2024 - Quilting In Review

Yesterday I shared my December highlights in a collage; today I will share a second collage showcasing all the quilts and projects made in 2024. Believe me, there were far fewer than intended.

TOP ROW: The Blue Ohio Stars were made from the depths of my Aunt Margaret's sewing tubs. Her son Sam, my first cousin, in going through his mother's belongings, set aside her quilting stuff for me. I was happy to get it, and I was thrilled to see these stars. I made the setting blocks to go with them and sewed up the quilt top in short order. With the stars already pieced, it went fast! 

Next, are two pillow cases I made to accent the newly fashioned bedroom we set up. The quilt on this bed is one I call Dusty Trails, as the fabrics make me think of women piecing quilts as they crossed America on the Oregon Trail. Everything would've gotten dusty, and these fabrics all have a "look" that exudes faded old clothing cut up to use in quilts. The pillow cases exude that look as well, and all came from existing stash.

The last pic in this row is of my continued work on Lake Effect. I had a goal for the year to have the 4 long borders attached; alas, this goal was not met, but I am close!

MIDDLE ROW: As I purged from all the upstairs rooms, I unearthed some long-forgotten tubs of fabric. This blue and yellow quilt was constructed from fabrics that I thought had been used in a quilt my grandmother made for my niece. Grandma is long gone, and the niece doesn't remember it - nor does her mother (my sister)! Apparently, I must have my facts all wrong on this; regardless of the origins, I now have a quilt top ready for quilting and eventual gifting. 

I found Penelope Handmade on the internet; she offered up directions for making the Inverted Stars in the center photo. I was so enamored with her quilt that I succumbed to a spontaneous whim and began making them, too. I ended up with enough to make a quilt top, and it, too, awaits quilting. This was fun to do, and I wouldn't need much convincing to make more. *wink*

One quilt I made, quilted, and gifted was this baby quilt for Ruby Jean, my grand-niece. It is made from a layer cake, and I have now made 3 using this pattern I made up.

BOTTOM ROW: Two more baby quilts made, quilted, and gifted are carbon copies - one was given to another little grand-niece, McKenzie Mae, and the other was for our own little Reagan Jayne. 

Another impromptu quilt top came as a result of an impulse purchase at Old Town Fabric Shop in Chillicothe. I saw pre-cuts of Chelsea Gardens, and I just could not resist. I bought two mini-charm packs and some yardage, then proceeded to create this very spontaneous 9-patch quilt. And yes, it too awaits quilting. 

I had to go way back in the files to find a picture of this last quilt - Tag Sale made with a variety of Bonnie and Camille fabrics. I think it looks like an absolute mess, and I have no idea what I will ever do with it. Someone suggested that it'd be a great picnic quilt, and I agree. So when I get around to quilting it, it will either be gifted with that purpose in mind, or we will use it ourselves.

I don't know if you were counting, but all told five quilt tops are featured in that collage needing to be quilted. I fell way behind my in quilting goals in '24; I really have got to do better - much better - in '25.

My crowning glory quilting accomplishment in 2024 was the Tiny Nine-Patch Challenge, a sew-along hosted by on Instagram by Taryn of @ReproQuiltLover. For last year's Florida sewing, I brought most of my scrap tubs with the intent of just making a bunch of 9-patches or 4-patches and waiting to see what inspiration might pop into my head for how to use them. 

Taryn's sew along was so perfectly timed, that I had my inspiration almost immediately. I cranked out those 9-patches in January, February, March - I thought I'd never see the bottom of the tub! Once I was back in Ohio, I began constructing the quilt top, and guess what?? I still needed more 9-patches!

I made about 35 more 9-patches which was enough to finish this absolutely gorgeous quilt! All scraps! Yeah! And to shock you all to crazy-land, I actually quilted it! Yep! I sure did. A quilt not even on my radar as 2024 began, was finished and on the bed by September. Wowzers!

There you have my quilting year in review. It is not nearly the long list previous years have had. Maybe I can return to maximum output in '25.

I shall be back tomorrow - yes! I will! - to share some of the current sewing, and what is in store for Florida sewing this year.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Official Bloggy Welcome to 2025!

We made it safely to Florida on Wednesday and Thursday; have spent the intervening days getting things situated and comfortable. And now it is time to get serious about blogging! I really piddled out last year; I hope to do better.

I have always like the beginnings - beginnings of months, of years, of projects. The fresh new days of 2025 are pumping me full of ideas and projects and plans - many of which are sewing/quilting projects and plans.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, however, I need to review 2024. Typically, I use one collage to do this, but as we are ending a whole, entire year, I made two.

This first collage represents my highlights for December. I tell you, I did so very little sewing! It saddens me just a tiny bit to think of those projects which were left unfinished. However, all the fun and fellowship I did have most assuredly makes up for it. And you can see from the snapshots in these pictures, people play a very big role.

TOP ROW: I will reiterate here what I've said often in the blog posts I've made since summer - we remodeled and updated our upstairs. These three pics show the three sleeping bedrooms - master bedroom, then bedroom 2, and bedroom 3. We remodeled in this order. The master bedroom was technically the project we set out to do, but it quickly became evident that in order to do it properly, the others would have to be dealt with as well. Bedroom 2 was formerly the long arm room, so major things had to happen which forced my involving the sewing room. Yikes! It was all so very daunting!

Bedroom 3 didn't get so much of a remodel as it did a severe clearing out. We had used this room as a catch-all, and it had gotten to the point that even walking into the room was an athletic endeavor. 

All three rooms still have some small things that need tending to. Art for the walls; hang a ceiling fan; install a TV on a wall mount; continued purging in that third bedroom - these would all be a healthy start.

MIDDLE ROW: Granddaughters took lots and lots of our time, which we never find to be a problem! Reagan and Cate are such darling girls, and we take so much joy in watching them develop and grow. Reagan is 3 months; Cate is 26 months. Cate is such a good little helper when Reagan is around, as illustrated in that center photo.

BOTTOM ROW: The first picture was taken at a family luncheon in Hillsboro - extended family on my mother's side joined us for fun and frivolity. My cousin and her husband are in the foreground, then my two aunts are behind them. That's me way in the distance. *grin*

The middle picture shows the one sewing project I finished in December - a Mondo bag to gift to Helen in our Frankfort Girls gift exchange. This may be about the 6th one of these I've made, so you'd think I would have finished it in a timely manner. Uh-uh. Nope. I was topstitching the night before the party. Geesh.

The last picture is of the Frienzies. We only had 5 present, but it was so much fun. We did a Progressive Day. We seem to always be so busy that when we do get together, we never get to truly visit with one another. So we devoted the entire day to connecting. We started with brunch at my house at 9am, then went to Pam's for coffee, tea and games. After that, we went to Susan's for lunch and a quickie project; then off to Hettie's for after-dinner drinks and dessert. It was a wonderful day, as we ended about 4pm. We got to see each other's houses decorated for Christmas, and we really took the time to enjoy the company. I hope we do this again next year!

Well, I have that other collage, but looking at the length of this post, I think it'd be a good idea to hold it off until tomorrow.

Happy New Year, Quilty Friends!

Jayne