It's almost over. Unbelievable! I'm always fascinated by time - how it rushes by and then slows down to a crawl. I still think that the best super power ever would be to stop time whenever I wanted to. Just me, so that I could quilt, rest and sleep more😊 Oh well, back to reality.
Here's to 2018!
Here's to time well spent doing what we love, and time to reflect on what we learned.
Slow stitching
There was a lot of quiet hand-work, much of it done while listening to audio-books. I practiced my embroidery, did some hand-piecing while on vacation, and lots of English Paper Piecing (EPP) throughout the year.
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| Kingfisher Stitch-Along |
What I learned
- I learned that sharing projects on Instagram is a lot of fun!
- It's possible to free motion quilt (FMQ) around embroidery - and quite effective.
- Extensive practice will give results - my stem stitch is proof - not perfect but better.
- FMQ motifs work very well as embroidery designs.
- Slow work can be meditative, or a great opportunity to listen to a book! I am very, very grateful to my public library.
Making art quilts
There are many reasons for making art quilts such as the Art with Fabric Blog Hop, catching a glimpse of something that moves you or making something for a special someone.
What I learned
- I don't always need an excuse to make an art quilt, but it helps.
- I love the Art With Fabric blog hop and making art quilts for the Out of the Box artist group.
- I'm really proud of the work that I've done on these art quilts. I feel like I've learned so much about art and design.
Lots of Free Motion Quilting (FMQ)
I practiced my FMQ this year by participating in a FMQ Challenge with Angela Walters and then actually quilting a few UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and other projects.
What I learned
- I love practicing FMQ because it really pays off.
- It was great to get a few UFOs completed.
- Creating a pattern for a quilt was much harder than I expected. It was really great experience and Make Modern magazine was wonderful to work with. I'm not sure that I want to do this again, but I'm really glad that I had the courage to do it. ✔ It was on my list of quilty things to do.
Making Squirrels and Minis
In the second half of the year, I made more minis as gifts and cuddle quilts for charity. It's nice to work on small projects that don't take too much effort or time. Squirrels are always fun to make since they're unplanned!
What I learned
- Squirrel projects or DrEAMi! (Drop Everything And Make it!) are lots of fun and great distractions. It's also nice to work on something unexpected, and for me, usually small and quick!
- I decided this fall to make minis instead of buying cards. A great idea if you actually plan it!
- After two QAL, I've finally finished my Postcard from Sweden quilt top. I wanted to make it because it's beautiful and would give me a great opportunity to practice my FMQ. I am slowly learning to practice my FMQ on small quilts that require less piecing.
- I'm not very interested in making traditional quilts any more, and even those are only lap size. I started another neutral quilt for a friend. I have to stop offering to make these!
- This year I created a tutorial for making a binding by extending the border. ✔ This was another item on my quilty to-do list.
- In September I totally over-extended myself by participating in both the Our House blog hop and the Blogger's Meet and Greet Event. I managed to make my house quilt and my posts but really didn't get to enjoy reading everyone's posts and replying to comments. I'm going to try very hard to avoid these situations, but it's hard since there are so many great events to participate in!
I hope that what I learned may have helped you learn as well.
Thanks so much for joining me on my quilting and art making journey. I hope that we keep learning together.
I wish you all the best in 2019!
Linking parties
I will be linking to many linking parties, including the
Best of 2018 Linky Party with Meadow Mist Designs.
Midweek Makers,
Let's Bee Social,
Friday Foto Fun,
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?,
Silly Mama Quilts - Finish Up Friday,
Needle & Thread Thursday,
Off the Wall Friday,
Finished or Not Friday,
I hope that what I learned may have helped you learn as well.