Remembering 2016 While Planning 2017

{My quilt display for a talent night at church.}

2016 has been a great year, even if it was crazy busy.  My theme for the year was to "Enjoy the Journey."  I listed six specific journeys I planned on taking this year in my 2015 year end post.

1.  Creating and Quilting

My creating and quilting journey is really what kept me going this year.  Quilting is very therapeutic for me.  I feel like I accomplish more and am a better wife and mother when I am taking time to create.  I finished 25 of my own quilts this year.  12 were donated to good causes, 3 were given away, 3 were for my boys, and 7 were for my home.   I made three mini quilts, a table runner, four quilted buckets, thirteen baby blankets, 14 seasonal bunting/banners, and 26 drawstring bags.  I also quilted 9 quilts for other people and repaired four quilts.

Here are five of my favorite projects from the year (in no particular order) for the Best of 2016 Linky Party.  Click on the captions to learn more about each project.

{Controlled Chaos}

{Beach Party}

{Dancing Daisies}

{Mr. Bones}

{Lego Rainbow}

Plus one more (or five in one) just for fun.

{Chunky Race Quilts}

It was such a busy year that I didn't do as good of a job with stash reports.  So the following is an estimate based on my memory. Thank goodness for a blogging record of projects made throughout the year.  All of the fabric I purchased was for specific projects with the exception of Kona black, white, and snow.  

In 2016 I used approximately 170 yards of quilting fabric and purchased about 65 yards.  That means that my stash of quilting fabric is more than 100 yards less than than it was a year ago.  I used 39 yards of baby flannel and purchased 54 yards on Black Friday.  So my stash of baby flannel has grown which is good because I need to make more blankets.  This is about 100 yards less fabric used than the previous two years, but with everything else going on I still think it is pretty good!

Now back to my journeys which I enjoyed in 2016...

2.  Teaching Quilt Classes.

I am still teaching beginning free-motion quilting at my local quilt shop.  I taught the class three times this past year and my next class is already scheduled for 2017.

{The classroom all set up}

3.  Building a New House.

Building a new house was a bit stressful.  I was grateful for the reminder to enjoy the process as well.

{Our house December 2016}

{Our house February 2016}

4.  Moving to New House.  

We were so grateful for our family and friends who helped us in the moving process.  We had most everything packed and settled within a month.

{Our House April 2016}

5.  Making it a Home.  

It took a few months to get to know the neighbors and decorate the house how we wanted.  It then started to feel more like a home.  You can take virtual tour of my home here.

{Our home November 2016}

6.  Being a Mother and Wife.

While quilting keeps me going and keeps me sane, I find my responsibilities in my family the most rewarding.  I took a two month blogging break during the summer to spend more time with them.  I am so grateful for all four of my boys.

{My wonderful boys}

I am now looking forward to a new year in 2017.  My focus will be on "choosing joy" while working on these seven goals:

1. Use my stash ~ I would love to use up the rest of my old stash fabrics.  I am sure I will still have some new stash fabric at the end of the year.  
2. Use my scraps ~ I have lots of possible projects I can make out of my scraps and leftovers.  I would love to cross some of them off of my list.  
3. Use new fabrics ~ I am sure that I will be buying new fabric.  I just want to use a lot of the fabric I purchase.  
4. Finish quilts and other projects ~ I love the process of making quilts, and I love finishing them even more.  I want to finish at least one or two quilts every month.  
5. Make quilts to donate and give away ~ I want to donate at least six quilts this year.  That will average out to one every other month.  
6. Help others to finish their own quilts ~ I want to keep teaching classes and hosting my small quilting group at my house.  
7. Keep my family as my number one priority ~ I find joy in quilting, but true joy comes from time with my family.  

Once again, Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl is hosting a Planning Linky Party for the new year.  I will be joining her party as well.

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

XX,
Jasmine

Remembering 2015 while Planning 2016

2015 has been a great year, and I feel that I have definitely met my main goal for the year which was to "Enjoy."  I have enjoyed creating many things this year, as my stash report shows.  

Quarter 1: 105.5 yards used, 101.5 yards added, 0 yards donated, 4 yards less
Quarter 2: 45.75 yards used, 43.25 yards added, 100 yards donated, 102.5 yards less
Quarter 3: 107.5 yards used, 21.25 yards added, 4 yards donated, 90.25 yards less
Quarter 4:  40.5 yards used, 22.5 yards added, 10 yards donated, 28 yards less

Year to date: 299.25 yards used, 188.5 yards added, 114 yards donated, 224.75 yards less

Everything I created helped me meet all fifteen of my little goals for the year.  

