2022 Midyear Review
Hello! I'm checking in with my mid-year progress for 2022 today. It's summer, which means that I seem to be more of a taxi service than anything else these days. I'm lucky if I get a full hour each day to sew, and I'm making the most of the time I do have!
I haven't finished as many quilts as I expected to. My output entering
July is down compared to the last couple of years:
July 2022: 6 quilts
July 2021: 12 quilts
July 2020: 10 quilts
July 2019: 7 quilts
July 2018: 8 quilts
Looking at the numbers laid out like that, it seems like I'm back to my pre-pandemic levels and that makes sense. I don't have as much time to sew because I'm not at home all the time, and I think that's an ok trade-off!
Midyear Observation #2Custom quilting is back! This used to be something I really enjoyed, and over the last two years I've been leaning heavily on the simple meander or sending my quilts out to be quilted. I started the year off by doing a quilt-along which focused on FMQ skills, and I have plans do custom FMQ on two tops that are almost finished. Custom quilting is slower, which means I'll finish even fewer quilts this year, but I enjoy doing it and the quilts look fantastic so it is well worth it.
Custom quilted trees on my
One, Two, Tree QAL
quilt before I quilted the background.
And now, a look at
the 2022 goals I set for myself:
Goal #1: Mindfulness
I've started nine quilts this year and six are either done or just have a tiny bit of finishing work to do. Of those nine, four were to promote my own patterns, one was a guild challenge, one is a personal challenge, and four were quilt-along quilts (one was a quilt-along of my own pattern so it double-dips!). I have no regrets on any of the projects I've started and all of them are on-track to be finished soon if they haven't been already. My personal rule is that quilt-along quilts must help me clear out my stash. For the letters pictured below, I purchased the black solid, but everything else, including the overall background of the quilt, will be scrappy!
I've started nine quilts this year and six are either done or just have a tiny bit of finishing work to do. Of those nine, four were to promote my own patterns, one was a guild challenge, one is a personal challenge, and four were quilt-along quilts (one was a quilt-along of my own pattern so it double-dips!). I have no regrets on any of the projects I've started and all of them are on-track to be finished soon if they haven't been already. My personal rule is that quilt-along quilts must help me clear out my stash. For the letters pictured below, I purchased the black solid, but everything else, including the overall background of the quilt, will be scrappy!
Scrappy letters for the
Just My Type Quilt-Along
Goal #2: Pattern Releases
I've released one pattern and a corresponding tutorial so far this year. My goal is to release three, but I hit a creative block and I've been a little stuck. After some daily time sketching, I have one design that I keep coming back to, and I've written out the quick-and-dirty measurements so I can make a prototype and decide if I like it enough to write a real pattern for!
I've released one pattern and a corresponding tutorial so far this year. My goal is to release three, but I hit a creative block and I've been a little stuck. After some daily time sketching, I have one design that I keep coming back to, and I've written out the quick-and-dirty measurements so I can make a prototype and decide if I like it enough to write a real pattern for!
Goal #3: Harry Potter Quilt
I'm enjoying making this paper-pieced quilt, even if my love of Harry Potter has diminished a bit since I started it. I haven't met my goal of sewing a block each month, but I am very close to finishing the top - I only need 3-4 more blocks (I'm not 100% sure what I'll put on top of the bookshelf yet - I need to see how everything fits together once I've sewn the blocks I know I want to include!).
I'm enjoying making this paper-pieced quilt, even if my love of Harry Potter has diminished a bit since I started it. I haven't met my goal of sewing a block each month, but I am very close to finishing the top - I only need 3-4 more blocks (I'm not 100% sure what I'll put on top of the bookshelf yet - I need to see how everything fits together once I've sewn the blocks I know I want to include!).
Goal #4: Personal Project
There is something so soothing about piecing together all these tiny squares. It's so much fun to pick them out and then sew them together. I am lightly trying to balance the colors, but there's no picking out of seams allowed. If a point doesn't match up or the colors clash a little bit it's just part of the charm. I'm halfway through piecing the June section and these "rules" are working well for me!
There is something so soothing about piecing together all these tiny squares. It's so much fun to pick them out and then sew them together. I am lightly trying to balance the colors, but there's no picking out of seams allowed. If a point doesn't match up or the colors clash a little bit it's just part of the charm. I'm halfway through piecing the June section and these "rules" are working well for me!
My 2022 personal project
- a scrappy postage stamp quilt. This photo shows 5/12 rows
complete.
Goal #5: Monthly Recaps
Still a joy and not a chore! Some months they are the only blog posts I write and I enjoy looking back and seeing the time capsules of what I've been working on.
Still a joy and not a chore! Some months they are the only blog posts I write and I enjoy looking back and seeing the time capsules of what I've been working on.
What's Next
Always the greatest question. I feel like I'm lucky if I have a full hour to sew right now, so I'm focusing on micro goals to get me through the summer. Pattern designing is on hold until the kids go back to school in September unless I'm suddenly inspired and need to start instantly. Here's my list for the rest of July:
Always the greatest question. I feel like I'm lucky if I have a full hour to sew right now, so I'm focusing on micro goals to get me through the summer. Pattern designing is on hold until the kids go back to school in September unless I'm suddenly inspired and need to start instantly. Here's my list for the rest of July:
Finish the June row of the postage stamp quilt
Sew T-U-V to finish the July Just My Type Blocks
Finish sewing the last 4 Meeples for the Colorblock Meeple Quilt
Baste the Colorblock Meeple Quilt
Put a back on the Meeple Pillowcase
Write a blog post for the One, Two, Tree Quilt
Quilt-alongs are my weakness and I'm planning on joining several more of those
as well:
Carrick Bend
(Already started, I have instructions in my inbox)
Traverse Hand-Pieced Quilt
(I ordered the kit months ago to try something new)
100 Days 100 Blocks 2022
(August 1st)
Sew Place Like Home
(September 1st)
I also have two older quilt-alongs,
Rainbow Blossom
and
Mother, that stalled out for whatever reason and I'd like to finish those yet this
year too. If nothing else, I am eternally optimistic about the amount of
sewing time that I will have!
Thanks for stopping by! Check back next week for a blog post about that
gorgeous tree quilt and in two weeks to read my July recap post. I'm
linking up my midyear review with
Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl.
Comments