Wrapping Up 2021
2021 was not that different from 2020 — I mostly stayed home, and worked on projects in a scattered fashion.
Big Projects
I did get one bed-sized quilt done. It was enough to remind me why I don’t do a lot of bed-sized quilts with my domestic sewing machine.
“Blue Bricks.”
I don’t remember when I even started this — it might have been during the long summer of 2019 when we had a renovation crew here everyday, working on every side of the house — I might have been longing for some peace and order!
The piecing of the top went very quickly. Looking at it now, I wish I had used a little more variation — some thinner columns here and there would have been good.
To quilt it, I chose a flower from one of the prints, and used that as my free-motion motif. I used a stencil to mark a very simple pattern in the borders, and that part of the quilting went well.
Free-motion quilting of flowers and leaves.
But after finishing it, I wouldn’t rate it as worth the many hours it took me to machine quilt it. It reinforces that I really need to work on my Quilt-As-You-Go skills, so that I can finish large quilts without the stress of pushing and pulling a quilt sandwich through a small machine.
This quilt is what I would call bland. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because after all, quilts are just one decorative element in a room, and they have to get along with everything else in there. So its blandness caused me to get a little more creative than usual in posing it for pictures. 🙂
Small Projects
I believe I made eight lap quilts from donated fabric. I did not take pictures of two of them because they were pretty plain, but here are the other six. A few months ago, I passed on 20 pounds of these fabrics that were donated to me in 2020, to a sewing class in a 4H group, but I still have TONS of them.
A blue scrappy log cabin lap quilt from March.
A scrappy log cabin lap quilt from March.
A star lap quilt from March.
A third scrappy log cabin from May.
Two people told me that this cheater-cloth quilt was the best quilt I ever made. I mean.
I finished three kid’s quilts, using a combination of donated fabric and fabric from my stash.
A crib-size quilt from June. The fish fabrics (and the backing) were donated to me; the blue and green strips were from my stash.
I made this top in 2020, and finished it in November of 2021.
An I Spy quilt — I have pieced 4 tops the same, but so far I have only quilted this one.
I completed four very different small art quilts for the online group I am in, The Endeavourers. My favorite was “Memories,” a piece that combines old handkerchiefs, buttons, trims, etc. I wasn’t wild about any of the other three, but I do enjoy the challenge of interpreting a given theme.
I completed something that has been on my to-do list for years; I made fabric greeting cards.
A few of the fabric cards.
Summing Up; Looking Ahead
As I was finishing up some lap quilts in November, I told myself I was going to spend 2022 working with only favorite fabrics, that I have actually chosen and purchased myself, but two separate people are passing on more donations to me. One large amount of fabric has passed through several hands, and it initially came from someone also named Gwen, who had stitched her name onto things. When the universe calls your name like that, you know you are meant to sit straight and pay attention. So I guess I will be turning more donated fabrics into items for the VA hospital and other non-profits. I really enjoy seeing how I can make scraps useful.
Also, January 2022 is my 10-year blogiversary, so I am planning to refresh this blog, and I look forward to working on that.
And as I mentioned earlier, I want to improve my QAYG skills too, so that gives me three areas of focus for the coming year.
I hope all of y’all have good projects to look forward to in 2022!
You know, I DO like the Blue Bricks quilt. Calming and comfy are the words that come to mind.
Good luck with your PILES and PILES of donated fabric, they do go to a good home!
Thanks, Susan! I will reach out from the piles to type a post from time to time! 🙂
Love them! Gorgeous.
Thanks, Andrea!
A fabulous effort for the year, and I don’t think blue bricks is totally bland. My take on quilts I don’t love is that I just haven’t found the right owner yet. Someone will love it even if you don’t
Thank you, Helen! That is a good way to look at it.
A pat on the back! 2021 has been kind to your quiting world. You got a lot accomplished. I must say the first one is my favorite! Nicely done!
Oh thanks, yours are so much more intricate and visually interesting than that one! It has its benefits, we will call it “restful.” 🙂
Sometimes the beauty is in the simplicity!
A good year! My faves are the scrappy log cabins!
Thanks, Mary! I think I have enough blocks left to make one more of those, but boy, I found them too busy even for me when I was working on them! 🙂
I find the colors of your bed quilt restful. I can see it in a room full of rattan furniture. So much for getting new homes for all your fabric. For QAYG, have you checked out Marianne Haak http://www.thequiltingedge.com/p/tutorials.html.
Wow, thank you, Joanna! Her work is really awesome, the kind of thing I aspire to. Thank you for the link!
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Such a variety of different quilts – I am so impressed. I love so very many of them – and they spark ideas for my stitching this coming year. Thank you 🙂
Thank you! I will agree there is a variety — some people find their solo quilting voice and others of us happily participate in the chorus. 🙂 Happy stitching in the new year!
Lots of awesome pieces!
I enjoyed seeing your review of quilts – you’ve had a good 2021 quilt-wise! Happy New Year!
I’m amazed by your productivity and wonderful creativity! ‘m looking forward to seeing more this coming year. I hope it’s a good one – Happy New Year! x
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