2021 Wrap Up, 2022 Game Plan and Guiding Word

First - the Wrap Up

I'm so pleased that I more than met 

my goal to get caught up on FMQ

of the overflowing backlog of tops.

You can see all of my finishes

by clicking on the 2021 finish label

(in the side bar or at the bottom of the post)

I also completed the Kitchen Table Quilt series

that was started in 2020 but delayed.

You can see all of those quilts HERE

or by using the kitchen table quilt label.

I'm also beyond delighted that I finished

my lined drawstring bag project.

Started as part of this year's 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

but finished off on my own,

you can see all the posts

from the year-long adventure

by using the label -

'lined drawstring gift bag'

I also managed to finish up 

a number of quilt tops this year.

Some were started pre-2021 but unfinished

while others were start-to-finish in 2021.

All of this year's quilt tops

 can be seen using the 2021 quilt top label.

Second - the Game Plan 

My goal is for 2022 to enjoy a year without any

artificial/self-imposed deadlines or 

dedicated monthly projects/goals.

(the highly scripted month by month approach

started in 2014 when I was working on my book - 

it is way past time for me to get over that approach)

It IS time to focus on enjoying

the process of making for the sake of making.

I am SO looking forward to this freedom.

Third - the Guiding Word

I've chosen MAGIC as the focal word

for the quotations I'll share in 2022.

This article (click HERE) will give you

some insight into the thought process

that led to my choice of word.

On Friday I'll share 2021's final squirrel.

But in the meantime I need to ask 

for comment amnesty.

Thank you ALL for your kind comments

about Lykke and my style of FMQ,

the comments on the amaryllis blooms

and on the lined drawstring gift bags.

I am so grateful for 

your visits to the blog and your comments.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Mere color can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.”

Oscar Wilde

Fourth Quarter Accountability Check-In

Once again, for the sake of accountability,

here is an update for my Fourth Quarter Goals:

Quilts to pin baste/quilt/bind

DONE Sweater Weather (Nov KTQ) - DONE

Lykke (low volume for January -

originally intended to be the backing for a now-donated 

quilt top named Zephyr) - Ready to FMQ

Optic Strings (from Sujata's 2019

 Unexpected and Unconventional Challenge) - Ready to FMQ

Merry and Bright (KTQ December) - Ready to FMQ

Woolgathering (low volume for January) - Ready to FMQ

DONE Feisty (My 2019 Not a Mystery Quilt) DONE

Remaining Utility Mat Sets:

DONE November (set of 5) DONE

DONE December (set of 5) - DONE

Six Winter placemats  PROJECT CANCELLED

January (set of 5) - ready to FMQ

February (set of 5) - ready to FMQ

Six Spring placemats - ready to FMQ

My Lined Drawstring Gift Bag Project

XXL –  DONE

XL – DONE

L – fabrics ready to cut out/sew cut out and ready to sew

M – fabrics ready to cut out/sew cut out and ready to sew

S – fabrics ready to cut out/sew cut out and ready to sew

XS – fabrics ready to cut out/sew cut out and ready to sew

XXS - fabrics ready to cut out/sew cut out and ready to sew

AND . . . 

Once again, one of these critters appeared in my studio

(courtesy of Miss Nancy) so I've added DUSHA to my list

of active works in process -- I'd like to get it to 

quilt top stage by the end of the year.

* * *

And Ukiyo's quilt top happened unexpectedly

despite it not appearing anywhere on the list.

That's okay - it's still progress, it was a lot of fun,

and it cleared off the second design wall.

* * *

My short-term goals for November include

the final batches of lined drawstring gift bags

and FMQ/finishing for 3-4 quilts.

We'll see how it goes.

* * *

And so begins year two for our red amaryllis.

This is how it looked when I pulled it

out of the dark closet where it has been

hiding for the last seven weeks.

The dried leaves have been removed

and regular watering has begun again.

We shall see how it does.

(and I've ordered a new pink-ish one

for my design studio window upstairs)

* * *

And for those who are interested in making

lined drawstring bags like the ones I am making,

check out Jeni's now-annual QAL

(thanks to Suzanne for sharing this link)

Quiltdivajulie

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“Every room needs a touch of black, just as it needs at least one antique piece.”

Jan Showers

Fourth Quarter Goals

I took inventory last week of the projects

I had targeted for completion by the end of 2021.

