2016 Fast Approaching

SCREECH. . . .

I finished this wall quilt just in time to hang it in my kitchen for Christmas - and to count as DONE in 2015! Having seen my recent posts on Lone Star quilts you will recognize it as one of several experiments in that design which got left in various states of completion over ten years ago.
I machine quilted the diamonds wanting to save time but then got a bit carried away with the hand quilted wreaths in the corners and setting triangles.



I questioned my sanity at the time but I'm glad I did it now - I think hand quilting always adds a lot. It's hard to get a photo that shows the quilting but this gives you an idea. I have yet to immerse it in clear water to be sure the blue marker I used is gone forever and also to get the look I like...but I wanted to get it up without waiting for it to dry!




As you may know, I am a goal setter and record keeper so naturally I have spent some time reviewing and summarizing the past year. I finished 3 bed quilts ( the major one being the Mariner's Compass Medallion I've blogged about ),
2 crib quilts, 3 wall quilts, 2 doll quilts, several gift items;  pot holders, a pin cushion for an exchange, quilt tote bags as well as a bit of regular sewing - a red fleece poncho for me - pattern and fabric from last year!

A first for me was teaching a hand quilting class which was really fun and I'll do it again next fall.

c. 1900

c. 1910

I attended numerous quilt events including driving to the AQSG seminar in Indianapolis in  September (bought two quilts on the way!) and a Regional Study group meeting in Phoenix, AZ.


I didn't think at first that I'd added more quilts to my vintage collection but, I was wrong. I purchased 7 new pieces.

Even though I sold and donated several items I still end up having more in my collection than last year at this time. I vow to down-size in 2016 by not buying any more and finding new homes for at least a few that I can part with.

So the next step, naturally, is  to think about what I want my quilting life in 2016 to be. In that vein, I challenged a couple of quilting friends to review the past year and come up with ONE WORD that will inform their quilting life in 2016. 

I've chosen mine and will meet with them tomorrow to hear what they've come up with. After that I'll share my choice with you and with any luck, my posts next year should reflect that word/concept at least once in a while. Keep me honest, won't you?

If YOU'D like to choose a quilting word for 2016 please share it in the  'Comments' section.

It would be fun to hear from you!

I wish you all a healthy and productive year doing the things you love.

Happy New Year!