2023: The Year in Review

Good morning, my friends. The day has come to say good-bye to 2023, and ready ourselves for what is to come in 2024. It's only turning a page on a calendar, but somehow New Year's Day seems filled with anticipation. We're looking forward to heading out on a trip in just a few weeks, and new carpeting in just two weeks. So there are some immediate changes happening here that make the new year seem kind of exciting...as exciting as it can be when you're anticipating becoming a septuagenarian in just a few months.

It was a busy day yesterday...busy because I wanted it to be less hectic today and tomorrow. I'm doing some cooking ahead today, and then more cooking tomorrow. I'm making it sound like a big elaborate feast, but it isn't...just ham, baked beans, salad, and cornbread. Oh yes, and an apple skillet cake for dessert. Getting stuff done ahead of time just means I don't have to spend my family time yelling to the living room from the kitchen. I'd put off some of my housekeeping chores, and so I needed to catch up on that too.

There was some time for slow-stitching in the morning, and I filled my hoop. Now I've moved it to some of the trailer awning and some new color, and so it should start getting more interesting from here on.

Sadie kept me warm while I did that. Oh yes, and the flannel quilt helped too.

With everything else going on, it was late in the day by the time I made it to the sewing room. Smitty was there waiting. He couldn't believe it had taken me so long.

You took furrever!!!

I needed to finish off  When Quilters Gather with the right side of the block.

From there, I could sew it to what I'd finished in the preceding days.

And then there was just one last section to finish it off.

And phew! That was quite a puzzle to put together.

Here are all the blocks I have for this quilt so far.

I've been thinking about what to take along, sewing-wise, on our spring trip. Ordinarily when we head south, we stay in one place for two weeks at a time before moving on. It gives me plenty of time to set up the sewing machine and sew. This upcoming trip is going to be more of a sight-seeing trip. We'll be on the move a good part of the time, and when we're stationary, we'll be out seeing the local attractions. With that in mind, I've decided not to take the sewing machine along. Instead, I've chosen one of my purchased-long-ago embroidery patterns...this one of covered bridges:

This is from Primrose Lane, the same designer who created the Appalachian Memories quilt that was finished last year.

Recently, I purchased the four balls of Valdani perle cotton I'll need, and an embroidery background fabric.

Also, I've printed all the embroidery patterns onto sheets of Sticky-Fabri-Solvy. I've done this many times for traveling projects, and it works out great. 

Today, I'll cut all the block backgrounds and iron-on stablizer, and then this project will be ready for the road. The embroidered blocks are fairly detailed, and so I'm confident this will keep me busy for our entire trip. Nevertheless, I'll probably take along one or two emergency back-up projects. A stitching emergency on the road is never good news.

Okay, that pretty well covers yesterday's comings and goings. Let's just see what was accomplished in a year's worth of quilt-making. There were 32 quilts finished during 2023, which is a win over 2022 by eight quilts. A lot of those quilts were small quilts and art quilts, and so it's not as impressive as it might sound.  

January started with 25 projects on my list of WIPs. December will still end with 26 on the list. I have quite a few quilt tops ready for quilting and some that need sandwiching. Also, there are several sets of finished blocks, ready to be sewn into quilt tops. For every quilt that's finished, I start a new one, and so I have only myself to blame if I can never get my list of WIPs lower than two dozen plus. And, honestly, is there a single one of us that won't run out life's clock with a few unfinished projects still on the shelf? 

Here comes the parade of finishes for 2023:

Stitches from the Heart

free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop

started 12/28/22 and finished 1/2/23

12 x 12 inches

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Ones Upon a Time

a challenge quilt for Project Quilting, Season 14

prompt was "One"

started and finished 1/6/23

11.5 x 17 inches

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Pretty in Pink

a challenge quilt for Project Quilting, Season 14

prompt was "Pink Tint"

from the "Stitcher Strong" redwork pattern by Bird Brain Designs

started and finished 1/16/23

7 x 8 inches

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Waste Not Whatnots

a scrappy quilt made from bonus triangles and orphan blocks

started 10/13/20 and finished 1/17/23

58 x 57 inches

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Broken Hearts

A scrappy table topper made from bonus triangles

Started 2/3/22 and finished 1/25/23

30 x 32 inches

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North-South

a challenge quilt for Project Quilting, Season 14

prompt was "54-40 or Fight!"