For the sake of accountability, 

here are my stretch goals for

October-November-December: 

Quilts to pin baste/quilt/bind

Sweater Weather (Nov KTQ)

Lykke (low volume for January -

originally intended to be the backing

for a now-donated quilt top named Zephyr)

Optic Strings (from Sujata's 2019

 Unexpected and Unconventional Challenge)

Merry and Bright (KTQ December)

Woolgathering (low volume for January)

and

Feisty (My 2019 Not a Mystery Quilt -

currently pin basted and ready to FMQ,

but not using the planned-on thread colors)

Remaining Utility Mat Sets 

to sandwich/pin baste/quilt/bind:

November (set of 5)

December (set of 5)

Six Winter placemats 

January (set of 5)

February (set of 5)

Six Spring placemats

(these are all whole cloth mats 

with tops, backs, and binding strips 

cut out and waiting for batting scraps

from those six yet-to-be quilted quilts -

there's a utility mat label in the sidebar

if you want to see more about this project)

My Lined Drawstring Gift Bag Project

XXL – cut out and ready to sew

XL – cut out and ready to sew

L – fabrics ready to cut out/sew

M – fabrics ready to cut out/sew

S – fabrics ready to cut out/sew

XS – fabrics ready to cut out/sew

(this project has been languishing

in the background - time to get busy

and get those bags made -

there's a label/link in the side bar

for this year-long project)

* * *

I also indulged myself in a bit of pre-planning

for 2022 and beyond - nothing is written in stone

since we all know those pesky squirrels

sneak in to any tiny crack in our resolve.

I've been feeling the need for

a bit of course-correction and 

now seemed like a good time to begin.

First and foremost, I want to do a better job

of using my wonderful stash.

With online ordering, it is far too easy

to click and buy new instead of

being creative with what is already on hand.

To that end, 

I've unsubscribed from ever so many lists

and multiple online sellers' newsletters.

The quilts I love the most are always

scrappy in nature and stash-based.

So it is time to re-direct myself

back to that aspect of my process.

Secondly, I'm promising myself that I will avoid 

any more serial-type projects/commitments during 2022.

That means no new grandiose year-long projects

like the seasonal mats or lined drawstring gift bags.

And no new series like our kitchen table quilts

or my Dumpster Diving and Etcetera quilts.

It will also mean sitting out

 the Rainbow Scrap Challenge during 2022.

I am craving the freedom to play with 

whatever I feel like at any given time,

including some of the many gestating ideas 

that have been impatiently waiting.

In other words, I want to do

a better job of honoring my inner squirrel.

But for now I plan to keep my focus

 on the fourth quarter goals above.

Those impatient squirrels will just have to wait

until January to start wreaking their havoc.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I am intrigued that one can recognize different parts of the world solely by the particular color of the water.”

Leonard Mizerek

Six Month Re-Set

Year to Date recap:

Over the past couple of weeks,

I've been taking inventory of my projects,

cleaning up the stash and the scraps,

and re-evaluating where I want my focus

for the second half of 2021.

The first half of the year was focused on

reducing the backlog of quilt tops

waiting to be quilted and finished.

I'm very happy with the results -

sixteen (!!) quilts finished.

You can see those by clicking here and scrolling

through the posts labeled "2021 finish"

There are still nine quilt tops waiting

to be quilted plus the remaining

Kitchen Table Quilts.

The goal is at least two finishes per month.

Time will tell.

I've also managed to complete ten quilt tops.

Those can be seen by clicking here

and scrolling through the posts

labeled "2021 quilt top"

Of those, two have been donated, one has been gifted, 

and four have been quilted/finished; which leaves 

three in that group of 10 waiting to be quilted.

(plus Ludic is currently clipped ready to web the top

which will bring the total waiting to eleven)

Now on to what lies ahead for the next six months:

I had three primary Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects,

all of which have now moved beyond the monthly

color challenges and taken on lives of their own.

LINED DRAWSTRING GIFT BAGS

So far I've made 35 drawstring bags.

You can see those by using the 

Lined Drawstring Gift Bag label in my sidebar

and scrolling through the various posts.

Going forward, instead of focusing on a different color

each month, I'm going to focus on one of the six sizes.

We'll see where this ends up at the end of the year.

I already know there will be more bags 

than we'll need at any one time,

but with a deep stash it's just too much fun

to mix and match and create lots of options.

