Did 2019 Measure Up?

Before January gets away from me, I am taking a moment today to check my success rate for the goals I made for 2019. I actually had two separate goals list - one was the normal type of list (like I did yesterday) and one was a "bucket list"  (and bucket list, part 2) from an online list published by American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.

From my regular list, I planned to make quilts with 9-patches, large pieces, churn dash blocks and stars. I feel pretty good that all these things were accomplished.

Memoire a Paris; made in January 2019

9-Patch Exchange Quilt with the Frankfort Girls

Double 9-Patch UFO; made 2 quilts!

Moda Love; BIG pieces!

Weathervane quilt; BIG pieces!

Jelly Roll quilt incorporating 4-patch blocks.

Churn Dash mini-quilt.

Probably the biggest accomplishment of 2019 wasn't even on a list. Getting that long arm machine out of the basement, up to the spare bedroom and WORKING! was a monumental accomplishment. Then to think that I actually quilted several quilts on it impresses me even more. Wow. I still pinch myself at times.

Now, about that bucket list from APQ magazine. The list - 50 items! - is far too long to cover in its entirety, so I will mention the ones that I really regret not accomplishing:

***I wanted to make a quilt using solids, even bought fabrics for it, but never followed through.
***I wanted to make a 2-color quilt.
***I wanted to make a quilt which combined 9-patch blocks and snowball blocks.
***I wanted to finish a Christmas project before Christmas; remember that Roman Holiday mini-quilt I was hand quilting? Still not done. *bummer*

Let me list a few bucket list items that I accomplished! These are worth mentioning:

***Learn to applique.
***Make an embroidery project.
***Finish a UFO - I finished 3!
***Donate pillowcases to a charity. Another charitable donation was the OSU t-shirt quilt I made for my husband's college fraternity. I have a future post about that quilt planned.

That about sums up 2019. Now on to accomplishing great things in 2020. This year promises to be even better and more productive.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Goals for 2019

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Already, we have found our way to the final week of the first month of our new year. Where does the time go?

It occurred to me over the weekend that I hadn't yet divulged any of the great quilting plans I have for 2019.

The goal is not complicated; I plan to make simple quilts and lots of them. I don't want to spend a lot of time cutting and piecing intricate designs. Instead, I will opt for simple squares in large sizes.

Nine-patch.
Four-patch.
Irish Chain.
Maybe throw in some HSTs to make some Churn Dash blocks.
Maybe throw in some flying geese or hourglass blocks to make stars.

NOT MY QUILTS!!!

All from Pinterest boards! 

The beauty of Pinterest allows me to find inspiration for the simple quilts I am hoping to make. The quilt above is a combination of two blocks - the snowball and the 9-patch. Careful placement of the background fabric gives this quilt a unique look. Click on the picture to be taken to the Pinterest pic and the source.

The simple patchwork in the quilt above hardly needs a pattern, so I can see myself drafting a block of, say, 12 inches, and making quick work of a quilt top. Again, click on the image for the Pinterest pic and source. It will be much less dark.

For a classic star quilt, I am always drawn to the Ohio Star, and coupled with a block like the one above or with plain setting blocks, a couple of these star quilts might be efforts I undertake this year.

Back to basic square shapes, the inspiration below would be a super easy and rewarding block to put into a striking quilt.

The Churn Dash quilt below inspires me to make these simple blocks and set them in straight sets - fast and easy.

In addition to these new creations, I do still have some UFOs in the quilting room that I think I will finish. I spent all of 2017 working on UFOs and took a huge bite out of that pie. However, I was so tired of 2017's UFOs that I did NONE in 2018. Now, with some distance from them, I intend to do just 2 or 3. I will focus on those particulars in a separate post.

Happy Quilting, Friends!