New year often comes with resolutions and good intentions. I am not always in favor of putting on more pressure to produce more quilts or finish up more wips.It is nice, though, to reflect a bit over what has been accomplished in 2009. And even to think about what to do in 2010.
I have made/ finished some lap quilts: finished 8 smaller and bigger ones, have some close to finish, and a few finished tops, as well. 4 of the 8 are given away as gifts...
I have made/ finished some wall quilts: 1 large, 5 in my narrow series, and 4 smaller ones...
I have shared the fun in 3 swaps, and joined a virtual quilting bee...
I have a fair share of wips and finished tops in my closet, and a nice stash, too...
I have given a lecture to my small quilt guild...
I have posted my first tutorial...
Speaking of which, I am happy to show my first 2010 finish. My two first spiderblocks are put together to a little tabletopper 2 star spider 16" * 27". They are hand quilted. I used Hobbs Heirloom 80% cotton 20% polyester for the batting. These two "test" blocks are sewn in a different way than those in my tutorial. I used the white cotton in the center star as foundation for the strips, so the spiderweb has an extra layer of fabric. I was ok hand quilting them. I might make more blocks this way, as it is quick and easy .. we'll see.
It is still extraordinary cold around here. The snow makes a nice backdrop for the quilt, adding a blue tone to the picture...
A close up of the hand quilting, straight lines in the strings...So what will 2010 bring? Like I say, no resolutions ...
But, I might want to try to finish 1 wip or ufo every month - that makes 12...
And, I might want to explore and journal a bit more about the texture of my quilts - how batting & quilting works together, and how it changes when it is washed... I have lots to learn!
I started to reflect a bit about this subject, and am a bit sad to say I haven't taken any notes of the batting I have used for my quilts. Promise myself to start now. Wanda was sweet enough to share some of her experience and preference when it comes to batting choices, she distinguishes between wall quilts and lap quilts. I would love for you to share about this subject to! Could be a great subject for a post? Don't you think?
(ok! I won't nag. And I plan to share a bit along the exploring path of 2010...)
Third, I might make a few smaller, utilitarian quilts this year - table toppers and table runners and placemats... They make nice gifts, nice house decorations and have a great format to try out techniques and color combinations...
Like I said, I might...
Do you have a list of what to do, or do you prefer to make no obligations?
9 comments:
I'm with you Marit, I like to decide as I go along what I'll have fun with. I love the spiderweb blocks, They look great.
Do you know that there is a blog that is all about testing battings and how they perform and wash up? All the work done for us since it's a subject I'm interested in too.
Thanks for the spiderweb tutorial. I sure love to give it a try! For me no lists and no obligations, please!
leaving 2010 as open as possible is my goal...nice spiderweb project.
i prefer not to make resolutions because i have always failed at them and then i feel really guilty and bad about myself. this year i am setting some goals but that is all. your first of the year is very pretty
I don't think I have ever made a New Year's resolution, but I have chosen a word for this year - Dancing. I'll do all those thing that I have to do, and the things I want to do, and some of the things I really have to push myself to do, and I'll be dancing while I'm doing all of them:-)
Love your spiderweb!
I just bought some new batting that I plan on using and will report on! It's 50% cotton and 50% bamboo. It seems a little loftier and softer than the Warm & Natural. I can hardly wait to try it.
No obligations here, I wouldn't get to them anyway. I love your spiderweb blocks!
For quilts, that I use, I only use a flannel sheet for batting. I like thin quilts. For wallhangings, I'll try anything else that has some loft to it. I hope to explore that this year!
Very nice little project! I love the white stars, with the piecing showing more as background. In a larger quilt I think you'd see a delightful switching between what's ground and what's the figure.
you know, i was going to...i started to make a mosaic and then decided i didn't really want to look backwards...i think i just want to move forward and see where the road leads me. nice finish to start the year!
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