From 2022 to 2023

Not only have I enjoyed reflecting on the past year, but I have also enjoyed looking back on the past decade.  I started blogging in November 2013, so I am coming up on 10 years of blogging.  Looking even farther back, my first quilt was finished nearly 30 years ago in 1993.  In those 30 years I have made over 300 personal quilts.  Over 250 of those have been in the last decade.  

Decade in Review

Here is the breakdown of personal quilt finishes including themes for the year:

2012—4 quilts finished—“Starting Again”

2013—25 quilts finished—“UFO Busting”

2014—44 quilts finished—“Stash Busting”

2015—48 quilts finished—“Enjoy”

2016—25 quilts finished—“Enjoy the Journey”

2017—24 quilts finished—“Choose Joy”

2018—10 quilts finished—“Simplify”

2019—9 quilts finished—“Rocking my Daughters”

2020—14 quilts finished—“Survival Mode”

2021—13 quilts finished—“Family First”

2022—38 quilts finished—“Helping Others”

Some of the themes were chosen when I was setting goals for the year and others were discovered when reflecting on the year.  It was very interesting for me to see how life events change my quilting productivity and how quilting helped though difficult life events.  

*Starting quilting again in 2012 helped me get over postpartum depression.

*Moving in 2016 decreased my productivity by half.

*Adopting Bunny in 2018 decreased productivity by half again and blogging became sporadic.  

*Pregnancy and a new baby in 2019 kept productivity lower.  

*COVID in 2020 is pretty obvious.  ;)

*Balancing the needs of five children in 2021 kept productivity lower, but still averaging one quilt finish per month. Blogging was just nonexistent.

*Only having one child at home for most of the day in 2022 definitely boosted production again.  

One thing is certain.  Quilting is a constant in my life.  I enjoy it when things are going well, and it keeps me sane when times are tough.  

2022 in Review

I started 2022 with 6 unfinished quilts.  That was higher than it has ever been since my year of finishing UFO’s in 2013.  They are now all finished.  I am ending the year with only one WISP (work in slow progress).  It is the hand quilting of my whole cloth Buttercup and Slate flower garden.  I hope to finish it in 2023.  

 

I finished 38 personal quilts.  8 were quilt commissions.  13 were gifts for friends and family.  4 were donations.  2 were for my children.  11 were for my home.  

I helped finish 16 quilts for others.  1 was for my sister.  8 were for my mom.  6 were for Quilts for Kids.  2 were just quilted for my friend on a trade.

I finished six minky blankets for my family, ten baby blankets for friends, two doll blankets for my girls, and one crocheted blanket for me.  

I also finished 6 table toppers/runners, 6 placemats, 2 quilted pillows, and 2 crocheted scarves.

It was definitely a year of quilting for others.  That is why I said my theme for the year was “Helping Others.”

2023 Plans

After all this reflection, I have decided on a theme/word of the year for 2023.  It is “Create.”

I have had a quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf on the sidebar of my blog since I started blogging.  He said, “Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment.  We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.”

I think that quote is perfect to go with my word/theme of the year.  I love to create.  

There are three things I want to create in 2023.

1.  Quilts and Quilty Projects

2.  Blog Posts

3.  A Nurturing Home

Quilts and Quilty Projects—I like to keep my goals fairly broad, because quilting should be enjoyable and guilt-free.  I want to sew what I want to sew when I can sew it.  I want to make projects to keep, to give as gifts, and to donate.  I hope to finish at least one project per month.  

Blog Posts—I love having my blog as a record of my quilting journey and as a way to connect with other quilters.  I know I have been sporadic in my blogging for the last few years.  Now that I am caught up, I would like to stay caught up. I hope to not get farther than one month behind this year.  

A Nurturing Home—My family will always be my first priority.  If quilting or blogging has to be put on hold than I will do so with no guilt.  However, I hope I won’t have to put them on hold.  

Do you have a theme or word of the year for 2023?

XX,

Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Yvonne's 2023 Planning Party.  Check it out to see more quilters’ 2023 goals.  

