My DL2Q Blog Books - Vol. 15,16

I had been behind in publishing my blog books and made it a 2022 goal to catch up. I did so January 18th-19th when https://www.blog2print.com/ had a 40% off sale.  My books arrived already a few days ago and they look snazzy. Below I show the covers and table of contents for two volumes of blog books. My "catch up on blog books" goal for 2022 is completed; but I will try to get out one more book this year as my posts accumulate so I do not get behind again. For a broader overview check out my blog book summary at Volume 12 published 2/23/20.

DianeLoves2Quilt - Volume 15: Jul 13, 2020 - Dec 30, 2020
Volume 15 contains 275 pages and 30 posts. I picked the cover that was pink on the front for a baby girl's quilt and brown on the back for twin boy quilts. I chose the orange cover since it offset the border orange hexagons. The Table of Contents follows the dedication which reads

Masquerade quilt intended for Robin's wedding ten years ago is completed along with several smaller fall themed quilts. A Christmas Cars quilt made from a panel is completed. Also shown is a knit blanket and burp cloths meant for a baby girl due in January 2021.

DianeLoves2Quilt - Volume 16: Jan 13, 2021 - Sep 23, 2021
Volume 16 contains 299 pages and 32 posts. I picked the cover that was pink on the front for a baby girl's quilt and brown on the back for twin boy quilts. The Table of Contents follows the dedication which reads

Front cover features quilt for sixth grandchild Irene, born 1/11/21 with three older siblings. Her quilt is titled It's a Party! Back cover features pair of Paddington Bear quilts for twin boys, nephews of my daughter and son-in-law in Oklahoma. Other contents include small items for grandkids and project bags.

– Diane Chambers

These are links to previous volumes and reminders to what covers I selected. Volume 12 has the best, most complete selection of hints.

• DL2Q Volume 16 posted 02/29/2022 cover choice Strawberry Chocolate
• DL2Q Volume 15 posted 02/29/2022 cover choice Orange Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 14 posted 12/28/2020 cover choice Red Hearts
• DL2Q Volume 13 posted 04/24/2020 cover choice Solid Green
• DL2Q Volume 12 posted 02/23/2020 cover choice Waves-N-Whirls
• DL2Q Volume 11 posted 03/04/2019 cover choice Tree
• DL2Q Volume 10 posted 07/05/2018 cover choice Brown Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 9 posted  06/22/2018 cover choice Polka Dots - green
• DL2Q Volume 8 posted  06/27/2017 cover choice Polka Dots - blue
• DL2Q Volume 7 posted  06/27/2017 cover choice Polka Dots - pink
• DL2Q Volume 6 posted  06/27/2017 cover choice Red Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 5 posted  12/16/2015 cover choice Green Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 4 posted  03/18/2015 cover choice Plum Flowers
• DL2Q Volume 3 posted  03/18/2015 cover choice Flowers - yellow
• DL2Q Volume 2 posted   04/14/2014 cover choice Flowers - pink
• DL2Q Volume 1 posted   04/17/2013 cover choice Blue Swirls

I publish these books about twice a year at uneven intervals. I tend to break at logical points between post topics or else I group posts to assure multi-post topics are not disrupted between books. This chart reminds me I have been publishing these books for about ten years now. 

The Kit I Never Made

In organizing for the New Year I have a never-ending goal of reducing the number of kits I have  waiting to start or possibly complete. I came across a very old, untouched kit from Keepsake Quilting that I think was sent as a promotional sale or bonus item with my order. The fabrics were in rich muted browns and greens of autumn foliage without any bright golds or oranges – a typical Thimbleberries palette – and was named Autumn Floral Wall Hanging. The selvage dates the fabric back to 2006 by Thimbleberries for RJR fabrics. 

I’d been thinking  – for about fifteen years or so –  “Some day I will make that up when I want something quick between other projects. It is only18½" square so how long can it take?” Piecing? Not long. Batting, backing, and quilting? Hmm... I smell another UFO on the horizon. "This kit is not my preferred color palette so maybe it will stretch me." I finally opened up the package to get a good look at the fabrics and read the instructions. It has seven fat quarters, all stacked flat and layered, then folded in half, for an 18½" square wall hanging. That size wall hanging is less than the area of one fat quarter. This kit will generate a lot of scraps, even when making a scrappy backing per the instructions. While I am considering, why don’t I refold this seven layer flat stack into my configuration for fat quarters? This storage method shows off the seven prints much better.

