Year in Review--Good Bye 2016

Happy New Year!!!  I thought that I should see what I achieved on my list from the beginning of last year. My word for the year was focus and it did help me continue to make progress when I was stalled. I did start new projects; but, started fewer than I would have had I not been "focused!"

42 Minis

Of the eight projects that I listed, I finished two! My presidents blocks or "42 Minis"was the one that hung in the Featured Artist show last October. I am so happy that it is a quilt now! I blogged about my progress often!

The other project that I finished was my stitch book and I have used that to review stitches from time to time. In fact, I'm thinking about making a project soon utilizing that tool. I did use that book to make the guild challenge which was another goal on my list.

Below is most of my list with my update:

Stitching with a "Grand"

Close up of "Tickling the Ivories"

Continue to make progress on my current projects. (I have stalled on some; but, I'm working on a couple. I still want to work on these projects so I'm planning to stay the course!)

Start new projects. (I did this best of all! This DEFINITELY needs to be an item on my list for next year! 😀)

Sew another 50 yards from my stash. (I ended up sewing 24 1/2 yards from the stash. I have two projects--one a top almost finished and an almost quilt that had I finished would have put me way over the top in yards used! So I don't feel bad missing the mark!)



Try new to me techniques like paints, crayons and color pencils on fabrics. (I put some beads on a project and had fun. I hope to expand my box in 2017!)

Participate in the 6x60 guild challenge. (I did!)

Enter four quilts in our guild's quilt show. (As I think back, I can remember two--Blueberry/lime and Tickling the Ivories-- so next year I need to document what I enter with a blog!)

Sew projects with the grands. (I did! We made dresses, skirts, crafted some stars, finished some hot/cold rice packs and worked on some geese blocks.)

Have FUN! (I did!)

Looking back on my posts, the one that received the most comments was the one I wrote for the Fourth of July. You liked reading about my trip and I was tickled that the information wasn't boring to you!

The post that received the most views was the one about the Ultimate Shape Stencil.  You liked reading about how I used a tool to make progress on a project.

Dad receiving his star quilt

The hardest post to write was the one about my dad's passing last week. I received messages to the post, through Facebook and through private messages that have helped my mind and heart. I'm still in a sort of hovering mode. I appreciate my daughters',  husband's and friends' support. I am trying to get back into "normal."

I am trying to be mindful of others' grief processes and providing space to them. I am trying to not wince when lashed with unkind words. I understand that feelings are raw. I understand that there is often whole books of  "why" behind what comes out of someone's mouth which I didn't cause. I believe the effects of joy and kindness always return to you as will the effects of mean and nastiness. I choose joy over mean anytime!

Now, onward to what I want to accomplish in 2017!

My Dad--April 9, 1935-December 24, 2016

Christmas Eve, my dad passed away. He was a rancher/farmer who lived a mountain pass and about 120 miles from my driveway. The drive would take about two and a half hours. . .depending on the weather and the traffic.

My dad reading the label on his quilt

In honor of my dad's 80th birthday in 2015, I stitched him Dad's Stars. Last August, medical staff determined that his bladder cancer had returned. His lung and heart conditions prevented him from having surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. He opted to go into hospice care at home. He was unable to walk or stand which bugged him because he led an active life. (His hobbies were hunting, fishing, trapshooting and playing cribbage.)

I appreciate the care his wife provided as she was the motivating force for me being able to visit with him for a couple more years. His long term memory stayed sharp. I enjoyed our evening  phone conversations between seven and eight.

My DH and I surprised him on Friday, December 23, showing up on his doorstep for coffee and a cookie. He said the visit was the best Christmas gift we could give him. We visited; then we headed home. We had planned to make the trip Christmas morning; but, the weather report was looking like chains required to get over the mountain pass with heavy snow fall so we decided to go earlier.

Christmas eve day about lunch time, we chatted again. I called earlier that day because I knew that my family would be celebrating with him and I knew he would be busy. During our conversation, he let me know that his quilt was still nice and warm. He told me that he was glad I had an activity that I enjoyed so much. He said he liked trap shooting that way; but, he didn't do it but on the weekends and over time he collected a number of guns that he didn't use all that often. He thought I was smart to pick an activity I could do every day as well as have enough machines to get the job done. He sort of understood the time it took to make a quilt when I involved him in the process of making him his quilt. Although, he would look at a block and ask how long it took me to quilt it, then shake his head at my answer. His response meant, he had a crazy daughter!

Christmas was one of his favorite times of the year. The season, for him, always began when decorating the fresh tree commenced. He liked tinsel on the tree, added one strand at a time and thick! Christmas morning, he was so excited to see what Santa had left everyone under the tree and delighted in package unwrapping because there were new toys and games to play. He didn't care if it was a top for the toddler, a train set for the first grader or a basketball for a middle schooler. All toys had to be "tested!" He remained the oldest "kid" when it came to Christmas joy.

His wife called us at 11:25PM Christmas eve to let us know that he had passed. I guess he decided that he had some deliveries to make himself and couldn't stick around to greet Santa after all.

I appreciated all of our visits, I left nothing unsaid. Monday, I wrote his obituary.  It will appear in his local paper soon. Service arrangements and a celebration of his life are pending. I won't be surprised if both are held in March in conjunction with an event he established 15 years ago in the memory of a friend.

