Finishes - 2021!

 Wow, I had NO IDEA how many projects I finished in 2021 until I gathered them together and counted them!  I guess those little short sewing sessions added up to many completed quilts and other items! Note, some of these have not been blogged about yet, their stories will follow.  Here we go:

Oh Christmas Trees - table runner made for my niece, Collin. I drew Collin's name in our Secret Santa drawing this year.

I didn't make this awesome album quilt, but I re-bound it for my niece Collin, and her husband, Austin.  It is a well-loved quilt, made maybe in the 70s, it felt like silk working with it! I ripped off the original binding and added a fresh, new bias binding of muslin.  Ready for lots more snuggling!

I made a couple of Christmas pillow covers to add a little more Christmas fun to my holiday decor! 

One more little star pillow!

Sweet Baby Rose - made super quick for my coworker's new baby.  Rose made an early arrival so I quickly made this of saved extra equilateral triangles from another project. I love how the quilt gets so soft and crinkly after washing.

Hugs for Deb - finished quilt top, I never got a photo of the finished quilt! I tied the quilt to keep it super soft and fluffy.  This was a gift for a special friend who need a big hug. 

Rocky Mountain Love - baby quilt for little Owen (son of Cara K.) who lives in Colorado.  

Sweet Little Hearts - dolly quilt for my granddaughter, Kate, to celebrate her first birthday.  I have started a tradition of gifting each grandchild with a baby quilt when they are born, and a matching dolly quilt when they turn 1.

Sweet Little Hearts - dolly quilt for little Henry's first birthday. 

Siddhi Quilt - started in Sujata Shaw's online class from 2020, finished early in 2021.

Another project worked on this past year was going back and adding labels to all of my quilts.  I'm almost done with that.

So that's my year 2021 in review!  I know we all have busy schedules.  I work full time and also teach piano lessons to about 15 students each week.  It's important to me to fit quilting into my schedule.  I just love it, it feeds something inside me and makes me so happy!

Happy first finishes - 2021

One plus to being cooped up at home is - more time for sewing!  On the first of the year, which is also my birthday, I cleaned up and cleared out my sewing studio!  I organized everything (which involved a quick trip to the dollar store for more clear plastic boxes), and took stock of all my UFO's (unfinished objects, or projects).  I made a list of all of my UFOs, and also listed projects not yet started but planned for this year.  I won't mention how many projects are on those lists!!!

First completed quilt for 2021 - Siddhi Quilt, started in an online class with Sujata Shah a few months ago.  Sujata is an excellent quilter and teacher, and just a beautiful person, too.  Scott and I were honored to meet her about 5 years ago.  
This is a small quilt, hand stitched with perle cotton.  You start at the OUTSIDE edges, and work your way around, adding pieces as you go.  The stitching goes through all three layers - backing, thin batting, and top pieces.  You just cut your pieces with a scissors, folding under the edges with your fingers.  No iron or rotary cutter needed.  I really love how it turned out, and have another one started already. 

This is a doll quilt called Happy Little Star for my grandson, Henry's, first birthday, which is coming up in April.  This is a small version of his baby quilt.  A truly unusual feature for me is the fact that this quilt is done way before the event!  I am usually finishing projects at the last possible minute!

This quilt, Happy Little Hearts, is a doll quilt for my granddaughter's Kate first birthday, coming up in May.  Yet another quilt done ahead of schedule!  This is a smaller version of her baby quilt.  I had fun with the free-motion quilting in the borders.  

 

It's a girl! Kate makes her entrance!

It's a girl! Sweet granddaughter Kate, posing on her special quilt, So Many Hearts.  
Katherine Louise was born 5/14/2020, a full 3 weeks early!  Long story, but mama and baby are healthy and doing well!  The quilt pattern was a simple heart block, 4 squares (3 pink, 1 white) sewn into a 4-patch and set on point.  I think the squares finished at 2", and the simple white sashing finished at around 1". I did a loose meander for the free motion quilting.  The batiks for the hearts were all from my stash.  Many were from a jelly roll purchased about 5 years ago, to make mug rugs for Emily's bridal party.  Perfect use for the leftovers!  I filled in with other scraps I had - pinks, purples, oranges, and a few green/pink prints.  

All of the newborn pictures from the hospital remind us that Kate was born during the Covid-19 outbreak, so both mom and dad are wearing masks.  Even so, you can see the love and wonder in our daughter, Emily's, eyes as she holds her newest daughter.  Her 2-year-old, Ella, stayed with us a week during the hospital stay.  

And check out little Kate and her daddy, Matthew,  sharing a special moment together.  How sweet is this! 
Since Kate was early - and I was late getting her quilt started - plus the fact that Scott and I kept Ella here for a full week (we didn't get much else done that week), the quilt was not done in time for Kate's homecoming.

Emily had hired a painter to paint her nursery - but because of Covid and not wanting workers in the house, she ended up painting it herself.  She even added one wall of peel and stick adorable bunnies wallpaper.  So soft and pretty.

Pretty mama and sleeping baby - welcome to the world, little one!