I will be the first to admit this was an "off-year" for me as far as quilting was concerned. Recently, my daughter Sara was asking me why I was relatively unproductive in 2019, and I had to give it some thought before I answered her. I think there were several main reasons. First, I was really focused on my reading in 2019, and that took up a lot of my free time. Second, I was not that enamored of the fabric collections that were released last year. Sure there were some that were gorgeous, but not nearly as many captured my attention as usual. Third, I have such a surplus of quilts from my forty years of quilting, that it is hard to justify making more bed-sized quilts. Storage is becoming a real issue. I have some ideas to address this problem, but I will share that later. Here is what I did manage to accomplish in 2019:
This quilt is called Signs of String. I finished it in Feb. 2019. The pattern and fabric are both by designer Linzee McCray. The blocks required paper piecing which I did enjoy. Otherwise, I am not in love with this quilt. It was time-consuming, took a ton of fabric (lots wasted) and was tiresome to construct. And the colors are not my thing.
In January, I am always craving the calmness a blue and white quilt gives me. I made this little table topper with leftover scraps of Primitive Gatherings blues. I made 3" finished square in a square blocks, which I trimmed to size with my Creative Grids Square in a Square trim tool ruler. The quilt measures 17" x 26".
This little table runner was a Fatquartershop Sew Along called Threadology I believe. It is basically an Ohio Star block in two sizes flanked by flying geese units. I used Fig Tree fabrics from my stash. I like it and used it during February.
This Green Pineapple quilt was an experiment with the Creative Grids Pineapple ruler. I used lime green fabrics from my stash and had fun using the ruler. I love the colors for March. I do enjoy the complex looking Pineapple block, but don't have the patience to make an entire quilt out of them. I do have some red pineapple blocks in my UFO bin, so I may have to eat those words one day!
This s a Fig Tree pattern called Sweet Clover, which I adapted to make a table runner. I used Fig Tree scraps from the stash bin. The colors are soothing and subtle, and perfect for spring. The quilting design really pops on this one.
This pattern is called Fat Quarter Flourish by Carried Away Quilting. I used fabrics by Sherri and Chelsi. Love how crisp and summery this turned out. It features the same quilting pattern as the Sweet Clover quilt.
This little quilt is called Corn and Beans. Lots of flying geese, and the colors are perfect for late summer. I plan to put a vase of sunflowers on this one.
This is probably my favorite quilt of 2019. It is called Sweet Escape, a pattern by Camille Rosskelley of Thimbleblossoms. It was a sew along, for which I (mostly) used the Sweet Tea fabric collection by Sweetwater. I did make my blocks smaller than the pattern called for. Mine are 8.5" rather than 10.5".
This little nine patch table runner is made from Corey Yoder's Pepper and Flax collection. I think it will be lovely in early spring with yellow candlesticks on my dining room table.
Here is a table runner for late summer, made entirely of leftover gold half square triangles. I never used to be one for saving leftover trimmings, but I couldn't resist doing something with my 2 inch hsts!
I am so happy that I finished this quilt, which has been folded up in a box for over a year. It is Into the Wind by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I used a fabric line called Larkspur by 3 Sisters. It was very tricky to lay out and get the fabrics positioned to my satisfaction, but I succeeded in the end. I also ran out of background fabric for the setting triangles. I was able to order more, but the quilt went unfinished until this year.
I feel kind of "meh" about this little quilt. It looks like so many that I have done in the past. I used scraps from my stash and made churn dash blocks that finish at 3". I was glad to work on it though, and it did ease me back into the sewing room, where I had been largely absent most of 2019. The pattern was inspired by one in the Simple Friendships II book. I made alterations and changed the finished size.
This cute little project was my foray into working with wool, an activity I plan to continue in 2020. The pattern is by Buttermilk Basin (By Thy Hands, January), and the wool from my wool stash. I really like the combination of a pieced block with some appliqued wool. Currently, I have it sitting on my fireplace hearth with a bowl of potpourri on it.
My last project for 2019 was this little blue and white quilt was a kit called Winter Snowfall by Piecing the Past. It was a tricky block to make, with those pieced flying geese units. I did have to unpick some of the chopped off corners and re-sew them by hand. Once this is quilted, it will be a nice addition to my January quilts.
To re-cap, I really was not as productive in 2019 as I usually am. When I look at what quilting I did accomplish, I am actually kind of surprised because it seemed to me that months went by when I did not even go into the sewing room! I spent my time in 2019 doing a lot of reading, taking some fun trips and enjoying my granddaughter, so I can say I am happy over all. In retrospect, I also see that I made quite a few projects with fabrics from my stash, and also used tools like the Creative Grids rulers to achieve good results.
In 2020, I hope to be sewing more than this past year. I want to finish up four or five UFO projects that I started in 2019 and abandoned. I will continue to make seasonal table toppers as well as some full-sized quilts.
How was your quilting year?