Started and finished 1/29/23

13 x 13 inches

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Bernie's Mittens

embroidery pattern from Pinprick Designs

started 12/18/22 and finished 1/30/23

15 x 12 inches

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Sunrise

a challenge quilt for Project Quilting, Season 14

prompt was "A Novel Project"

my book: The Warmth of Other Suns

Started and finished 2/12-13/23

15 x 17 inches

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Bunny Go Round

25 x 25 inches

free pattern from In the Doghouse Designs

started 2/14/23 and finished 2/15/23

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Road Apples

Free mini quilt pattern from Sassafras Lane Designs

14 x 11 inches

Started 2/16/22 and finished 3/6/23

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Mr. MacGregor's Garden

Pattern from Quiltmaker, March, 2012

40 x 51 inches

started 3/21/23 and finished 4/4/23

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Best Friends

pattern by J. Michelle Watts

21 x 26 inches

started 6/8/22 and finished 4/11/23

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Full Circle

"Maps" prompt for The Endeavourers art quilt group

started 2/8/23 and finished 4/12/23

48 x 48 inches

Explanatory quilt tour

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Dream Big Leaf

A pre-printed panel for FMQ Practice

Started 2/18/23 and finished 4/13/23

47 x 47 inches

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Technicolor

9th donation quilt for Quilts for Kids

started and finished  4/28-30/23

38 x 44 inches

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 Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs

quilt pattern from Anni Downs at Hatched and Patched

fusible applique, hand embroidery, free motion quilting

started 3/13/19 and finished 5/14/23

56 x 56 inches

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Fantasticat

an art quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group

prompt was "collage"

started 5/20/23 and finished 6/4/23

19 x 19 inches

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Sewing Day

pattern from Blueberry Crossroads

started 1/22/23 and finished 6/7/23

16 x 20 inches

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Scrap Happy Baby Ribbons

pattern from Victoriana Quilt Designs

50 x 50

started 6/23/23 and finished 7/1/23

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Pieces of the Past

pattern by Crabapple Hill Studio

61 x 64 inches

started 10/26/19 and finished 7/19/23

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Books and Roses

Block of the month pattern by Jennifer Reynolds, Jenny of Elefantz

30 x 37 inches

started 3/10/22 and finished 8/2/23

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Circles and Squares

an art quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group

Created using my grandmother's hand crocheted doilies

started 8/6/23 and finished 8/8/23

22 x 22 inches

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Counting Sheep

free pattern from American Quilter's Society

42 x 42

started 8/8/23 and finished 8/13/23

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Charmed, I'm Sure

from the book Teeny-Tiny Quilts, by Donna Lynn Thomas

12-1/2 x 12-1/2 inches

started 8/27/23 and finished 9/1/23

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Strips & Stripes

pattern by Cherri House from the City Quilts book

64 x 74 inches 

started 3/29/20 and finished 10/19/23

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Time to Stitch

pattern from Meg Hawkey at Crabapple Hill Studios

for February's International Embroidery Month 2023

started 2/1/23 and finished 10/23/23

14 x 15 inches

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Patterns in Nature

An art quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group

Started 11/10/23 and finished 11/20/23

17 x 22 inches

Just a peek: Reveal is 2/1/24

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Humble Beauty

pattern from Gingiber

hand embroidery

12-1/2 x 13-1/2

started 4/3/23 and finished 11/21/23

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Little Green Frog

10th donation quilt for Quilts for Kids

started and finished 12/1-2/23

38 x 44 inches

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Ties & Tails

pattern from Judydidit

started 3/30/20 and finished 12/12/23

95 x 75 inches

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Heartland Barns

5 embroidered blocks and borders

Pattern by Erica Plank of Unseen Hands

Started 3/25/21 and finished 12/24/23

64 x 64 inches

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Purrfectly Pieced

pattern from Bonnie Sullivan

started 5/19/22 and finished 12/26/23

32 x 36 inches

Not included in the list was this little bookmark for Project Quilting's prompt "Sew Not Square." This was kind of fun to do.

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That's all I have for you today. I'll be taking the day off from blogging tomorrow, and so I'll take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Stay safe and stay healthy. I want to see everyone back here again next year.