The relief these changes have brought is indescribable. I've been pulled in many directions for a long time, and it's time to just focus on one thing for a while. In the past, with deadlines for teaching, patterns, lectures, and blog hops I felt compelled to quilt in nearly all my free time and more if I could swing it. And truth be told - I loved it. While I'm very grateful for those opportunities and all the people I have met and worked with, now that I'm taking a break, I'm enjoying quilting more as a hobby (and have more time for other hobbies). This makes me really happy - happier than I thought I could be.
This year I finished 16 quilts (5 haven't been shared online yet). Several of these just had finishing touches added on this year. A few baby quilts, one community quilt, a few explorations of minimalism (see the Quilting Modern Quilts Blog Series), 3 other gift quilts, and one for myself (Kintsugi, which embodies a lot of what I mentioned at the beginning of this post and my feelings about craft). You can read full blog posts for all those pictured above right here.
Here are some of my favorite "small" makes of 2018. :) Most were towards the end of the year.
This year I also tried some new crafts. I got really interested in painting murals, and completed my first, on a piano (!), no less (check the latest issue of UPPERCASE magazine - you might see a familiar face!!). This project would have been difficult to complete at other times in my life, but it was the right place and the right time. Thank you to SOPAC for that amazing opportunity to contribute to the community of South Orange, NJ.
Read the full post about the piano project here. The design is based on one of my quilts!
3rd block for Raspberry Applique BOM, in progress through 2019
I decided NOT to set goals for 2019 - more like plans. I'd love to attempt another Kintsugi quilt. Maybe I'll start garment sewing again, maybe not (apparently I really have to be in the mood for that; I just love quilts!). Maybe I'll knit more; I'd like to finish my Hufflepuff scarf before I see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in March! Maybe I'll be able to complete a wall mural. There are definitely more felt crafts and hand sewing in my future. I'll likely be finishing some WIPs and working on my Hawaiian applique (which deserves its own post - see photo above!). I'd love to have another chance at a community quilt this year.
I'll be posting about the 5 other quilts I still need to share publicly, plus the upcoming exhibitions. But who knows, really? I'm leaving it open otherwise.