Per the pattern, one of the pieces is cut from a trapezoidal template… certainly doable but sort of a pain. Maybe I do not want to make up this pattern after all. Where would I use the completed quilt? Would I give it away? It is kind of small for a community quilt. Who would I give it to? Since I prefer brights and pastel colors and tend to buy what I am drawn to, my stash could use an infusion of these fall tones. I could now file them with my other browns. Decision made. Punt. Do not make this kit. File away the fat quarters for use in another project instead. The advantages of this path forward are:

• Check one kit off my long to-do list
• Fill in weak color areas of my stash
• Avoid generating scraps less than a fat quarter

There is a Marvel TV series on Disney+ titled Hawkeye, featuring a super hero extremely skilled with a bow and arrow. When his protégé Kate Bishop queries him, “What is the best shot you ever took?”, he replies, “The one I never took”. Perhaps my best kit is the one I never made.

Third Saturday of January 2022

Beginning April 2020, my quilt guild members began a tradition of hanging quilts in the front of their homes on the third Saturday of the month as a source of enjoyment for the community and as a thank you for the essential workers during the pandemic. My initial post about this practice is dated 4/22/2020. For "Hang Your Quilt Day" this January, I chose to hang my quilt Sunny Spring Frost which measures 72" x 72". 

The theme this month was "Celebration" and the jewel tones of this quilt are the harbingers of spring. The stars reminded me of the fireworks on New Year's Eve. Sunny Spring Frost is based on the Earth, Wind, and Fire pattern by Linda Ballard. Her class called for three color families with six fabrics in each, but I instead explored jewel tones and their pastel counterparts. My 'families' were jewel, pastel, and yellow. 'Sunny' refers to the center of each Ohio Star and the diagonal yellow chains; 'Spring' to the color palette; and 'Frost' to the batik backing and binding. More details on this quilt are in my blog post dated 7/24/2013.

2022 Quilting Goals

It was halfway into January of 2021 before I formed my quilting goals for last year and history is repeating itself. Still sheltering in place, this time due to the omicron variant of  COVID-19, I will be limited and cautious in browsing quilt shows or fabric stores in 2022. But both parts of last year's goal were pretty successful and very workable even with the restrictions. With focused modifications regarding specific fabrics and tools, I will keep carrying on in the same spirit. I also want to focus on finding enjoyment in my craft while accomplishing my goals.

I will continue to be a closet quilter! 

 a) I will make items from fabric and kits in my closet and tools in my drawers.

b) While closeted away I will continue to interface remotely with the community. 

a) I will audit the kits I have been stockpiling and prioritize those I want to complete, put back in storage, repurpose, or give away. I will commit to completing only one kit in particular, Midnight Crossings, which finishes at 69" x 69". I will allow myself to cave and buy only one other kit in 2022.

a) I have yet to use my Handiquilter Arc Templates and will find a project to use and become proficient with them.

a) I will develop a method to manage my scraps, a promise I have made to myself several years running. I will go beyond merely reading all the different suggestions for organizing in the media – by color, by shape, by trimming to consistent sizes. Then I will choose a method that, for me, is easy and not onerous to implement.  Even if I gather 90% of all my scraps in one place in a designated bin (or bins) I will consider this a victory to start and worry about how to sort, group and utilize them later.

b) I have been faithful in my blogging but have falling behind in creating my blog books. I am determined to catch up in 2022. My latest Blog book was Vol. 14 of DianeLoves2Quilt and covered 32 posts, Jan 24 through June 29, 2020. Since then I have published 30 additional posts in 2020 and 43 posts in 2021. It appears that at least two blog books are overdue.

b) I will continue to hang out my quilts on the third Saturday of each month and attend my monthly guild meetings, virtually.

In 2020 my goals were simpler and having fun was one of them. I want to be sure that I do not forget to enjoy myself in 2022, even during tense times of the pandemic. I do find satisfaction in organizing and so getting my scraps and kits in order will be a pleasurable rather than onerous activity. Any additional quilt I complete beyond the one committed kit will be a happy feather in my cap. I noticed in 2021 I knitted only one item. Knitting relaxes me and can be performed outside the walls of my sewing room. I would like to do more of it in 2022. I certainly have enough yarn on my shelves to do that. I can be a closet knitter as well as a closet quilter. To summarize my items for specific accountable:

• Complete Midnight Crossing kit
• Audit kits
• Practice Handiquilter arc tool
• Consolidate scraps
• Publish blog books
• Display quilts monthly
• Knit something

2021 in Review

2021 In Review
Here are my accomplishments for 2021, followed by pictures and headings only. Details are in my past posts as indicated by a clickable completion date after each name. My own assessment of how well I met my 2021 goals is after the pictures of completions. 