Today, I worked and shared his passing with one person. I didn't realize how difficult it was to say the words!

Love you, Dad!

Quilting will wait.

Year End Accounting

At the beginning of each year, I make a plan on what projects I want to finish. This year, I also made a goal of using 50 yards of fabric from my stash.

I wanted to quilt these:
Butterfly:
It's pieced. I just need to figure out the quilting!

















BOM: I wanted to embroider words as one of the borders. . .well, I still want to; but, need to be more proficient at the embroidery!










Chickens--this was a BOM from about 2007! I have most of the applique done. Need to put the blocks together and finish the applique that crosses over the blocks.

There are also some smaller projects; but, enough of what didn't get done as this is supposed to be a blog about FINISHING! :)
By the way, I plan to leave ALL of these projects on the list for next year!













I did quilt these:

Pinwheel Twist
made from some old blocks. . .hmmm the story could be a future blog!

Blueberry Lime. I blogged about it here and here.

Dad's Stars. I blogged about it here and here. 

Ouch:A book club quilt for the book, "Jane."


Ripples: A book club quilt for the book, "The Husband's Secret." I blogged about it here.

Pathways: A book club quilt for the book, "Wild." I blogged about it here.

Joy One. I had LOADS to blog about the words here and here!

Joy Two: You can read about it here and here.

Circus quilt. This is a raffle quilt for a small group that I'm part of. I completed all of the machine applique. 

Positively: A book club quilt for the book, "Where Lilacs Still Bloom." You can read about the process here, here and here.

The grands wanted pajamas and dresses/outfits. Of course, I obliged! You can read about the cape here. Last week, I blogged about the jean skirt and pajamas I stitched from fabrics that the grands had picked. You can see those photos here.

Four of the pillow cases that we stitched.

The granddaughters and I stitched 26 pillowcases. My goal was 24; but, the grands got excited with the fabric selection so we made extra. We donated 21 to a transition house. The oldest granddaughter can't understand that some kids might not have a pillowcase of their own. She likes picking the fabrics!

The liner and cover

I also made 14 hot/cold rice packs. These are gifts for family and friends. 

Rice Pack ready to use!

I embroidered 45 tea cup luggage tags as gifts for the Spring retreaters. Then I embroidered about a dozen more just for gifts!!

The theme for the Spring Retreat was "Tea for 42" so I made the tea cup luggage tags; but the other luggage tags were just too cute to not stitch!

There was also that special stocking.

I used about 65 yards of fabric from my stash. I replaced at least 15 yards; but I do have a little more space in my fabric tubs. The emphasis here is "little." My stash needs more thinning! 

A highlight of the year was working with a small group and working through The Artist's Way exercises. I found the group input helpful and inspiring. It has been about six months since we met; but, I'm still following my plan. . .well, at least, I'm planning and working towards goals! It has been a great year! Now to refine my plans and make 2016 an even more productive year!

Ripples

As I've written before, I've taken Bonnie Hunter's cue of using all available fabric. For this project, I used the triangles I use to toss when I trimmed them from the star points for Dad's Stars. She also is all about having a leader/ender project in mind and then sewing the small parts one would generally chain piece while piecing the main project. 

It is like having two projects going at the same time! That was how the Ripple project started. The photo on the left shows all the triangles sewn into half square triangles or HSTs.

I was inspired to make this because I belong to a quilting book club. We call ourselves "Thread Tales." We read a book, discuss it, make a quilt and then have a reveal. It is so cool to see what portions of the book inspired people and then how they translated their inspiration to fabric.

In the book, "The Husband's Secret," there were different story lines that were underlying at times. Sometimes, the story lines crossed paths; but, what struck me was that one act caused such an event of ripples. So I knew what I wanted to sew.
I made #344 units of four half
square triangles sewn together. 


This is a one unit pictured on the right. They are small!













Then, I tried the design out on the design wall.

Of course, I was curious about "What If?" This is a phrase I learned from Sharyn Craig. In a class, she showed each of us that whatever blocks we brought, we could ask a few questions, try a few layouts and have success with the blocks living together!

I actually decided the box design would be the one so I began to stitch a couple rows together. Oops, there are "holes" in the boxes!! The design could have worked for this project; but, it wasn't what I was thinking. Perhaps, I'll use it another time. It was a challenge matching all those intersections!






I also like to challenge myself to doing something different in a project. This time, I wanted to use reclaimed materials. I did plan to use new thread! I stitch small pieces of left over batting together into larger pieces. This piece is ready for a placemat or a bag.
My second challenge was to purchase a ruler that I could use to quilt free motion circles without marking and do it!




My second challenge was to purchase a ruler that I could use to quilt free motion circles without marking and do it!

The fabric for the back of the quilt was in a bundle I picked up from the free table at our guild meeting. It had seams in it and a few stains. . .perhaps, it was a table cloth? There was a large enough piece for the whole back! I also used it for the binding. The batting was pieces of wool and pieces of 80/20 that were left from another project. Yes, there are two layers of batting in this project and yes, each layer is pieced!

 I even used the  few left over HSTs to decorate the label! 

So this is my "free" quilt with only the thread as new!