January 6, 2023: Quilting Success in 2022!

Greetings dear readers! Last January I decided my quilting goal(s) for 2022 would be to “explore, play, progress, and finish.” I wasn’t particularly “hardline” about which projects were tagged for which of those processes, because I wanted my quilting to be enjoyable and not stressful. Looking back now, I see that it was a very good year and I met those goals! “The Inner Reaches of Outer Space” which I started in January and finished in September is a good example of exploring and playing.

I explored the creation of a design that wasn’t symmetrical and played with color combinations and placements. I challenged myself from a technical standpoint to sew together hexagons and do 160 Y-seams and managed to make it all fit together!🙂. I also explored fabric and color combinations in my quarter log cabin Chevron top:

I designed and made a number of “monthly minis”, in each case playing with and exploring the use of different fabrics, colors and designs. Each one can be seen by looking at the last post of each month in my archives. Perhaps the best example of that is my August mini which doubled as my entry to the annual Cocheco Guild Challenge. We had to feature a geometric shape; I was one of the three winners:

I had some notable finishes! I completed “Golden Glow”, my “Hospital Sketches” sew-along, and a highlight of the year was having it hang on exhibit in the New England Quilt Museum and meeting Barbara Brackman there!

I also finally completed my “Dutch Half Square Triangle Medallion” quilt after about 4 years 😊. (The photo doesn’t do it justice – the colors are more vibrant than this.)

I made excellent progress on 3 other major projects. I finished the “Maple Leaf Rag” top in the spring (started 10/2020):

I finished my “Stormy Weather: Shine A Light” top in November – after 28 months and a mega amount of hand appliqué:

And I’ve hand quilted several blocks of “Sweet Journeys”:

My hexagon stars quilt came out of hibernation in November and the last stars are currently being made – total of 15 rows when the quilt center is done. This one was started in September 2017:

I started a basket quilt for my granddaughter this year and right now 74 of 98 basket blocks are made:

Explore, play, progress, finish – no doubt I met all those goals. I am truly grateful that I had the time, resources, good health, and support from loved ones to be able to accomplish everything.

Almost forgot – I also made and donated a quilt for my library’s silent auction fund raiser and it made a nice sum of money for them:

Of course, I am looking forward to similarly wonderful experiences of exploration, joy, and comfort in 2023! Fingers crossed 🤞! Other quilt related highlights of 2022 were attending my guild’s annual retreat, helping my guild to put on its annual show and attending my first national level quilt show (Mancuso New England Quilt Festival) since the beginning of the pandemic. I continue to be nurtured and inspired by the quilting community!!

My next post will be about looking ahead into my quilting for 2023. Am I satisfied with what I’m currently doing? Where do I want to go? Changes? One thing I’m sure about is that I plan to continue blogging. Thank you readers for continuing to check in!

Before leaving, here are a couple of photos of progress on Sweet Journeys:

And a couple photos of the sky on a recent walk:

I always try to be open to “wonder” and beauty, wherever and whenever I find it. Good for the soul!

Be kind, be grateful, and cherish each day, Gladi