From 2021 to 2022

 

I ended the year 2021 with a higher number of UFO's and WIP's than normal for me.  It was a crazy and busy year.  I guess that sometimes it was more fun for me to cut out a quilt and start a new one than to sit and piece what was already started. I'm okay with that.  (Especially because I have since finished all of them.)  I am just grateful I had quilting to keep me going even if I wasn't blogging.  

I cut out and pieced the blocks for this yellow ombre nine-patch in March 2021.

I cut out and laid out the blocks for my April bed quilt in April 2021.  

I cut out the pieces for these two rectangle quilts in August 2021.

I started piecing these improv log cabin blocks in December 2021.

And I started this jewel box quilt on commission before Christmas 2021.  (My first finish of 2022.)

I ended the year 2021 with one work in progress and five UFO's. It really isn't bad, but it is more scattered than I usually like to feel.  

I also ended the year 2021 with 13 personal quilts, 5 pillows, 4 friend and family quilts, 2 baby blankets, 2 drawstring bags, and 1 mini quilt all finished.  

I can already tell you that 2022 has been an even bigger year of finishes with more than double the number of personal quilts completed.  I still have a lot to blog about.  Thank you for taking the time to read my posts.  

XX,

Jasmine

Simplify

After finishing my Christmas Decoration projects, my goal was to make several draw string bags to give as personalized gifts.  Then I was going to relax and enjoy the Christmas Season and time with family.  Oh, how quickly my plans changed.

First, my mom's friend had a "batting question" for me.  Turns out she really had four queen size sheet quilts she wanted me to make for her to give as Christmas gifts.  She asked before Thanksgiving, and I said I could do it.  I finished all of these in less than three days.

Next, my husband's boss asked if I could make a quilt for someone we all knew and appreciated whose wife just died.  I said I would be happy to do that.   I thought I could get to it after Christmas, but it turned out that they really wanted it done before Christmas.  So, I selected a simple design (inspired by this gorgeous quilt) and got it done quickly.

Next, my mother-in-law wanted to make a wedding quilt for my niece who just got married.  She originally planned on working on it after Christmas.  However, once she found out that said niece and new husband would be visiting for Christmas, she decided she really wanted to give it to her then.  So amidst everything else I was doing, I was helping her with calculations, cutting, planning, and sewing.  The quilt top was finished before Christmas, and the quilting was done after Christmas, but before everyone flew home.

Is anyone noticing a pattern here?

Then, my mom told me that one of my nieces was moving, but had been unable to finish her first quilt.  She had pieced the blocks.  Would I finish it up?  Before Christmas when someone planned on visiting her and could deliver it personally?  Um... okay.

All of that was done before Christmas while we also got ready for hosting several family dinners.  My family came on December 22, and we had 46 people come for dinner.  Thank goodness it was an open house dinner and not everyone was there at the same time. On Christmas Eve, my husband's family came for breakfast to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.  We had 18 people come then.  On Christmas Day we had 27 people from my husband's family come for dinner.  It was truly magical because all of his family (except for two Mormon missionaries) were there.  It was the first time in 17 years the family from New Hampshire and Germany were here together.

My sweet niece, Miss S, who was visiting asked if we could make time to finish a jelly roll race quilt that she had already pieced.  Of course, I made time to quilt with her.  She is such a sweetheart!  We finished this on December 27.

In the beginning of January I was finally able to quilt my niece, Miss H's first quilt.  She had brought it to me back in November and waited patiently for me to get to it.  It has wild quilting all over it.  I added the binding by machine to the top, and her mom (my sister) will sew it to the back by hand.  I hope to then get some better pictures of it.

After all of that I took a three week break from quilting.  I was exhausted and little burnt out.  Deadline sewing is not my favorite, but I couldn't say no to any of these projects for friends and loved ones.

