Quilts in Progress :: Annual Review
At the beginning of 2022, I wrote out a summary of the quilts I'd worked on in 2021 and where I thought things were going in 2022, and the post sat in a draft. I'd meant to add photos, but then 2022 happened, and then 2023... so here we are at the start of 2024, and it feels like the perfect time to review this list, throw in a picture or two, and recommit to sewing! I've left the original 2022 list as I wrote it, and added updates for 2023 and 2024 as they felt fitting. For some of the quilts on the list, I added a 'this moment' review. Mostly, these have been finished and gifted.
Quilts in Progress :: The Grand List {started 2021}
2021: I'm putting this quilt first because it was my proudest make of the year.
This moment: This quilt traveled to the UK to be part of a special quilt exhibit and made its way back to me. Right now, it lives on the wall behind my work desk. Some days, it blends into the background, and I go about my day not noticing it. Other days, I pause and remember stitching it and think about when running became my lifeline in the early pandemic days.
2021: I started the year with the goal of gaining confidence with piecing curves. With one curved block pieced each week to record my running, I got lots of practice with curves and made use of the positive feedback loop. I was proud of myself for staying current with a block sewn each week for the first half of the year.
2022: I'll continue to track my mileage, but this quilt will capture runs and exercise during 2021. My intention is to finish this quilt by the end of 2022, but as I look over everything on my plate and my works-in-progress list, this quilt isn't going to get top priority yet.
2023: Running gave way to training jiu-jitsu, and this quilt sat untouched all year.
2024: I'll need to reassess as the year goes on - shall I finish the quilt with the blocks I made (tracking half a year of running) or try to finish all the blocks first? I love the look of the blocks, the data they capture, and the curved sewing practice, but being so far removed from the running and the tracking has me feeling less engaged with this quilt. When I consider the end product, it might be fun to work on a layout with just the blocks I've completed.
2021: This memory quilt was my top priority as the year got started. It had already been too many years in the making and I was more than ready for it to go to its forever home. There was a heaviness in this quilt, both in the physical weight of it and in the importance of it. I felt honored to work on this and many of my own emotions are quilted into it.
This moment: This quilt was finished and gifted in 2021.
2021: Why make just one Quilt Your Life quilt, when you could make two? This second one (after the running quilt) is less data-driven and more a journal of moments of joy captured in fabric. This quilt followed a quilt along, and while I wanted to keep current and associate four blocks with each month of the year, I knew that realistically, as an English Paper Piecing project, this probably wouldn't happen. Instead, I have taken so much enjoyment from each step of the process and solidified the moments of joy in my memory.
2022: I plan to continue using my record of the moments from 2021 to pull fabrics and stitch in those on-the-go and in-between moments. This is another quilt I'll continue working on as I find the time.
2023: Another year went by without much (if any work) on this quilt.
2024: As the year goes on, I'd like to review where I've left this quilt. I'm thinking of other options for finishing the blocks to make small, finished items.
2021: As the team leader, I spent this past year doing my best to stay current with each month's blocks and keep track of coordination for our group. I was mostly successful in each of these areas, but am going to finish the year without finishing my quilt.
2022: I will continue to coordinate our group and will make finishing my quilt(s) a priority.
2023: I came to terms that this quilting bee wasn't a priority for me. A big part was the lack of community I felt in our group. As the leader, I could have done better in building that community, and that lesson has moved with me. I need to show up in the spaces I want to exist.
2021: My first quilt pattern test was a success. I found community in the pattern testing group and joy in piecing each block with my favorite fabrics. Gifting this quilt to my friend and her new baby just felt so right - especially after taking pictures of all the blocks at special natural places.
This moment: As 2023 came to a close, I found myself reigniting our friendship and communication. Even though we're far apart, and our lives are full of family and daily commitments, I've found so much joy in this renewed friendship. It is a good reminder to show up.
2021: This quilt was my second pattern test of the year and was a massive undertaking. It fits perfectly with my goal of learning to piece curves, but once the deadline passed for providing pattern feedback, I lost steam with piecing the top.
2022: I've packed this quilt away and plan to get it finished in 2023. I know who this one is going to and waiting another year to finish is a very realistic goal.
2023: I pulled this quilt out and only felt angst when I thought about trying to remember where I was in the pattern and piecing all the curved blocks required to finish it. It got excited about using this quilt as the starting point for the informal #NightGardenSAL and even made a couple paper pieced flower blocks. But, as 2023 continued on, I felt lackluster about the gift I thought I would make of this quilt, and that kept me from feeling motivated to work on it.
2024: I plan to finish this quilt top with the parts that are done and then finish the quilt as a lap quilt. I'm debating the final destination for this quilt, but I'd like to get it done even if I don't know the answer.
2021: The year that was filled with quilt pattern testing! Prior to this year, I hadn't made a quilt with a specific pattern. I was happy to get the top pieced on time and even decided who would be getting the finished quilt.
2022: This will be my first finish of the new year and my one monthly goal (as inspired by Elm Street Quilts).
This moment: Finished and gifted in 2022 - this was a reminder that when I break my work out into concrete steps, tackling my goals is achievable. The quilt story was recently blogged.
2021: One would think that with my growing list of works in progress, I wouldn't start yet another quilt but I couldn't help myself. Especially, not when I pulled my favorite fabrics and joined the fun and creative sew-along. I even nearly got the top pieced but stalled out with the sashing.
2022: This is another quilt I'll set aside, and I have marked a tentative finish date in 2024. That's a long way off, but it also works with whom I'd like to gift this one.
2023: And then came the twist... my youngest aged into TK earlier than expected and this quilt - a gift for his preschool teacher - was finished and gifted. This was a special one and it meant a lot to gift this to this wonderful woman who played a big role in both my children's lives.
2021: My last pattern test of the year... and it came after I had already decided to stop testing patterns. I just couldn't turn away from an English Paper Piecing pattern. I made getting the pieces cut my December One Monthly Goal and it worked!
2022: I'm working on finishing the quilt on time. This means I've started the year picking up the pieces for this project each evening while watching TV.
This moment: In 2022, I got this pattern test pieced, and then, very quickly, I needed to get it finished so that it could be gifted before our friends moved away.
:: Other Quilts in Progress ::
{the incomplete list}
- Geowhale - est. Jun. 2016: EddyLou's 'baby' quilt that now should definitely be made big enough to be lapsized.
- Pollinate in Peach - est. Dec. 2018: my first English Paper Piecing quilt following a pattern designed by my friend Kitty.
- Everett's baby quilt - est. Jan. 2019: I've got a stack of quilt blocks family and friends illustrated during the baby shower my friend Kate hosted.
- Light Dances La Passacaglia - est. Apr. 2022: the English Paper Piecing quilt that will take me my lifetime to complete all done in my beloved Lizzy House fabrics.
- She is a mountain - est. 2023: small wall hanging I designed inspired by therapy.
- Here is My Soul - est. Apr. 2023: year-long project to find joy and document the year before I turn 40.
- Karnak - est. May 2023: begun as part of the informal stitch along on IG for this pattern.
- Quiet Confidence - est. Jan. 2024: this is the 2024 block of the month pattern hosted by Rachel at Stitched in Color. I'm working on this as a Quilt Your Life quilt.
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