1. Using my stash ~ About 160 yards of old stash were used.
2. Using my scraps ~ 4 projects made using my scraps.
3. Using new fabrics ~ About 140 yards of new (to me) fabric were used.
4. Building my stash ~ About 45 yards of fabric purchased are now part of my stash.
5. Finishing quilts ~ I finished 28 quilts and pieced 20 tops for Cheetah's project.
6. Finishing quilty projects ~ I made 44 drawstring bags, and 9 other bags/baskets.
7. Making quilts as gifts ~ I gave 6 quilts as gifts.
8. Making quilts to donate ~ I donated 12 quilts this year.
9. Making quilts for my home ~ 6 quilts were made for my home.
10. Sewing my WISP by hand ~ I made lots of progress, but there is still more to do.
11. Improving my FMQ ~ Wow!  I loved trying new things, taking classes, and teaching classes.
12. Blogging (when I have something to blog about) ~ This is post #111 for me this year.
13. Participating in online events ~ It has been so much fun!  
14. Preserving memories ~ I started making a quilt photo album which I love.  
15. Last, but definitely not least... Being a wife and mother ~ The most rewarding goal of all.  I love my family!

It really has been an enjoyable year!  Here are my top 5 favorite projects for the year (in no particular order) for the Best of 2015.

Not only is "Floating" one of my most favorite quilts, it is also the most viewed with nearly 9,000 pageviews and 3,500 pins on Pinterest.  

"Quilty Kisses" is still one of my favorites, because it is so me. I love the ombre effect, the simple piecing, and the fun quilting.  

"Modern Farmer's Wife" was a huge accomplishment for me, and I love it.  Here is the introductory post with links to all of my ideas and cutting instructions for modernizing the original Farmer's Wife Quilt.  

And I seriously love my "Into the Vortex" quilt.  It is so cuddly and filled with quilty memories.  

But the project with the most memories is Cheetah's Eagle Scout Project.  I donated 20 pieced quilt tops and matching backs for his project.  

He showed great leadership in getting them all finished.  

Over the Christmas Break he finished up the paperwork and got them turned in to our local chapter of Project Linus.  Now he just has one merit badge to finish up and some more time to serve in the scout troop.  

2016 will also be an exciting year.  My big goal for the year is practically the same as for 2015.  I want to "Enjoy the Journey."  I can see many journeys I will be taking, but here are just six specifics for 2016.

1. Creating and quilting.  
2. Teaching quilt classes.
3. Building a new house.
4. Moving to a new house.
5. Making it a home.
6. Being a mother and wife.  

I wish all of you a Happy New Year with my best wishes for your journeys in 2016.  

XX,

Jasmine.

P.S.  I will be linking up to some fun parties including Best of 2015, Planning 2016, and Our 2016 Goals.  

Quarterly Stash Report

Monkey loves his "special mommy quilt" and has started dragging it around the house this quarter.

 Can you believe it is already October?  I had fun getting out my Halloween quilts yesterday and realized that it is time for my quarterly stash report.  I will start with a review of the first two quarters.

January: 31 yards used, 76 yards added
February: 46.5 yards used, 12.5 yards added
March: 28 yards used, 13 yards added

Quarter 1: 105.5 yards used, 101.5 yards added, 4 yards less

April: 6 yards used, 8 yards added
May: 24.25 yards used, 28.25 yards added
June: 15.5 yards used, 7 yards added,  100 yards donated (to quilt guild)*

Quarter 2: 45.75 yards used, 43.25 yards added, 100 yards donated, 102.5 yards less

July:  12 yards used, 8.5 yards added

August:  40.5 yards used, 5.5 yards added, 4 yards gifted (to niece)*

September:  55 yards used, 7.25 yards added

Quarter 3:  107.5 yards used, 21.25 yards added, 92.5 yards less

Year to date:  258.75 yards used, 166 yards added, 104 yards gifted,*  196.75 yards less

*I decided that if I counted fabric given to me in my stash report that I should count fabric I gave away/donated to others in my stash report.  ;)

 

Stash Busting for Cheetah.

It is crazy to think that I used more than 100 yards in the last quarter.  70 yards were for Cheetah's project, 20 crib quilt tops and backs.  The rest of the finishes included a nephew quilt, a family reunion quilt, a scrap quilt, two baby quilts, 1 organizer bag, and 10 gift bags.  

"Spring Sorbet" a scrappy finish in August 2015.