So is it any wonder why my word for 2018 is to Simplify?  I hope to eventually write a post for each of these projects so you can see more pictures, but I'm not making any promises.  ;)

Knowing how I don't like deadline sewing, the crazy thing is that it took another deadline for me to get back to the sewing machine.  In April I will be teaching an intermediate Free-Motion Quilting class at my local quilt shop.  (I am still frequently teaching my basic Free-Motion Quilting class.) I needed to make a sample they could hang at the shop to advertise my new class.  I call it "Pleasantly Purple."

I want to thank my friends for thinking of me and for checking up on me during my blogging break.  As you can see, I was just so busy (and then so exhausted) creating and spending time with family that something had to give.  I really hope things slow down and I can get back to blogging more regularly.

XX,
Jasmine

Remembering 2014 While Planning 2015

 
After a year of finishing UFOs in 2013, I started out 2014 with only one work in progress.  I wanted to "continue making and finishing quilts while Keeping It Sweet, Simple, & Extra Special."  Looking back, I have finished 44 quilts (larger than a mini).  I can definitely say that I was able to do so.  Although it is kind of crazy that I have made one third of my total quilts (122) in one year.  I have ended the year with just one WISP (work in slow progress).

My specific goals for 2014 were as follows: 

1.  I want to do a lot of stash busting, so I can update my stash with newer, cuter fabrics. 

I definitely did this.  In fact, I used exactly 300 yards of fabric.  All but five of those yards (used for FMQ practice and a practice dust cover) were for finished projects.   I purchased 131 yards of fabric, for a net stash report of 169 yards less than the beginning of the year.  Of the fabric that I purchased 81.5 yards were used, 30.5 yards are for specific projects, and 19 yards were added to my general stash.  Which means that I used 218.5 yards of fabric purchased prior to January 1, 2014.  That is a lot of fabric!

2.  I want to continue making more seasonal quilty things for my home. 

I accomplished this in the form of table runners/toppers, wall hangings, and cuddle quilts.  I am anti-clutter, so I really enjoy decorating with quilts on my walls and tables.  I see some seasonal pillows in my future.

3.  I want to become more involved in the online quilting community. 

I participated in three big events this year:

Plus, I figured out Bloglovin and participated in fun Linky Parties.    

4.  I want to have a little more balance in my creative endeavors.  

While I did some scrapbooking and photo organizing, there is room for improvement here. 

All in all, 2014 was a pretty great year.  :D  Now my big, huge, main goal for 2015 is to "ENJOY."  Really deep, I know.  ;)

Here are 15 things I want to ENJOY in 2015:

1. Using my stash
2. Using my scraps
3. Using new fabrics
4. Building my stash
5. Finishing quilts
6. Finishing quilty projects
7. Making quilts as gifts
8. Making quilts to donate
9. Making quilts for my home
10. Sewing my WISP by hand
11. Improving my FMQ
12. Blogging (when I have something to blog about)
13. Participating in online events
14. Preserving memories
15. Last, but definitely not least... Being a wife and mother

Once again, my goals are mostly general.  I want to enjoy 2015 by doing what I enjoy doing without too much pressure. 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl for her "15 Quilty Resolutions for 2015."

The Month of November and December Goals

November was a great quilting month!  I was able to finish up three quilts to give as gifts, my niece's binding, a table runner gift, bags for my boys, and the tree skirt my husband wanted. 

My tree skirt is a simple hexagon I made a lot like my spider web table toppers, just bigger and with binding.  It measures about 36 inches side to side and 40 inches point to point.  There isn't even a hole, because my cast iron tree stand sits on top. 

I made it to the size specifications of my husband, because he wanted it to fit inside a simple circle of his LGB Train track.  But wouldn't you know, he made the track HUGE this year. 

This is definitely a case of  "You can tell the men from the boys by the price of their toys."  I also see a lot of "Like father, like son" going on at my house.  ;)

The table runner I finished is for my sister S for Christmas. 

I made to to match the quilt I gave her earlier.  For some reason, every time I told her I was making her a quilt, she thought I meant table runner.  So when she came to pick up her table runner, she was in complete shock.  But she has told me that they love the quilt, and even her boys will cuddle up with it. 

