The other night at our minigroup my friend who is a newer quilter said something about not having as many projects as the rest of us. It’s true. At least when compared to me. I have a lot! and several of them are very old. But, we laughed at her and started counting all the projects that we’ve all started together. When we came close to using up all her fingers on both hands she told us to stop as anxiety was starting to creep in. We told her she’s a QUILTER now. A QUILTER with all CAPS!

It was all fun and games but she really didn’t realize how many she had started and she was incredulous. I thought about my starts this year and decided to list them out. It is pretty shocking for me too and one of the reasons I’ve started blogging again so often. It’s really helped me plan what’s coming up and what to work on. Stay focused and enjoy my process. I was getting very anxious and depressed a few months ago with all my crafting stuff and all my upcoming new starts. And this blog really helps me sort it all out.

First, Guild workshops – I attended most of the workshops offered this year and each workshop means a new start. Here they are:

1. February – Linda Ballard – Dresden

This project is further along but I do not have a more recent picture of it.

2. March – Catherine Wilson – Snowflake

3. September – Dora Carey – Arabesque (flimsy finished)

4. October – Wendy Mathson – Storm at Sea/Snails Trail

5. November – Arlene Arnold – Lucretia’s Journey

6. Then I joined this year’s BOM at Cotton and Chocolate Plum Fusion in January. I was pretty caught up until about June. Then I fell behind and I almost caught up in September. Didn’t. Now it’s at the bottom of my monthly to do lists.

I have started several hand projects this year.

7. Ornaments – I started this in December 2021 but I’ve been stitching diligently on this throughout 2022. I think about half of the 12 ornaments have all been stitched and embroidered. When they are all done I need to adhere it to a backing with stiffer fusible and then sew the little strings to allow me to hang them.

8. Chirp – by Sue Spargo. I’m only doing this one block and will probably make it into a needle keep or something. I started this to practice Sue Spargo’s method in preparation for her class I’m taking at Road 2023.

9. Prairie something…. I haven’t started this really. I bought it and attended the class at Quilt Emporium and other projects jumped in line. This is not my product but a picture of the instructors and a reminder of the cuteness of it.

10. By Annie – Everything in a place bag (name?). I started this last year (2021) and it’s very complicated. I’m really almost done and just need to sew all the pieces together.

11. Tula Pink’s Butterfly 2.0 – I haven’t actually started or cut the fabric. But I want to very badly. I’ve had a lot of new starts the last few months so I want to get the flimsies finished before cutting into this.

12. Disappearing 9 patch – guild sew-a-long (flimsy finished)

And that’s it. These are all my WIPs started in 2022 that I can remember. As you can see 2 are finished as flimsies. I’ve got a little over a month to finish more and I’ll do my best. But with the holidays and all my travel plans I’ve got to be strategic.

First on my finish it now list is Lucretia’s Journey. It’s under the needle now waiting for me. All the rows are sewn and some are pieced together. I only have 2 big seems to finish it.

Second is Storm at Sea/Snails Trail. I am working on the border and it takes a bit of thinking but once this part is complete the flimsy will be done. I’m thinking of hand quilting and doing a knife edge binding (if my memory is remembering the name right) that I learned about on Quiltfolk’s adventure workshop to Wales.

And I think that’s all I have time to do before year end. I will continue to work on Chirp as that is almost done as well. But just the piece and not the whole needle case part. And once Chirp is done go back to my ornaments.

And that’s the plan. It feels doable. 😜

Happy quilting friends

Melanie