It is interesting to note that of the 21.25 yards added during the third quarter, 15 yards were for specific projects and used during the quarter.  The other 6.25 yards were won in two different giveaways.  I am having fun thinking of things to make with the bundles.  

I hope everyone has a great fourth quarter.  I have plans for even more stash busting.  I am only 41.25 yards away from using the same amount of fabric as last year (300 yards).  Maybe I can even exceed that amount...

XX,

Jasmine

Mid-Year Goal Check and Stash Report

It is hard to believe that 2015 is already more than half over.  When I realized this, I decided it would be the perfect time to see how I am accomplishing my goals for the year.  My great big main goal for the year was to Enjoy.  I have definitely been enjoying many things this year.  :)

A display of my quilts I enjoyed putting together.

I also thought it would be good to update my Stash Report for the first half of the year. 

January: 31 yards used, 76 yards added
February: 46.5 yards used, 12.5 yards added
March: 28 yards used, 13 yards added

Quarter 1: 105.5 yards used, 101.5 yards added, 4 yards less

April:  6 yards used, 8 yards added

May: 24.25 yards used, 28.25 yards added

June:  15.5 yards used, 7 yards added,

Quarter 2:  45.75 yards used, 43.25 yards added, 2.5 yards less

First Six Months:  151.25 yards used, 144.75 yards added, 6.5 yards less

Also of note is that I donated some fabric I had separated last September.  I had intended to give it to a friend, but she wasn't interested.  So it had been sitting in one cube of my Expedit since then.  I heard that a local quilt guild was having their July fair complete with a quilty yard sale, so I donated it all to them.  I filled up a huge laundry basket and donated it for their fundraiser.  That felt so good!  I estimate that I got rid of more than 100 yards of fabric (all of which I had inherited 10 years ago).  So my stash is more like 106.5+ yards less.  But since I didn't use it, I plan on keeping that amount separate.  :)  

Everything in that lower left cube is now gone.

Now on to my list of 15 things to Enjoy  in 2015.  (With photos added to keep it pretty.)  

1.  Using my stash ~ I have made four quilts from my stash, and I have plans for lots more soon.

My favorite "from stash project" was for my sister K.

2.  Using my scraps ~ Not only have I enjoyed using my scraps, but I made eight baby/toddler quilts out of a friend's scraps and leftovers.    

My favorite scrap project called "Little Red."

3.  Using new fabrics ~ I have made 10 quilts from fabric purchased in the last year plus lots of bags. 

I bought the fabric for "Quilty Kisses" in February and made it within 2 weeks.

4.  Building my stash ~ Of the 144.75 yards added this year, I purchased more than 100 of them.  So it is safe to say I have enjoyed building my stash.  

Fabric purchased with my birthday money for future projects.

5.  Finishing quilts ~ I have finished 22 quilts so far this year.  

"Modern Farmer's Wife" was my most labor intensive project this year.  

6.  Finishing quilty projects ~ I have made lots of bags and other little projects.  

Three of my favorite quilty finishes this year.

7.  Making quilts as gifts ~ I have given five quilts away as gifts.  

I've been told by more than one person that my nephew and soon-to-be niece LOVE their quilt.

8.  Making quilts to donate ~ I have already donated one quilt this year.  (I have made others which I will donate after I am done using them as class examples.)  

"Evening Addition" donated to Happy Chemo.

9.  Making quilts for my home ~ I have made four specifically for use in my home.  

"A Day in the Country" is hanging up in my kitchen now.

10.  Sewing my WISP by hand ~ I have five blocks made, and enough quarter curves for five more blocks.  

These are ready to be sewn into blocks.  

11.  Improving my FMQ ~ Wow!  I feel like I have improved so much by trying new things, spending lots of time quilting, and by teaching FMQ.  

I sometimes look at "Floating" and wonder, "Wow, did I really quilt that?"

12.  Blogging (when I have something to blog about) ~ This will be my 80th post this year.  

13.  Participating in online events ~ I have participated in the Hands2Help Quilt Challenge, Blogger's Quilt Festival, and the Creative Space Tag.

14.  Preserving memories ~ While I haven't done a lot of scrapbooking of family events, I have been taking lots of pictures and have even started a Quilt Album.  

From my new Quilt Album.

15.  Last, but definitely not least... Being a wife and mother ~ I absolutely love being a wife mother.  Spending time with all four of my boys is my favorite thing.  And it is because of this that I have decided to take a 2-4 week blogging break.  Last year I ended up taking a two week break in the beginning of August, and I found it very refreshing.  We don't have plans to go anywhere, but I am looking forward to some more family focused time.  So things will be pretty quiet over here at Quilt Kisses (although I may still do some blog reading after the young boys are in bed).  

