year in review

I don't know about you, but I'm glad 2012 is over.  It's been a really tough year for me and my family and we are hoping for better in 2013. 

Even though I haven't been getting as much stitching as done as I wanted, I have been able to pull 10 quilts off the long arm quilting machine in the past month.  It's finally starting to work more often than not and soon my sister and I (mostly me) will start to learn freehand skills instead of totally relying on digitized files for the quilting.  But the edge to edge designs sure do look pretty.  We spend a small fortune on 100's of Anne Bright designs but every one so far has been worth the price.

As for 2013 it has lots in store.  I'm pretty sure now that I have to have surgery on my sinuses at some point in the next several weeks.  But that's ok because I'm tired of being sick and tired.  So I'm hoping I'll start stitching on the train more.  Night time will be for working on my casket designs - I still have to master Adobe Illustrator but that should be easy once I start to work on it.  I'm ready to start working on my stumpwork - that will happen in the evenings also.  The stitching frames are too big to lug around on the train.  Lot's of quilting in store for 2013 - I have at least 10 more tops to quilt and that many at least that still need to be pieced.  Home improvement starts again in January - more hardwood floors going down in my sewing room and spare bedroom (I'll be half way with all the hardwood in my house!) and working on my sewing room!  Yeah!  I have so many plans for the sewing room.  It will be fun to start to get it all together.

Here are the projects that I have finished in the last couple of months. 

I never got a photo before I gave it away.  :-)  The quilt is called Cheese and Crackers and it's done in thimbleberries fabrics.

 I love my hutch with the quilt on it.  It was the plan all along to use the hutch as a quilt holder. 

 I'm planning on doing little pieces for the back of my front door.  This is the first one.

 My first 12" mini quilt.  I have at least a half dozen in my stash.

 I went though a stage a couple of years ago when I was buying different things.  Doesn't really match my decorating plan but it's still pretty. 

 My favorite so far of what I've quilted the past month.  I'm planning on doing a lot more of this style. 

 A nice a warm flannel!  The pugs love this one.  It was super easy to piece and quilt.

 This is a twister.  An experiment because I wanted to see what all the shouting was about.  I won't be making anymore.  ;-)

 Another really different one for me!  I won't be making any more like this one either!  :-)

 My first penny rug!  This was fun to work on while on the train.  I want to do more. 

And last a baby quilt for my youngest great niece.  Only two years late.  :-)

I have one more that I just pulled off the frame yesterday but it still needs to be bound.  So it's going to be my first 2013 finish - unless I get busy right now!  LOL!

Have a great 2013!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

short update

It's short because it's all the stitching I've done in two months!  I finished up the first of several projects that are being provided with our Casket of Curiosities project. This piece is small, maybe 2 inches by 2 inches and is going to be a pin pillow for my box. The colors are marvelous but I hate the silk fiber that is provided and it's supposed to be the basis of the stitching. I'm almost 100% certain at this point I'm going to try to match these colors to Vikki Clayton silks.  I like to work with hers better and they are so much more affordable.  While I love the color and gloss of the finished project, this is already costing me thousands of dollars and I don't have enough cash to spend more in silk thread.  I'll make do with substitutions. 

I'm way behind on my casket project - Tricia has provided four or five small projects to date and this is only the first one (each one teaches a different skill and lets us try out the products before we spend major funds).  My design progress came to a screeching halt when I decided to convert all the designs that I was interested in to PDF format so I can move them around the casket blanks and recolor to my hearts content.  So I had to go buy a digitizing tablet plus Adobe Illustrator.  Still learning how to do the basics. 

I've also been spending hours and hours in front of my sister's long arm quilting machine.  We have manged to master the basics of the machine and the computer program that controls the quilting and are taking at least two quilts off the frame a week - I even managed two small ones alone last night!  It's her year to provide the family with gifts and she wanted to gift at least 10 and we are almost there.  I've even been able to sneak in a couple small quilts for me and I'll take photos and post them as soon as they are bound and washed.  I'm proud to say that not only am I a piecer, I am a quilter.  :-)  It's great to have total control of the entire process.