2018 is here, which means it’s a good time to look back on the past 2017 quilts :)!!
Here’s a quick recap of most of my quilt finishes…
Dashing Quilt
The year started with me quilting this Dashing quilt top that had been in the ‘to be quilted’ pile for far too long.
January is obvious a time when my mind starts to think about what quilt tops I can turn into finished quilts, because once again I have been going through my pile of tops trying to decide which ones to quilt myself, and which ones I want to send to a longarm quilter…
Dashing is a pattern by Coriander Quilts.
Celebration Cake Quilt
This was my first pattern release for the year. You can read more about the quilt here.
Down Memory Lane Mini Quilt
This mini quilt was pieced in time for Valentine’s Day.
You can read more about the story behind the quilt here.
I have gathered together fabric to make the full sized version of this quilt this month – hmmm, perhaps a quilt-along is in order…?!
Gypsy Lane Quilt
Gypsy Lane was made with the Tilda Circus collection. It was my first collaboration with Tilda Australia. I have really enjoyed working with the Tilda team, and have more Tilda projects to share with you this year.
This is definitely one of my favourite makes for 2017.
Weekend Quilting Mini Quilts
As the year began I was excited to make more mini quilts to decorate my studio. In the end, I didn’t make many, but I did make these two as part of the Weekend Quilting Showcase for Jemima Flendt’s first book release.
The Duck Duck Goose mini quilt (on the left) is one of my favourite mini quilts I have on display. Jemima’s book is awesome – I can’t wait for the next one!
Harvest Market Quilt
One of the best things about working with the new Tilda collections is that it pushes me to work with new colours that otherwise I might not have. You can read more about this Harvest Market quilt here.
One A Penny Mini Quilt
This little mini quilt is a free tutorial I released for Easter. If you would like to make your own, you can find the pattern here.
Quiet Moments Quilt
Keera Job released her first fabric collection in 2017, and I had the opportunity to sew with it as part of her promotional tour. I love to support fellow Aussies who are making their mark on the international quilting stage. This quilt was inspired by my favourite camomile tea. You can read more about it here.
Piece of Cake Quilt
I made my first ever Christmas quilt! This pattern is from the book A Piece of Cake by Peta Peace.
This quilt was another one I made as part of a promotional blog tour. It’s probably the simplest pattern in Peta’s book, but I think that is part of its charm – it showcases novelty prints perfectly.
I chose to use Quilter’s Dream Request cotton batting for this quilt, and I love it!! It made for the perfect quilt this past Christmas morning – warm, but not too warm in my southern hemisphere climate.
Burnt Sugar
I haven’t yet shared the story behind this new pattern, because I haven’t been able to get any decent photos!!
A sad excuse, I know! Hopefully now the summer light has improved, I can try again with more success. It is such a pretty quilt, and it looks especially lovely on a bed. Stay tuned for more (better) pics soon… ;).
Pieces of Home Quilt
My brother and his family currently live in Santiago. This was a gift to celebrate the two places they call ‘home’.
Making this reminded me just how much I love sampler quilts.
I shared the inspiration for this quilt and more about my creative process here.
Pink Lemonade Swiss Quilt
I pieced this quilt in January, 2016. I don’t know why I waited so long to quilt it; it’s one of my favourites!
There aren’t enough yellow quilts in the world – I definitely want to make more in the future :).
The pattern is Swiss by Thimble Blossoms.
Down Memory Lane – Best Loved Memories Edition Quilt
Another quilty first for me was having the opportunity to sew with Lecien fabric and Jera Brandvig’s latest collection.
This was definitely a quilt that explored the emotional connection I have with colour – you can read about it here.
Dear Diary Quilt
It was only recently that I discovered the amazing work of Minki Kim. What a talented woman she is – I really admire her creativity!
I made this sweet baby quilt using Minki’s debut Dear Diary fabric collection, and I shared the two part tutorial for you to make your own here and here. Fabric Requirements can be found in the original Dear Diary Showcase blog post.
Buffalo Plaid Quilt
Sewing with Essex Yarn Dyed Linen is something I have been keen to experiment with. So, when I saw the many Buffalo Plaid quilts pop up all over Instagram, I knew I had uncovered a great project to ‘get my feet wet’.
I put my own spin on the original design, and I am thrilled with the outcome – it reminds me of a fair isle knit :).
I will be sharing more info on this quilt, and my experience sewing with linen on the blog soon!
My Quilt Inventory 2017
Last year, I wrote a post that touched on why I began to quantify my projects.
After a year of keeping a spreadsheet detailing all my projects and exactly where they are at, I am a definite convert to the process.
Because I kept a spreadsheet, not only have I had access to ‘the numbers’, but I have also had a visual motivational tool that has helped me keep track of what I have been working on.
My 2017 inventory looks like this:
- 23 small projects
- 5 mini quilts
- 11 completed quilts from start to finish
- 3 existing quilt tops quilted
- 4 new quilt tops
- 14 quilt tops still to be quilted
- 13 works in progress
- 10 new quilt patterns published
What the spreadsheet told me this year was, that I did in fact complete a lot of what I started in 2017. But, I neglected my older works in progress. I am going to revisit those older WIPs this month and decide which ones to keep and which ones to officially abandon.
It’s a Wrap
Looking back I can say that 2017 was a great year for exploring fabric and stepping outside my comfort zone with new collections by many talented fabric designers.
I have enjoyed revisiting my 2017 quilts, and hope you have too!
Now I am ready to embrace 2018 and set some concrete goals to work towards – if you were to set only one quilt related goal for 2018, what would it be?
Happy New Year, friends!
Samantha – xx
PS. Use coupon code 2018 to get 20% off the price of any PDF pattern in my shop for this week only!
AU, NZ, CAN and US can shop here.
Everyone else can shop here.
Thank you to all of you who support my little shop – xxx!!
Wow! What a year of amazing quilts! Looking forward to seeing what you make this year 😊xx
Thank you Cathy – I am excited to embrace all the possibilities a new year brings :).xx
Wow how amazing!!! I vow to bind all 20 of my quilts this year. Friday night will be binding nights.. I look forward to new things from you!! I am currently trying to downsize some old fabrics and such that don’t appeal to me anymore.
It would help if I spelled my name right! Lol. Lisa schmitz
That’s a great idea Lisa! I don’t have a big stash but I am already finding there are fabrics I would be happy to let go of. Good luck with the binding – I still have a few waiting for me here too!! xx
I love your inventory! Now I have to think about what one goal I would make. I would have to really narrow down my thoughts.
It is often hard to narrow it down! Last year I had 5 quilt related goals, but I think perhaps that was too many to really focus well on any singular one. Lots to think about before I set this year’s goals. Good luck deciding on what is right for you :). xx
What a haul for 2017 – you’ve done so well! And your photos are so beautiful.
I haven’t set any goals yet, but I will do that shortly…not sure what I want to concentrate on, to be honest. But I think overall balance will be a big part of it – work, family, quilting all need to have their own time. All the best for you in 2018, Sam, I look forward to seeing more of your gorgeous work!
Balance is SO hard!! I feel much like you – I need to be more aware of finding that harmony, and I am yet to decide on what specifically I want to focus on relating to quilting just yet; most likely because of the balance issue. It is quite the dilemma – LOL!! xx
An amazing productive year Samantha! Love all of your quilts. I love thebidea of tracking the quilt inventories.. I should do that for 2018. Thanks for the inspiration!
is the buffalo plaid pattern available for purchase?
Hi Esta – I sent you an email 🙂