Hello!  I’m so glad you made a stop by my blog on your search for end-of-year recaps.  I have been MIA a lot lately because we are so busy at work and at home.  I have had a couple of days over the holidays to almost do just what I wanted, and a few hours were dedicted to sewing.

As I think about 2015, I plan to make it the year of the FINISH.  That will be my word for the year.  It also goes along with my resolution to myself, and as a family, to watch our spending this year and save more.  As the kids get bigger, the wishlists get more expensive.  Vacations are more expensive.  Toys are more expensive.  Eating out is more expensive.  Eating in is more expensive.  Etc.  We can’t eat my quilts and I can’t craft a treehouse out of them either.  Well, maybe the canopy on nice days.

So, to get off on the right foot – I got started on some very long-awaited bindings.  I have 9 quilts to bind, and I started with my Dad’s quilt … Nantucket:

Binding … done.

Then I started on my Great Granny Squared quilt which is a house warming gift for a friend.  Really tried to finish last night, but it will have to be this weekend:

That leaves 7 more quilts to bind…

Top to bottom .. Clover, Love for Nora, Avalon Bouquets, Log Cabin Christmas, Fig Tree Sampler and Love Letters:

After the bindings, I have three quilts I want to FMQ myself and two I will need to send off…

The top two you haven’t seen from me before.

The top is Sunshine and Silver and it literally took me just a few hours to put together.  Pattern by Shabby Fabrics.

The one in the middle is the Somerset Fig Tree challenge quilt that Joanna of Fig Tree & Co offered in November.  You had to use a mini charm of Somerset and Aurifil thread from the special thread collection box.  I’ll share the full picture of that quilt when it is quilted.

The bottom one is Harvey with American Jane fabric collections.

Next group … On the left is MODA Love pattern with American Jane and my own Fig Tree mini sampler quilt.

What else?  I finally cleaned up my sewing space and installed a new bobbin rack that I got waaaay back in March.  I love, love, love it!

I also got these two oversized wooden Buttons for a Christmas gift to decorate my corner space.  LOVE them too!

Here is the space all put together.  I can’t wait to hang some mini quilts in the open spaces around the bobbin/ruler racks.

What’s left?  I will work towards my finish on Reach for the Stars quilt and hopefully make a new ironing board cover.  For now, that’s already an aggressive list for the entire 2015 year.  I’m sure another project or two will slip in though (AYOS anyone?).

I’ll leave you with a picture of our sprightly, relatively new, kitten.  She’s already about 6 months old.  I found her outside my office building a few months ago.  Very healthy, great energy.  We love her.  Her name is either Violet or Velvet, depending on who you ask.

Have a very SAFE and HAPPY New Year holiday weekend!  I’m so appreciative of all of you who stop by and thank you for comments that you leave.  See you in 2015!!

All my best,

Jennifer

Oh. My. Gosh.  I am so tardy in this post.  I would not blame my predecessor at all if there was severe disappointment in her soul.

Earlier this month, Dawn at First Light Designs asked if I would like to participate in the Around the World Blog hop.  I had happily agreed and thought it was an honor that she had asked.  Then things fell apart and my time on the blog, and fun stuff in general, was severely limited and I wanted this post to have some thought involved.

So – here it is.  The blog hop involves a series of questions and answers.  I hope you enjoy!

Question 1:  What am I working on?

Like you, I have many WIPs (works in process) and some that have graduated into UFOs.  Right now, I am wanting to stay up with the monthly sew along hosted by Sinta and Sherri called AYOS (Another Year of Schnibbles).  I can’t recall which year we are on, but the second installment for this year is due today and I have the main part of that quilt done.  I haven’t quite decided on the border treatment yet.  I’m leaning towards some appliqued flowers in the style of Kim Diehl.

Harvey Pattern – AYOS Oct 2014

After this quilt top, I plan to return to the Reach for the Stars progressive quilt, published over the last seven editions of Quilters Newsletter.  It is designed by Terri Krysan and I have tried to be faithful to the color scheme, but I have used many different collections of neutral fabrics for my own top.

After I get rolling on this one again, I have about 7 completed and quilted tops that desperately need binding.

Question 2:  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is a difficult one for me, because I am very inspired by what I see around me on other blogs or magazines/patterns.  I haven’t been the type to change up designs and I have yet to do my own pattern, outside of a log cabin variation a long time ago.  I copy what I like and perhaps just change the fabric choices at times.

Question 3:  Why do I create what I do?

Deep down, I love the idea that I am creating something from scratch.  Yes, we are all taking perfectly good yardage of fabric and then cutting it all up and sewing it all back together again.  I get that.  But the result is something that is, thankfully, considered by most as a treasured result when you have a quilt.

I am partial to bed size or large throw size quilts.  I love seeing the mini quilts and wall hangings, but I don’t have that many walls or table tops to adorn with quilts.  I want to snuggle under quilts and interact with them daily.

My most favorite reason for making a quilt is to celebrate an event or friendship.  Having my two kids were such excellent excuses to put together some of my favorite quilts so far.  Friends that have gotten married, bought their first house or had their first grandchildren are also up there on my list.

SWOON quilt made for the marriage of a friend in 2013 (names and date embroidery in the center block).  Beautiful baptist fan quilting done by LiMa Sews:

Question 4:  How does my creative process work?

I see it, I like it, I buy fabric and pattern.  I love kits.  I usually start with the body of the quilt and utilize my creativity with the fabric choices – trying to bring in some similar collections to make it a bit more scrappy.

I love borders.  And most patterns aren’t big enough to make a good drop off the edge of the beds (usually queen size is my preference).  So I try to look at the theme of the patterns to come up with a good coordinating border design that will look as though it was intended.  Which it was …  by me!  (See Swoon quilt above – I wanted it to be a good King Size so I added the tumbler block border).

Here’s an example of another AYOS project that was meant to be a wall hanging, but I made it large enough to be at least a couch throw:

CLOVER – Original Pattern completed

CLOVER – with additional borders added and quilted:

So – there you have it!

I don’t have a specific person/blog to send you to directly from me, but there are many of my favorite bloggers that have participated already in this Around the World Blog Hop, that I thought it would be great to give you the list and links of those I could easily track down in 30 minutes or less.  Please visit their post and learn more about what makes them tick and their unique styles.

Dawn from First Light Designs

Amy from Nana Company

Sherri from A Quilting Life

Judi from Green Fairy Quilts

Carrie from La Vie En Rosie (Miss Rosie’s Quilts)

Have a great weekend and I’ll be back with some Halloween pictures on the next post.

Jennifer