Friday 20 December 2019

2019 - My quilting year in review (and the Peacock Party)

At the end of each year I like to check back against the quilting priorities I set at the start of that year.

The 5 quilts I finished in 2019

I've just had a quick glance down that list, and I've only finished one of the 10 quilts I said I'd work on in 2019!  I haven't been idle, so that can only mean one thing - there were lots of new starts and temptations during 2019.

Let's start the recap with all the new starts that drew me in during 2019:

1.  Shuttles quilt by Kaffe Fassett.
This quilt is a unique thing in my house - I started and finished this quilt within the same calendar year. And it's hand quilted too!




2. Marshal by Jen Kingwell

This is Jen Kingwell's mystery quilt published in QuiltMania.  I've been thinking about this quilt since I last wrote about it in November.  I have more of a plan now so I will continue with it, and you'll hopefully see a finished quilt top in 2020.



3. Dear Jen by Jen Kingwell
I started out with a hiss and a roar, but this hand pieced mystery quilt has fallen by the wayside.  There are multiple layout options for this quilt, but if I choose to place the blocks on point, I want the applique to be on point too.  So I don't want to go any further until I decide on my layout.  I hate to say it, but this may be one of those quilts that never gets finished.



4. Portraits by Anna Maria Horner
Well, this one certainly did get finished, and Anna Maria even held it up and talked about it in her lecture in Wellington. I love this quilt and it's extra special because Anna Maria Horner asked me to make it to promote her tour to New Zealand.



5. Neptune and the Mermaid
I never imagined that I would start a hand pieced quilt at Symposium in October and have the top finished in November of the same year! That's unheard of!
But I really enjoyed piecing this top, so I just kept going.  I don't often use prints with large images on them, so it was fun to fussy cut these ladies and gentlemen.




As for all the things I put on my list in January 2019 - here's a quick recap:

 1.  Chic Country by Sew Kind of Wonderful
Not even started yet, but I do know what fabrics I want to use for this.

2.  Stars Upon Stars by Laundry Basket Quilts
Again, not even started, but I do have a fabric bundle set aside.  I've got the fabric stamps now and I'm going to hand piece this.

3.  Good Fortune by Bonnie Hunter
This is the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt that I started in November 2018. I've started hand quilting it, and would like to finish it soon. 



4. Cartwheels by Kaffe Fassett
Again, I've started hand quilting it.



5. Glitter
A third quilt that I've started hand quilting.  I think I need to stay at home for three weeks and hand quilt. 



6. Cobwebs by Chris Kenna
Finished!!! And now called Carnival. This quilt won Best Traditional Quilt by an Amateur at the QuiltNSW Sydney Quilt Show 2019.  I was thrilled. 



7. Ballet with Kaffe by Willyne Hammerstein
I've made significant progress over the last 10 days that I've been working on this.  I hope to finish the top in January 2020.



8. Green Diamonds by Kaffe Fasset
I got brave with this one and totally changed my plan.  It's no longer Green Diamonds - it's something totally different that I'll share at a later date, but here's a progress shot.



9. School Prize Giving Quilt
I was thinking about abandoning this quilt, but I'm glad that I didn't because I had some bright ideas about how to progress it to the next stage.  I'm going to incorporate the dodecagons I made at Symposium.  The lesson here is that I am very slow at original design quilts, but I know that the only way to improve is to persevere. 




10.  Wendy Williams Tea Party BOM
Still no action on this one. But I still love it.


So that's it.  Ten quilts that I wanted to work on in 2019.  I've finished one and got three others to the hand quilting stage.  But I've started four new quilts, so I'm not going to beat myself up over this.  I'm still having fun and that's what counts. 


I did manage to finish two quilts that have been lurking around for a long time:

Tongariro Crossing
I made this quilt during a quilt a long with Sue Spargo in 2016.



Spotty
I made this quilt during a mystery quilt a long in 2015.  I finally decided to get it machine quilted and then I donated it to charity. It's pretty, but I don't have anyone who would love it, so hopefully someone else will.



So, in summary, I finished 5 quilts in 2019.

