2022 - My quilting year in review

It's the end of the year, so it's time for my end of year wrap up.  At the end of each year I like to look back on the goals I set myself at the start of the year.  

Here's what I planned to work on in 2022:

1. Licorice Allsorts Block of the Month from Wendy Williams

I've finished all the embroidery, and pieced about 40% of the blocks.  These blocks are tricky! But I love it and am keen to finish this quilt in 2023.

2. Ruby Star

I've finished this quilt and you can read about it here.  

This is my second quilt using the Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head pattern by Willyne Hammerstein from Millefiori Quilts 4.

3. Starry Night / Floral Bouquet

I like to make a Kaffe Fassett quilt each year, and this year it was Starry Night from Quilts in an English Village.

I finished this quilt and gifted it to my mother in law.  You can read about it here. 

4. Tea Party BOM by Wendy Williams

I'm ashamed to say that there's been no work on this one this year.  It deserves some love in 2023.

5. Neptune and the Mermaid

I finished this quilt and it was accepted in to the Quilt Symposium exhibition which was great.  You can read about it here. 

So I finished 3 of the 5 quilts on my list for 2022.  That's quite good for me!

I also made:

6. Quilt tops for Ukraine x 11

I spent most of April and May assembling blocks from around NZ into quilt tops for Ukrainian refugee children. 

I offered to collect and post quilt blocks from around NZ to Germany, but as time went on I could see that Claudia in Germany was getting overwhelmed with quilt blocks, so I decided to help her out and assemble the NZ blocks into quilt tops before I sent them over to her in Germany.  

7. Bordered Diamonds

This is another great Kaffe Fassett design.  I made this quilt all from my stash. You can read about this one here.

8. Pine Hill

This was a tree quilt along with our guild.  You can read about it here. 

I was less productive in 2022 than in previous years because I was on the Quilt Symposium committee.  I spent a lot of time doing the social media and newsletters for Quilt Symposium 2022, but it was a great event, and many people told us they appreciated the clear communication, so it was all worth it.  

So that's my 2022.  Did you have a good year? Feel free to link up a recent blog post in the Peacock Party below. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

2022 Christmas Countdown - Merry Christmas

It's Day 25 of my Christmas Countdown - and it's Christmas Day.  Merry Christmas to everyone, and I hope you have a lovely day with family and friends.

December 2018

I'm spending Christmas Day at home in Wellington this year, with my husband, two sons, and my parents.   

I've enjoyed bringing you my 2022 Christmas Countdown.  It was fun to look back at some of the things I've made over the years.  Maybe I'll do it again in another five years in 2027.  I wonder what I will have made by then!

December 2014

I'll be back on 30 December with my wrap up blog post for 2022.  Until then, Merry Christmas to you all. 

2022 Christmas Countdown - Gingerbread Flower Shop

Day 24 of my Christmas Countdown and it's Christmas Eve.  It's time to bring out my Gingerbread Flower Shop.

the front

the back

Yes, I've finally finished the last cottage in Victoria Sampler's Gingerbread Village. The cross stitching was straight forward, but I was hesitant to do the fancy stitches and the silk ribbon work. 

But I got there, and I'm very happy with the result.  Once again I embroidered my name and the date on the base so people can remember who made these cottages in years to come. 

I'm sad that this is the last Gingerbread cottage that Victoria Sampler will produce, but I'm happy that I've made them all and I love bringing them out each Christmas.  I've taken them to show various quilt guilds around New Zealand, and will continue to do so because they deserve to be shared.  

Thank you Thea Dueck for sharing your amazing designs with us all.  

I'll be featuring all the other houses from my Gingerbread Village in my 2022 Christmas Countdown, but you can also read more about my Gingerbread Village in the tab at the top of my blog.

2022 Christmas Countdown - Oh! Christmas Tree

 Day 23 of my Christmas Countdown and it's my "Oh! Christmas Tree" quilt designed by Wendy Williams.  

