique blocks for this quilt were stitched as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge all through 2019 and up to the summer of 2020.  The blocks were joined together in August, 2020. The quilt top waited patiently until spring of 2024, when I added a border, then finished it for entry into a local quilt show. This is also my favorite finished quilt of 2024.

Orange Peel Rainbow

39.5" x 51.5"

3. Favorite mystery: Lighthouse Inn Modern Mystery Quiltalong

This was my second mystery quilt by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr of Modern Quilt Studio, and they are masters at keeping you guessing while you make the blocks. I love the way my colors in this quilt worked together with the navy background, and the gradation of block sizes makes for an intriguing design.

Lighthouse Inn quilt top

57.5" x 82"

4. Favorite self-designed quilt: Herringbone

While cleaning off my cutting table one day in July, I ran across a portion of an old Kleenex box that I had saved as a quilt design inspiration. That led to my making a small, scrappy herringbone quilt from a wide range of turquoise, teal and aqua scraps. I would have made it larger, but ran out of the light contrast fabric.

Herringbone quilt top

33" x 39.5"

I might still add a border to this little quilt top, and I'm also thinking about making it again with the ends of the strips cut at a different angle. This is a design that I can envision making in multiple variations.

5. Project of the year: Placemats Parade

2024 turned out to be the year of the placemat for me. I started out by making placemats for all the different Project Quilting challenges at the beginning of the year. Those were followed by 22 placemats made for our guild's Christmas market, then many others to be donated by the guild to Meals on Wheels. The final total number of placemats made in 2024 came to 80!

Piles of placemats

Those are some of my quilting highlights from the past year. I'm still thinking about plans and goals for 2025, but I'd be willing to bet that placemats will appear again. My top goal is to start fewer new projects and get more of the old ones finished. 

Thanks to Cheryl for giving us all the opportunity to share our favorite posts and projects from the past year. I'm joining up with her "Best of 2024" linky party.

Happy quilting and Happy New Year to all!

Julie in GA

HAPPY 2015!

I've been seeing lots of quilt blog posts showing off their many finished quilts from 2014 and listing their goals for the year ahead. I am a little behind on reviewing the past year and making plans for 2015, but here goes!

I was feeling like I hadn't accomplished much with my quilting last year, even though I spent lots of time sewing. However, as I review my lists of quilts started and finished, I am happy with my results and have made good progress on several projects. 

My biggest finish of the year was the Scrappy Sampler quilt. This was begun in 2013 as a block-of-the-month project, and I was thrilled to complete it in the fall.

Scrappy Sampler

Most of my other finishes were baby quilts--one for a co-worker, one for friends, and one for our niece and her husband. 

Bowties baby quilt

Musical Stars baby quilt

Surrounded by Love baby quilt

I headed up a group at work to make a signature quilt when our boss retired at the end of July. It turned out great, and she was so surprised!

Signature Quilt

I also completed several quilt tops this year. One is for Quilts of Valor and will be submitted to them for quilting. Four were very simple pieced tops for the charity quilting at my mother's church. The rest are all at different stages of quilting/completion. At least a few of them should get finished this year.

QOV Bowties

One goal that I achieved this year was limiting my number of new projects. Of the dozen projects I started in 2014, all but four were either finished or at least became quilt tops.  Four other UFOs/WIPs were completed, so my number of UFOs should be the same at the end of 2014 as it was at the beginning of the year.

For 2015, I am keeping my goals rather vague instead of saying something like "I will finish 12 quilts this year." I hope to finish off some of those quilt tops that are so close to completion. I would like to make more Quilts of Valor and also some for children's charities. It would be great to finish up at least one of my old UFOs too.  I hope to be able to find time for quilting every day, even if it is only 15 minutes some days. Any time spent quilting is good for my sanity.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all and HAPPY QUILTING!

Julie in GA

2013 Quilting in Review and 2014 goals

I have been going through posts from the past year, reviewing my quilting output. My goals for 2013 were to finish more projects than I started, and also to finish at least 4 UFOs. I was successful on the UFOs, and came very close on the starts vs. finishes goal. 

I started 14 new projects this year. Of those, 9 were finished and one became a quilt top. Most that got finished were smallish projects--5 sets of placemats, 2 paper-piecing pattern samples, and 2 baby/children's quilts. The unfinished new projects are mostly throw-sized or larger quilts.

I also finished 4 UFOs and joined one old set of blocks into a top. All of these UFOs were started between late 1990s and 2003. Most were quilt tops that needed quilting and binding.


2013 FINISHES

12/15/13--4 sets of placemats as Christmas gifts (new project)

Beige/light green border stripe for cousin

Southwest border stripe for niece

Blue border stripe for SIL

Mermaids for cousin's wife

9/30/13 Uneven 9-Patch (started 2000?)

10/19  Honey, Honey pattern sample (new project)

9/7/13  Dazzle pattern sample (new project)

9/29/13 Placemats for anniversary gift (new project)

7/20/13 Turning Leaves (top made 2003)

5/30/13 Flag quilt (started 2002)

5/26/13 Zigzag quilt for Hands2Help Challenge (new project)

5/6/13 Woven baby quilt with Karen (new project)

2/23/13  Hidden Ninepatch (top made 2002)

2013 QUILT TOPS

6/29 Blue & yellow Nine-Patch (new project)

6/4 Stack & Whack Aliens (blocks made late 1990s?)

2013 WIPs (New projects)
8/6   Scrap Hexies for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

6/29  Dresden Stars class w/ Edyta Sitar

1/12   Scrappy Sampler BOM

1/10   Dancing Stars/Rainbow Scrap Challenge

My quilting goals for 2014:
1. Make at least 4 QOV/donation projects
2. Finish at least 3 UFOs/WIPs
3. Finish more projects than I begin  
4. Stashbusting--use 100 yards, use more than I buy

Happy New Year to all and Happy Quilting!


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 12/31/12 and 2013 Goals

This is the last Design Wall Monday post for 2012.  I started my blog at the beginning of this year, mostly because I wanted to join in the fun of Design Wall Monday.  I love seeing all the different projects people are working on.  There is so much talent out there--you all inspire me!

There's nothing up on my design wall at the moment, but I do have a box of finished units for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery.  There is another clue posting today, and I hope we will start joining all these units together.  Bonnie certainly has me stumped.  I haven't a clue what these will become, but I have enjoyed following along.  It is so much fun to see all the blog posts with everyone's progress.

This morning Bonnie posted the next clue which has us joining parts to make big triangles. Looks like we will have blocks set on the diagonal.  I don't have time to sew before work today, but I couldn't resist laying out my pieces to see how they look.

As the new year approaches, I have been trying to set some goals for my quilting in the coming year:

My quilting goals for 2013:
1. Make at least 4 charity/QOV quilts 
2. Finish at least 4 UFOs
3. Finish more projects than I begin
4. Stashbusting--use 100 yards, buy less than I use 

A few specific UFO possibilities:
1. Hidden 9-Patch--binding

2. Make 6 more paisley placemats to go with the ones made last May

3. Red/white/blue Scrap Club blocks--make more blocks, finish quilt top 

4. French Braid--make into Roman shade for door

5. Boston Fiesta--more blocks, get top together

I will be linking up to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all and HAPPY QUILTING!

Julie