Two were started and finished within 2019 - Shuttles and Portraits.
Two of them were made years ago and just needed machine quilting and binding - Tongariro Crossing and Spotty.
One was started in 2017 and finished in 2019 and it won a prize - Best Traditional Quilt (Amateur) at the QuiltNSW Sydney Quilt Show.

So five finishes is fine by me, but maybe I'll aim for one or two more in 2020.

What about everyone else? Do you write lists like this?  How are you getting on with your goals? Feel free to leave a comment below, or even link up to the Peacock Party - the one that's open now, or next week's.

Thanks for reading.





You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter





17 comments:

Gretchen Weaver said...

You've got some beauties there, lots of hand work. Happy Stitching and enjoy your green grass!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

so many beautiful bright quilts - Merry Christmas

FlourishingPalms said...

Your love of Kaffe and Anna Maria fabrics is extremely evident in this recap of your quiltmaking and WIPs! Do you ever use solids? I think what you've accomplished is admirable, especially as so many of them are hand quilted too. You are astounding! So many beautiful quilts, and I know you made other items as well. Personally, my plan is to slow down on quiltmaking, and therefore cut back on finishes in 2020. I have too many quilts in my house, and must figure out what to do with them! Too many are wallhanging size, and those are the most difficult to get rid of. So, also part of the 2020 plan is to make only large quilts that can be used and donated. I am not typically a list person, but I plan to do a blog recap as well as a 2020 list. Thanks for sharing all your beautiful work.

Laurie M said...

Wendy, I always look forward to reading your blog on Fridays. You do such beautiful work! And I like your working on hand piecing and hand quilting. I am starting to do more of that, too. I don't have a list but hope to get a little bit better organized this year. Right now I'm working on 2 projects - a gender neutral baby quilt for grandchild #7 and a pink and brown repro fabrics quilt called Lexington Road from the book Quilts from the Colonies by Margaret Mew. I love the quilts in her book! Both quilts are half finished so I hope to get them done this winter.

Chay said...

Your blog is an explosion of color! And it serves as inspiration to me when I see all that you accomplish. You have got to be the most prolific quilter ever! I love seeing all your projects and am smitten with your Glitter quilt. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

I'm always in awe of all you accomplish Wendy. Especially since it's hand quilted. It's good to have goals for each year but I also think it's good to allow those moments of inspiration to guide us in other directions. This past year was a mix of both for me and I think I got more than usual done because I let myself follow the muse when it hit. Happy Holidays. Wishing you the best for 2020.

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Impressive list of quilts, bright and beautiful!

Cathy said...

May your days and quilts continue to be merry and bright! Happy Holidays!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Your quilts are just so colorful and pretty! Agree with Gretchen lots of hand work! Have a great week-end! Hugs - I do not have my yearly posts ready!

Susan said...

Lots of color everywhere on these fantastic finishes for the year!

Sue said...

All your starts and finishes or not, are lovely Wendy. I don't make lists for my quilting as it puts too much pressure on me, unless I have a particular quilt needed for a special occasion. I make lists for things I have to do, in general, just not for quilting. I also dont usually post about started projects incase I don't get to finish them, a year or so later....thats just me! Maybe I should, then it would spur me on to finish it quicker and not start something else! haha!

JanineMarie said...

There’s something so enjoyable about seeing a collection of finishes (and starts) for the year. I love how vibrant your quilts are individually and together. I make goal (to do) lists for lots of things, but not for quilt projects, although I suppose that list is somewhere in the back of my mind. I do try to write a post of finishes for the year at some point because it is fun to look back. Enjoy the holidays and happy quilting in the new year!

Linda Steele said...

Congratulations on a very successful year, I love the fresh colours that you choose. Merry Christmas

Julie Fukuda said...

OK, I'm impressed. I wouldn't dare looking back at my past year, or entering anything in a show...
Congratulations and best wishes for continuing productivity in the coming year.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Such a treat for the eyes this post is! Glorious colours and stitching. Thank you for sharing your wonderful work, Wendy.

Karen's Korner said...

There is certainly some "eye candy" there in those beautiful creations. Well done.

Andree G. Faubert said...

Hi Wendy, that's a wonderful year of accomplishments. As you said, as long as you're still having fun, that's what counts. Your quilts are truly beautiful!