2012 Mini Review

Hi everyone, are you ready to travel back down the 2012 road with me?

2012 was a mixed bag. A little of this and a little of that. I won’t bore you with each and every item I made (and there were MANY).

BAGS/HANDBAGS

First off, I made a lot of bags. Lots!! Handbags (large and small) and zippy bags. I really loved making them. I had to force myself to move on. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

NEW PROJECTS

To continue growing and stretching my quilting learning curve, I tried a few new things. Stuffed Birds, Cathedral Window Pincushions. Sewing Machine Covers from selvage strips. Denim for a quilt back. Applique/Blanket stitching.

NEW QUILT BLOCKS

I also tried several “new to me” blocks. Hugs and Kisses, Ragged Edges, String Circles, Granny Square and French Braid.

QUILT GROUP

Throughout the year, I participated in the two on-line quilt groups I belong to. They are quite active. And fun. Always something going on. Exchanges, swaps, birthday club, secret sister. And Block Lotto (However many blocks you make, that’s how many chances you have to win the pot. I won the umbrella blocks.) All types of projects and games.

My favorite group project for 2012 was the Brown Bag Swap. My swap partner sent me these scraps.

I was allowed to add ONE fabric. I added this..

And made this.

Go here to read about this project and how sad I was to see it end.

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/wish-i-could-keep-you-but-you-have-to-go-home/

CHARITY

Even though I kept myself busy yearlong with my crafting, I found time to donate my talents and materials to charity. The charity bug hit me around May 2012 and slowly I sliced off some time to work on projects. I made an Americana-themed quilt top. It was quilted by one of the quilting guilds working with charities and presented to a wounded American soldier returning from the war. I was delighted to work on it and hope to make another.

Also I made pillowcases for charity. LOTS of pillowcases. For children/families in need. I ended the year with 168 pillowcases made and shipped. My goal was 20 a month (beginning with May). That’s 160 and I ended up with 168. Not bad, huh!! Six over my goal. For 2013, hopefully I can keep this project going at the same pace or better.

RECYCLE/REPURPOSE

And who doesn’t think about recycling/repurposing these days. I saved these wood frames and my old cutting mats from the trip to the landfill. Go Green!!

UFO’S

I had a lot of finishes. BUT… I also had quite a few UFO’s. Bright ideas that lost steam as something newer, brighter, more exciting came along. Hopefully I can knock some of these out in the coming months.

Here’s a few that need my attention.

QUILT TOPS TO BE QUILTED

These quilt tops made in 2012 need to be quilted. Sure wish I had a Longarm.

SELVAGES

And let’s not forget my Newfound Love of Selvages!! My selvage obsession.. to be continued into 2013.

MY OTHER CRAFTS

And 2012 wasn’t all about quilting. I took time off to enter a couple of Bead Challenges over at BeadHappilyEverAfter and one Bead Soup Swap. They were so much fun!! Reminded me of how much I missed creating beaded jewelry.

Whew!! Still with me? Almost finished.

Even a few Macrame and Crochet projects got completed. A couple were commissioned. Those are always nice.

AND DONE!!

When I get a chance, I will put ALL photos of my 2012 creations into a page and post them up top. That is, after I count up everything. Then I will post a Guessing Game like I did last year. You get to guess how many items I made last year. And win a prize!! How about that!!

So do come back. Check back often to see what I am up to.

New and exciting projects coming up. Even macrame, crochet and beading.

Thanks much for being one of my faithful blog readers. Love ya!!

Looking Back… 2011 In Photos

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(Update Jan 8, 2012. DeeDee wins the “count” giveaway. See my post announcing the winner. Thanks.)

It’s been exactly one year since I first learned to quilt. You can see my post here.

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/finally-gonna-learn-to-quilt-yay/

The sewing part was easy. I had been sewing since I was a teenager. Many moons ago. The quilting part, uh well, that wasn’t so easy. Fear of cutting off my hand gave me lots of pause moments. And second was the mystery of all the different feet attachments to my “dust collecting” sewing machine.

But thanks to quilt books and magazines, the net, especially You Tube, I managed to quilt quite a few things over the last 12 months.

I wanted to capture 2011 in photos for my records. So next year, hopefully I can look back at the beginning to gauge how far I progressed. I will show you the most memorable First’s. And then you will see “collections” of things I made. I tried to put them in groups to reduce the number of photos.

OK.. Ready?

My Walk Down 2011′s Quilting Lane.

First item made. Folded Star Trivet.

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/my-first-quilted-item-is-finished/

First finished quilt top. Drunkard’s Path blocks.

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/crossing-the-border-and-mitered-corners/

First item quilted. Dresden Plate Wall Hanging.

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/dresden-plate-wall-hanging-is-finished/

My Proudest Moments.

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/bittersweet-quilting-for-quilt-1-is-done/

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/fruit-of-my-labor/

And….

http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2011/03/19/quilt-top-2-finished/

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And now, on with The SHOW!! 2011 In Photos…

Novelty Fabrics.

Doll quilts and pillows.

More doll pillows and bedding.

Mug rugs, table mats, play mats.

Table runners.

Pillow covers.

Odd and ends.

Quilts/Quilt Tops.

The LAST items made.

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And who can forget all those 4 1/2″ scrap blocks!! I made 338 of them. And used up quite a few.

It was a very productive year!!

How productive?

I will let you guess. Not counting the individual scrap blocks, can you guess how many sewing/quilting items I made in 2011?

The 1st person to guess correctly (or coming the closest) wins a prize. I will select one of my handcrafted items and mail it off to you.

How many sewing/quilting items did I make in 2011? Post your answer in comments. Thanks much!!