Sunday 1 January 2012

Goodbye 2011 (and a new WIP)

I really can't believe how fast this year has gone. We moved house in April, and with a whole sewing room (slash study - not much studying going on here though!) I caught the quilting bug. Hard. So from July onward, I have become progressively more and more obsessed with quilting. Since it seems to be obligatory in blogland, I've made a mosaic with (some of) my finishes from 2011.


1. Charmed prints QAL, 2. 1001 peeps quilt, 3. Willow Wren Baby Quilt, 4. Children at play doll quilt, 5. Boys at play front, 6. Children at Play Quilt, 7. Autumn forest quilt front, 8. Central Park Quilt, 9. It's a girl thing..., 10. 1001 Peeps Doll Quilt, 11. Owls and Spots Baby Quilt, 12. Silent Cinema baby quilt, 13. Lotus Garden Quilt, 14. Bird Tree Indigo Baby Quilt, 15. Beetle Bugs Quilt, 16. Urban Zoologie Quilt, 17. Love Quilt, 18. Magenta bird tree quilt

There are a couple missing from here - but still I think I've finished around 23 since July when I really started quilting. Which is kind of scary. And kind of says a lot about how obsessed I am...

I have a lot of plans for 2012 -
* Participate in some QALs - I've already signed up for two QALs, and will probably do more.
* Participate in a bee
* Finish writing up some of my designs into tutorial/patterns to put on my blog (I have one nearly finished).
* Learn some more difficult techniques (paper piecing and needle-turn applique in particular).
And some things I'd like to do but don't expect will actually happen this year:
* Be a guest blogger on some other blogs
* Get one of my designs in Moda Bakeshop
* Get published somehow

I know a lot of people have been madly trying to finish long term WIPs before the new year. I on the other hand have started another project, which I'm madly excited about. I really need to stick with quilts and finish them, rather than getting all excited about new projects and letting my WIP pile get even bigger (maybe that should go onto my plans for 2012 list?).

I received (read: bought myself) Lizzy House's Five Magical Projects book for Christmas, and have cut and started piecing High Seas. When I first started looking at quilty books, the block that most appealed to me was Snail Trail (or Monkey Wrench - it can be called either I've found) - and this quilt is made up of 42 of the buggers. By 'cut' I mean about 5 hours of cutting. Thankfully my lovely other half has (grudgingly) bought some huge pieces of MDF board to cover his 8-ball table, so I can use it as a cutting table (and its perfect for pin basting my quilts as well - yay!!) - which meant all the cutting was quite bearable. It was much better than using the dining table - plus I could leave all my fabric laid out in between cutting sessions.

This is a really dodgy photo of my squares, HSTs and QSTs ready to be sewn together:


I'm linking up to Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet over at Lily's quilts
Fresh Sewing Day

Small Blog Meet
Happy new year!
Jess

14 comments:

Sarah PingsAndNeedles said...

Wowza! That is one amazing output for a year! Fantastic!

Happy New 2012! I look forward to seeing what wonders you create!

mammafairy said...

This is a rate of more than a quilt a month! you have been working hard. I shall look forward to seeing more of your output this year!

Deb said...

You've been bitten by the quilting bug hard! And what amazing quilts! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

Nic said...

Holy sh*t! You've done all that since July?! I think I'll walk away with a feeling of inadequacy right about now :)

MC said...

I like your bright bold quilts, the Zoologie especially. I've been working on my first quilt since September, so I'm definitely impressed at how much you got done this year!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I LOVE that 1001 Peeps quilt!! I found you through Small Blog Meet, Happy New Year! :)

Aunt Marti said...

Jess, I am so glad you signed up with Lily's Small Blog Meet. I found your link to the Japanese Sampler QAL and can't wait to get started. My younger son is in Japan with the US Navy -- I've been HINTING that he send me some fabric. Maybe this will provide the impetus to get him out and shopping!

Elvy Crafts said...

Wow, your are one talented quilter! I have a stack of Silent Cinema that's been waiting for something special -- your baby quilt is definitely inspiring!

Charlotte said...

Wow so productive, well done. It certainly is an addiction isn't it! Love your plans for 2012, I think I have a lot of the same ones as you

noga quilts said...

Unbelievable and beautiful work for one year! Keep up the good work and Happy New Year!
Noga

Eileen said...

nice accomplishments. especially love the pink/gray and the purply quilts. thanks for sharing and have a great day

Mary said...

Wow, I love the style of your quilts! I understand your passion for this hobby... if I didn't work full time I would be right there with you... Happy New Year!

Karen Smith said...

You've got a lot to be proud of in 2011 and a lot to look forward to in 2012!

Frederique said...

Beautiful quilts, I love them all!