HOPPIPOLLA

This top will need 320 3" finished rail fence blocks.

Roughly 1/3 of those are complete.

The other two thirds are sewn and ready to trim to size.

I don't know if this top will be sewn by year end - we'll see.

(there's a label in the side bar for this project

if you want to see all posts on it)

UTILITY MATS

Still on the to-do list are whole cloth sets for

January (low volumes-ready to quilt), 

February (pinks-ready to quilt), 

August (brights on black-ready to quilt), and

October and November's mats (autumn colors).

As I quilt those pending quilts, 

I'll use the excess batting

to sandwich each of these groups

and get them quilted and bound.

I'm looking forward to having a year's worth 

of seasonal mat sets to pull out and use as needed.

(again, there's a label in the sidebar

that will lead you to the posts on this project)

Now for the Non-RSC works-in-progress:

SMITTEN is making noises again

to move it forward sooner instead of later,

at least as far as block construction is concerned.

+/- 250 four-patch blocks are pieced and pressed.

That means I need 110 more for a total of 360.

360 alternate squares are already cut and ready.

There's a big pile of paired scraps to be sewn

and then turned into four patches.

At that point I'll count again to see if more are needed.

(you guessed it - there's a label in the sidebar

for the posts on this project)

UKIYO originated from a virtual class

but has become a full blown quilt project.

I need 63 paper pieced quarter circles

for the layout I've chosen.

Seven of those are pieced (one row).

I'd like to sit and sew all of these 

but I suspect it will be more like 4-5 at a time

here and there in between other things.

PANDEMONIUM is currently on the design wall

the current AHIQ Symmetry (or not) Challenge.

I'll have an update on this one possibly by Friday.

And last, but certainly not least . . . 

KITCHEN TABLE QUILTS

The first seven of this twelve quilt series are done.

The final five are below:

August - ready to quilt

September - blocks made

October - ready to quilt

November - cut out and ready to piece

December - whole cloth (fabric on order)

(in addition to the dedicated blog page link above,

there's a label in the sidebar so you can

read through the whole series of KTQ posts)

* * *

Everything else in the "Pending Project Boxes" closet

or lurking in my head will just have to wait until 2022.

Unless the squirrels visit my studio again . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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“I prefer living in color.”

David Hockney

Dumpster Diving 9 - Blue Springs Road - the Quilt

Dumpster Diving 9 - Blue Springs Road is finished.

53" wide x 68" long

Started in mid-2019 when I impulsively bought

a fat quarter bundle of blue and white "Bequest" fabrics.

After multiple design considerations, 

I settled on SPRING by Valori Wells

using the fabrics from that bundle 

plus blues and yellows from my stash.

Once the long long long strips of segments were sewn

and laid out on the design wall, that plan changed again.

The top was completed in late July 2020.

Dumpster Diving 9 - Blue Springs Road 

was quilted with my liberated echo daisy fans

using Glide thread in Sky.

I used the last of the backing from Copacetic

to make the binding for DD 9.

As I continue my effort to FMQ and finish

my backlog of waiting tops,

I'm stitching out a sample of each design I use.

I started at the bottom with the original design

used on Copacetic at the left.

By the third motif, I modified the design

making it more fluid to stitch.

As I worked my way across the next to the last pass on DD 9,

I mistakenly stitched a second echo around the center hook.

Instead of taking it out, I used that variation to finish the quilt.

Then I stitched myself a small sample so I'd remember

that I like this version more than the single echo-ed center.

* * *

ADDED LATER in response to questions:

I think the rows appear to be so “straight” 

because I don’t stress over their exact linear placement. 

(hence the reason I begin the name 

for each of my FMQ designs

with the word "liberated")

Once I stitch the first row working left to right

along the lower edge of the quilt, 

 I cut my threads and return to the left 

to begin the second pass/row.  

The second row nests down into the first row 

and so on and so on as I work my way up the quilt.

By the time I get to the upper edge, 

one side of the last row or two 

is inevitably closer to the top  than the other - 

but the overall effect is still that the rows 

are moving horizontally across the quilt.

* * *

FMQ goals for April include

Dumpster Diving 8 - Bella

(waiting on fabric because I changed my mind

about the protective border and binding)

Dumpster Diving 10 - Do Tell

and

Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker

Quiltdivajulie

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“I never get tired of the blue sky.”

Vincent Van Gogh/ Stephen King