As 2017 winds down and we start gearing up for the new year, it is time to once again think about my studio time in the past year.

I was happy to start the year by finishing two previous year (or earlier)projects…..first “Pineapple Sherbert”…..

…..and then “Himilayan Hallows’”…..

Both of these finishes were helped by the guild quilt show deadline!!!

Next came a special quilt for a very special little boy named Bo…..

During the summer, I contributed my first quilt top to the Quilt’s Of Valor project…..

….and then had a marvelous time working with my Daughter-In-Law on her Tee-shirt quilt…..

….and with my friend Claire on her first quilt…..

By the way, we have continued to meet once a week and Claire is getting really good with piecing.  She even got a sewing machine for Christmas…..

and told me this morning that she has made two nine-patch blocks…..cant wait to see them!!!

The final finish of the year was also pushed along by a deadline….the Ombre challenge……

I am happy to have this quilt hanging in my office for the next few months.

I am finally moving along well with the Roman Tiles quilt, leaving it here this afternoon…..

Hopefully it will be my first finish of 2018!!

Speaking of the new year, I have to say that we are REALLY ready for 2017 to be over.   It has been a long, hard year, punctuated with the various medical issues that Michael has had to deal with.  Looking toward 2018, we have pledged to each other to LIVE each and every day and to try not to waste our time worrying about what COULD happen in the future!! 

To that end, I have decided that my word for the year will be …..

BRING IT ON!!!!

Well, it is 10pm on New Year’s Eve so I guess that it is time to look back at my studio time for the year.  Unfortunately, it has been a bit slim this year!!

However, I did have a few finishes that I am proud of.   The first was for my friend Cathy who succumbed to cancer just a few days after she received the quilt……

Next was a baby quilt made for my Daughter’s good friend, Emily…..

…..followed by the Sunflower applique…..

 ….and the final finish of the year was “No Fishing”…..

So, as we ready to head into 2017 there are lots of things running thru my mind …..

  –  will I get my Nepal quilt finished in time for the show???

  –  will I get my Queen Size pineapple quilted in time for the show???

  –  will I figure out the block placement for my Christmas Pineapple quilt???

  –  will I finish the Kaffe Fasset Needlepoint that I have been working on???

  –  will Michael be awarded the Fullbright fellowship which will mean that we be spending FOUR months in India in 2017??

  –  how will the new gun building hobby go???

  –   will I finish with digitizing all of our old photos???

  –  will I survive this year’s income tax season with my sanity intact???

But, most importantly, I am thinking of all of my friends and family and how they have been such special parts of my life in 2016!!!

I am truly looking forward to what 2017 brings…..

Well, I was getting ready to post a note about a new project that I just started, but realized that it was New Year’s Eve and I hadn’t yet written my “State of the Studio” address, also known as “what I did this year”.   So, here goes…..

Michael and I had a wonderful year together, enjoying spending time in our new home.  It was a bit strange that we didn’t have any overseas trips, but I think that we both needed the break.

I found some much needed creative time during 2014, enjoying working on several fun projects.

I started out the year with the Australia Fabric curves.  Michael and I are enjoying sleeping under this one!!!

The second quilt of the year was the guild challenge that I have now named “Blue Light Special”…..

Next came two “quick” quilts given to our two young Chinese visitors….

Then, my friend Diane turned 60 and needed a quilt to keep her warm…..

This fun baby quilt was a joy to make……

These two challenges from my Crea-8-tive group gave me a chance to try something new….. 

My stained glass challenge was fun…..

Finally, there was this quick quilt for Jenny for Christmas…..

Looking back, I see that my projects can be split into to categories…..1) quick and easy and  2)  be creative.   I am really pleased with the balance between the projects and have enjoyed trying some new things.

As I look forward to 2015, I know that we are going to have a fantastic year although it has potential to be quite hectic.   At this point we have 3 overseas trips planned…..3 weeks in Nepal in May/June with 10 days of hiking in the Himalayas, 3 weeks in Colombia in July/August  and the month of September in Bangalore, India!!     In addition, I am chairman of our guild Quilt Show in March!!!

I told Michael that my mantra for the year is going to be “don’t procrastinate” because I simply don’t have time for it!!!

All I can say is…….BRING IT ON!!!!

This evening I was sitting down to write my annual “this is what I created this past year” post and was feeling fairly down because I didn’t feel like I had done much.   As I started looking thru past posts, I became more excited as I realized that I had actually worked on several pieces and am very proud of each of them.

The year started out with the quilting work on “Flower Pot, Flower Pot”, the quilt that Mom and I made together……

Next was a quickie Mug Rug for Valentines Day…..

…..followed by a top made in a Rayna Gillman workshop that I turned into a chair back cover…..

In May, my creative group started working on the “Use It Up Challenge” which resulted in this fun piece…

I happily finished a quilt that had been started about 6 years ago and is now being used as my lap quilt of choice…..

There was one other “finished” project during the year…..this little Christmas quilt….

There have been two “starts” that will hopefully be finished early in 2014.

The Aussie Fabric quilt which is ready to be basted and hopefully quilted during the few minutes of relaxing during tax season…..

And, finally, the Pueblo quilt that still needs a few hours of quilting……

I could ALWAYS complain that I haven’t had enough time to create, but this year has been different.  I have greatly enjoyed my studio time and am VERY happy with the output for the year.

Tonight Michael and I are celebrating in our own way…..

…..with Dairy Queen Blizzards and relaxing in our recliners!!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year’s!!!!

On to 2014!!!