I love that this quilt represent Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere.  We still like the snowy images on Christmas cards, but we know Christmas is the start of our summer holidays and it's going to be hot.  Many people have a BBQ for Christmas lunch and eat it outside, before taking a dip in the pool (if they're lucky enough to have a pool in their back yard).  

I loved choosing all the bright colours for this quilt, and then doing all the hand applique and hand quilting. 

You can read all about this quilt, including where to buy the pattern, here on my blog. 

Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  How's your Christmas decorating coming along? Feel free to link up a recent blog post below. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

2022 Christmas Countdown - Gingerbread Etui

Day 22 of my Christmas Countdown and it's my Gingerbread Etui.

An etui is "a small ornamental case for holding needles, cosmetics, and other articles".  However, my etui is sewn closed so it doesn't hold anything, but I like to think of it as a big Christmas tree in the middle of my Gingerbread Village.  

I'll be featuring all the other houses from my Gingerbread Village in my 2022 Christmas Countdown, but you can also read more about my Gingerbread Village in the tab at the top of my blog.

2022 Christmas Countdown - Flocks by Night

Day 21 of my Christmas Countdown and it's my Flocks by Night quilt - pattern by Wendy Williams.

Once again, I loved making this quilt.  The decorations on the trees, and the sheep on the hills are just so cute. 

Full details on this quilt, including where to buy the pattern, is here on my blog. 

2022 Christmas Countdown - Retreat Cottage

Day 20 of my Christmas Countdown and it's the Retreat Cottage from the Gingerbread Village.  

I love the thought of stitchers having their retreat in this log cabin covered in snow.  

I love the little annex or porch out to the side, the railings on the balcony and how the roof overhangs slightly.  And the lacy curtains on the windows where the ladies are stitching.  There's just so many cute details. 

I'll be featuring all the other houses from my Gingerbread Village in my 2022 Christmas Countdown, but you can also read more about my Gingerbread Village in the tab at the top of my blog.

2022 Christmas Countdown - The Candy Man quilt

It's Day 19 of my Christmas Countdown and it's The Candy Man quilt.

A few weeks ago I blogged about a spur of the moment Christmas quilt I had started.  Well, now it's finished and all ready to be used this Christmas. 

The pattern (Watling Street) was designed by Sheila Christensen and is in her book, Quilts with an Angle.  I made my quilt smaller because I only had a limited number of scrappy Christmas fabrics in my stash.  Can you believe I made a whole quilt from stash? Even the backing and the binding? Well I did, and I want to use more of my stash in 2023.  

I've called my quilt The Candy Man because at first I thought of Candy Canes (due to the colours and stripes), but I don't really like to eat candy canes, but I did love performing The Candy Man song on the stage at the Regent Theatre in Dunedin back in the 1970's.  

I quilted this quilt myself using my walking foot. 

2022 Christmas Countdown - Gingerbread Quilt Shop

 Day 18 of my 2022 Christmas Countdown and it's my Gingerbread Quilt Shop.

I do love how Thea has made this shop so appealing to quilters.  The sewing machine mounted above the door way, the beautiful quilts depicted on the sides and back of the shop, and the ladies sitting upstairs above the front door actually quilting! It's all so special and I loved making it.  

I embroidered my name and the date on the base so people will remember who made it.  

I'll be featuring all the other houses from my Gingerbread Village in my 2022 Christmas Countdown, but you can also read more about my Gingerbread Village in the tab at the top of my blog.

2022 Christmas Countdown - Mill Hill Santas

Day 17 of my 2022 Christmas Countdown and it's my Mill Hill Santas.  

I have five finished Santas now.  I do recall saying that I would continue making these Mill Hill Santas rather than joining the Prairie Schooler Santa train, but somehow I weakened and I've now made two Prairie Schooler Santas too! 

These kits are so well made and contain everything you need, except the felt to go on the back.  I've just kitted up my next two Mill Hill Santas to take on holiday with me because they're such a pleasure to stitch. 

Here's some closer up photos so you can see the details:

And the felt I glue on the back to finish them nicely.