2021 COMPLETIONS:

• 5 quilts
• 1 knitted item
• 10 home decor items
• 17 toys / cloth books 
• 12 project bags
• 12 Hang Your Quilt Day participations in lieu of quilt shows
• 22 masks
• 10 burp cloths
• 3 key fobs
• 0 pillowcases
• 0 blog books

5 QUILTS

It's A Party (2/19/21) ~ 48" x 48" - gift for baby Irene

Sunflowers 38½" x 53½" (7/16/21) - made from BOM

Counting Stuff 48"x48" (8/28/21) gift for baby twin M in OK

Going Places 48" x 48" (9/7/21) gift for baby twin R in OK

Halloween Mini-Mystery (11/2/21) 55" x 16"

1 KNITTED ITEM

Vintage Christmas Stocking (10/6/21)  for baby Irene

10 HOME DECOR ITEMS

6 Halloween Kittens (10/24/21) for Dan, Carrie, Vivian, Lillian, William, Irene

1 Grey Spiral Table Runner (11/26/21) for Robin and Jeremy

1 Vegetable Spiral Table Runner (12/26/21) for Anna O.

2 Pair of Christmas Elves with pet penguins and polar bears (12/16/21) for OKC & SoCal families
(16 stuffed items + 4 hats + 2 skirts) 

16 TOYS

Family of Six (1/14/21) for Southern California grandkids

1 Roméo mouse rattle (3/10/21) for granddaughter Irene

Hello Little One cloth book (4/11/21) for Irene

Meet the Dinosaurs cloth book (8/6/21) for Gavin

2 bear quilt pillows (front and backs shown) and 2 bears with 2 blankets (9/23/21)

2 Tea Towel Operation Pillows (10/23/21) for 2 grandkid households

12 HANG YOUR QUILT DAY

Third Saturday of January (1/16/21)

Third Saturday of February (2/20/21)

Third Saturday of March (3/20/21)

Third Saturday of April (4/17/21)

Third Saturday of May (5/15/21)

Third Saturday of June (6/19/21)

Third Saturday of July (7/17/21)

Third Saturday of August (8/21/21)

Third Saturday of September(9/18/21)

Third Saturday of October Alternative (11/3/21)

Third Saturday of November (11/20/21)

Third Saturday of December (12/18/21)

MASKS

22 masks (3/1/21) for Southern California grandkids

12 Project Bags

7 project bags (in order for Lillian, Vivian, William, Dan, Carrie, Irene, Maxine) (4/9/21)

4 project bags (in order for Isaiah, Jeremy, Autumn, Robin) (6/6/21)

1 project bag (for Liz) (6/15/21)

10 Burp Cloths

10 Burp cloths (8/5/21)  for Gavin Ch.

3 Key Fobs

2 with Tula Pink Linework (7/15/21) for John and Marita 

1 with squirrels (7/15/21)  for Frank

Restatement of 2021 goals: I will become a closet quilter!

• I will make items from fabric and kits that are in my closet and tools that are in my drawers.
• While closeted away I will continue to interface remotely with the community.

Assessment of Goal Achievement:

Fabric usage:
I did complete a lot of the small projects that have been lingering in my drawers... Christmas elf panels, velvet fox toys, mouse rattle, and cloth books. I used up a lot of fat quarters for masks and spiral table runners and project bags. I made progress on decreasing my flannel stash for burp cloths. I made up two kits I had bought at a guild auction for twin boys and dove into my stash for the backing. I consumed a layer cake for a quilt for a new granddaughter. (OK. I did cave by buying matching backing fabric from the same product line online.) I used the fabric leftover from unsold blocks of the month and eked out a quilt, raiding my own stash fabric for the backing. I stitched up a Halloween mini-quilt with only fabric from my stash.

Tool and technique learning/practice:
The granddaughter quilt increased my skills with quilting circles and clamshells with a ruler template. I learned to make project bags, working with mesh, Soft and Stable, and bias binding. Making key fobs was a newly learned skill with hardware and specialty pliers.

Interfacing with community:

Guild meetings were by zoom and I did hang out my past quilts every third Saturday of the month. I wrote and published 43 blog posts. As I perused this list of 2021 completions I noted that except for a key fob for my husband, my halloween mini-quilt learning quilt a long, and the sunflower quilt using up the block of the month leftovers, I gave everything else away.

What I did not do:

I was surprised to realize I had made up no blog books in 2021. Year 2022 will be time to play catch up so I will watch for a sale at Blog2Print. Three kits a remain untouched in my closet. They are The Quilt Show Block of the Month project Color My World, Moda Halloween kit Midnight Crossings, and the Moda Christmas kit To Be Jolly. They were the leading items of my 2021 goal list so initially in this assessment post I was a bit bummed. But to be fair, I worded their completion in a wishy-washy way... "I will be pleased indeed if I accomplish". I will try again in 2022 with a firmer goal of completion of one of these at a minimum. At least these kits are well defined and pack away very compactly on my shelves.

Am I satisfied?

Yes. Looser, non-specific goals can still result in progress and growth. I will keep this in mind when I generate my 2022 quilting goals.