And just in case you missed my other November finishes, here they are: 

Helping my niece S cut, tie and bind her second quilt.

Summer Twist for my sister-in-law for Christmas. 

Bags for my boys:

Wild About You for my Cheetah for Christmas.

Things that Go for my Monkey for Christmas.

I am tired just thinking about everything I got done. 

So now all of my important Christmas sewing is finished, and I have no deadlines.  My house is even all decorated for Christmas.  :)  However, you can always use more quilty Christmas goodness, right?  My A Lovely Year of Finishes goal for December is to make a new table topper for me.  I want to use the wreath panel.  I may even use the extra tree panel for something else this month.  We'll see. 

December is one of my favorite months every year.  My husband and I purchase and wrap all the gifts early so we can relax and enjoy a wonderful family filled month.  So don't be surprised if things are very quiet here at Quilt Kisses.  I try to teach my boys that Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season.  I hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas season too! 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  To my dear sweet niece, R, who reads my blog:  Don't tell your mom what her runner looks like.  :D

P.P.S.  I will be linking up with Let's Bee Social for my tree skirt and runner finish.  :)

P.P.P.S.  I am also linking up with Jennie of Porch Swing Quilts for her Santa's Sweatshop linky party.

The Month of October and November Goals

October was a great sewing month even with Fall Break and colds going through the family.  I was able to finish my October goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes which was to make a Halloween quilt.  We have enjoyed Happy Haunting in the kitchen so much that it is hard to take it down now that it is November. 

I also finished up some small projects to keep the kids from getting suspicious about my sneaky sewing.  Here are two Halloween table toppers.  One is for me and the other was a gift for a friend. 

And I used up the scraps from Scatter Sunshine to make a doll quilt turned table/piano topper. 

But to me, the most exciting finish was Beary Blue. 

It is a gift for Panda for Christmas and is inspired by the quilt in Bear Stays Up for Christmas. 

I almost forgot about a little finish for my friend that I never blogged about.  I took a cross-stitch that her sister did for her and turned it into a mini quilt.  It is about 12 inches square. 

My part was very simple.  Her sister put in the work for this awesomeness. 

Towards the end of the month I went to my first Free Sew at my LQS, and I didn't do any sewing.

However, I did trim 120 6.5 inch HST blocks for Monkey's Christmas quilt.  Such a great place to work on sneaky sewing. 

So my November goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes, is to finish Monkey's quilt.  Here is what it looked like on the design wall. 

It was up there for less than an hour before I labeled the top of every column and stacked up the blocks.  Now they are hidden and ready for some sneaky sewing.  ;)

But I also hope to finish Cheetah's quilt.  His HST blocks are also all trimmed now. 

It will be so nice to finish these so I can work on non-sneaky Christmas gifts.  Are you working on Christmas gifts?

XX,
Jasmine

The Month of September & October Goals

Even though September was a busy family month I was much more productive.  I was able to completely finish two quilts and lots of little projects.  Plus a couple more things I haven't even blogged about.   ;)

Berry Pie was the first quilt I finished.  It was my September goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes. 

It makes me so happy to see this quilt used frequently, and not just by my sons.  We all use this quilt!  (Even my hubby.) 

The second quilt I finished is the sneaky sewing for my husband.  I designed this quilt specifically for him, and I love how it turned out.  I call it "Bear Tracks."

My small projects included pillows, blankets, and a bag.  I wrote a tutorial for how I made the simple minky pillow cases... 

 And organized my scraps while discovering that I have used more than 200 yards of fabric this year. 

 Plus I turned a blanket...

Into a quilt! 

[More on that finish in my next post.] 

Holy Cow!  I am tired just thinking about it.  Because I also spent a lot of time celebrating! 

However, I was able to do some hand sewing during soccer practice and piano lessons. 

I now have one flower worth of squares done. 

I hope I can still do a lot in October.  My goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes is to make a Halloween quilt. 

Plus, I need to continue with my sneaky sewing for the three boys while disguising it with other projects. 

Wish me luck!

XX,
Jasmine