2023 starts well!

The new year has started well, but mainly due to the work done in 2022.  But I will take the kudos for this month's finishes, regardless.  However, I was in hospital for ten days and sick in bed or recovering for another week or so, so I didn't get as much done in January as planned.  But still happy with my achievements.   

The wool and tartan quilt is a finish!  

This quilt's design was governed by the size of pieces on hand.  They were all scraps of various sizes so it meant adding piece to piece until each block was the same size as others.  The tartan fabric is heavier than the wool suiting pieces, but I used a 3/8" seam allowance and a small stitch length to help the pieces stay joined and avoid too much fraying.  My quilting was also planned to help the pieces stay together and unfrayed.  Despite being very closely pinned, the wool fabric tended to shift quite a bit, so I actually quilted it more densely than planned.  Not sure if that was a good idea or not.  There is some bad puckering in a couple of places on the front of the quilt but I've let those go through to the keeper.  Quilted in wavy straight lines with variegated Signature thread on top and Signature thread to match the backing in the bobbin.  Backing and binding from a piece of cotton fabric exactly the right size from my stash.  Finished size:  142cm (56") x 117cm (46")

The music quilt is a finish!  

Quilting was finished in early January.  I needed to unsew a section of the border and redo the quilting there.  My free-motion quilting was a bit dodgy.  And when trimming the quilt after attaching the binding, I cut the binding on one corner so had to insert a new section of binding to go around that corner.  That was a fiddly job.  And then, while hand sewing the binding down, I found another corner where I'd cut the binding!  So frustating that I had done it twice.  Quilted with Isacord on the top and grey Signature cotton thread in the bobbin.  Batting is a 80/20 cotton/poly blend.  Finished size:  208cm (81") square

The elephant wallhanging is not a finish!  But I'm getting there with my hand quilting and embellishing. 

January 2023 fabric tally

Finishes this month:  wool and tartan quilt - 45" x 60" + backing + binding = 5.5 m ; music quilt -  81" x  81" + backing + binding =  12 m. 

Purchases in January:   when ordering some needles etc. online, I saw a special on a rainbow solid fat quarter pack, and couldn't resist.  Great for baby quilts.  

Fabric used:  - 17.5m         Fabric acquired:  + 1.25m

2023 running tally:    Starting with 0m    (of course!)

                    - 16.25m

Finishes in 2022

Not such a productive year as I was hoping - but I did work a lot and was away a fair bit also, about 10 weeks altogether.  And I did progress quite a few projects, but not finish them.

Finished quilts

Only two!

    

Small quilted items

Quilted bag, hot water bottle covers, croquet mallet covers, cat cushion. 

                   

     

Plans for 2023

• Music quilt - just the binding left to do now.
• Wool & tartan quilt - just the binding left to do now.
• Elephant wallhanging - finish the hand quilting, nice beads and buttons to add as well.
• Medallion quilt - finish the top and maybe even start the quilting?  I will machine quilt it, much quicker to do. 
• Baby quilts - there is at least one great nephew and one great niece on their way.  And I'd like to have a stock of baby quilts on hand, just in case.  
• Wedding quilt - a nephew is getting married in March and I am considering making a quilt for them.  However, I think I will run out of time this year.  Unless I use one of the half made quilts in my WIP pile?
• Clothing - I have a couple of items that I'd like to make for myself.  I have the fabric and patterns for a dress and shirts.  Time will be the limiting factor though.
• Bunting - for my daughter's shop.  It will have the shop name on it, individual letters appliqued on to separate flags in the bunting.  And there may be some other items to sew for her shop.

Let's see what of these plans I actually achieve in 2022.  I will be away on holiday for at least 14 weeks this year, so that limits me.  As does paid work, which comes and goes.  I don't like to knock it back - the money is nice.  

Looking back on 2022

Three quilts basted in October and then I fell in a heap.    I had high hopes of getting one, maybe two quilted in November but it didn't happen.  There was lots of casual shifts available at work and we had three weeks away, as well as lots of pre-Christmas social gatherings and not a lot of sewing got done sadly.  

I did finish the quilting on the wool and tartan quilt in December but then it sat on the sewing table - waiting!  

Quilting on the music quilt was a rushed job which meant I stuffed up a couple of things and then got frustrated with myself.  So it also sat on the sewing table - waiting.   

And sadly I haven't started quilting the elephant wallhanging.  However, it is ready for all the handwork now, with a tray of gorgeous threads, buttons and beads ready to decorate it.  Another seat of the pants job!  

         

The next round of hand piecing for the quatro quilt is almost ready to start, with most papers glued to the fabric pieces.  I just need to choose the basted fabric pieces to form each flower in that round.   A fun job to do.

I did get a couple more rounds done on the traditional medallion quilt.  Next will be the side pieces for this round.  Apologies for it being partly hidden by the ironing board.  

I'll do a post with photos of the 2022 finishes next.  

November/December 2022 fabric tally

Finishes this month:  sadly none.  

Purchases in November/December:  I supported the patchwork shop in my daughter's local town by buying a few pieces:  three fat quarters, 3m of orange batik on special (great backing fabric) and 1m of a blue/red stripe which would make a great binding for the medallion quilt I'm working on, and ........ a layer cake of Tula Pink fabric.  So I've blown my fabric budget! and I was being so good.   That's 7.75 m of fabric. 

Fabric used:  - 6 m         Fabric acquired:  + 7.75 m

2022 final fabric tally:     + 31.5 m  (this will carry over into next year)

2022 Total fabric tally

Total fabric used in the year:  13.25 m

Total fabric acquired in the year:  44.75 m