See you in a few weeks!

XX,

Jasmine

Quarterly Stash Report Plus

My friend Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl has requested some blocks to make quilts for children whose father passed away recently.  What I love about these quilts is that the children are helping her put their own quilt together.

Yvonne has asked for black and white (or blue) music themed or improv blocks for the younger brother.  This is my first attempt at slicing, dicing, and adding scraps to make an improv block.  I will admit that I emailed Yvonne a picture and asked if this was what she had in mind.  She said that it is "fabulous."  I don't think I would call it fabulous, but it was fun to try something new.  Cheetah does not like this at all, but both Panda and Monkey think it is kinda cool.

This sailboat block is entirely made from scraps and is for the older sister.  I just Googled "sailboat quilt blocks" and tried to make something work with the scraps I had on hand.  So in a way this is a bit improv too.  I just kept sewing and adding things until it looked the way I wanted and fit the size Yvonne requested (10 x 7 inches unfinished).  All three of my boys really like this block.  ;)  Gotta love honest opinions of children.

Shortly after finishing the above blocks, I sat down to figure out my stash report for the first quarter.  The totals were a little surprising to me because I was given so much fabric in January (44 yards from a neighbor, class samples, and Christmas gift)  I even bought a lot of Kona Snow and black for my stash  (12 yards total).  However, even with all those additions, I have come out pretty even.

January:  31 yards used, 76 yards added
February:  46.5 yards used, 12.5 yards added
March:  28 yards used, 13 yards added.

First Quarter:  105.5 yards used, 101.5 yards added
Total:  4 yards less

And in case anyone is wondering, the yards used include lots of finished projects: 1 queen size quilt, 1 lap quilt, 12 baby quilts, 1 wall hanging, 2 mini quilts, 4 quilted bags, and 16 drawstring bags.  Oh my!  That really adds up.

And here is a sneak peek at my Friday Finish helping with my total yards used in March.

Two Queen Bee Bags from a tutorial at the Moda Bake shop.  Each bag used 4.5 yards of fabric.

I hope to work in some more stash busting soon.

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with Let's Bee Social, Oh Scrap, and Can I get a Whoop Whoop.  (Buttons on Sidebar)

Stash Busting Update

Who knew that coming up with a way to store scraps of my newer fabrics would lead to a whole stash study.  :) 

On Thursday I decided to buy some bins at the dollar store to keep above my quilt rack in the craft room.  I got this idea from Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework.  She stores some of her scraps in cute fabric buckets above her cutting table.  I originally looked for something I could sew a cover for, but when I saw these bins I brought some home to try it out. 

Turns out that I love them!  I can stack them two high and the lids keep the dust off the fabric.  (Don't ask what the shelf was like when I cleaned it off.)  I need to go back to the store and buy some more. 

This decision led me to separating my "new" scraps from my "old" scraps.  Now all of my smaller scraps which are from fabric purchased after 2012 are in those cute bins.  There are some of my old scraps which are pulled together to make doll quilts in a few of the bins.  And some of my newer scraps are still in boxes on the expedit: Christmas, dots & stripes, and I spy. 

Then I started wondering why I was keeping all of the old scraps.  The thing is that I am very grateful for the stash that I have, but I love modern fabric so much more.  I am trying to use up my stash and am ready to be DONE with some of the fabric.  So I decided to give away most of my older scraps to a local friend.  (I am keeping all of those light 2.5 inch strips for a scrap quilt.) 

I stopped doing stash reports in May, and was curious how much fabric I have really used this year.  My main goal for 2014 is stash busting.  It is always good to check on how you are meeting your goals, right?  So I spent the morning going through my blog posts to figure it out.  (It's wonderful having a record!)  Are you ready for the totals?  I was shocked. 

January:  53.5 yards used, 0 yards added
February:  33.25 yards used, 0 yards added
March:  51.75 yards used, 6 yards added
April:  9.75 yards used, 1 yard added
May:  30 yards used, 20 yards added
June:  13 yards used, 3.5 yards added
July:  7.25 yards used, 12 yards added
August:  7 yards used, 37 yards added
September:  12.5 yards used, 1.5 yards added

Year to Date:  218 yards used, 81 yards added, 
Total:  137 yards less 

I can hardly believe I have used more than 200 yards.  As my husband would say, that is two football fields!  And of the 81 yards purchased I won two yards, I added 15 yards to my general stash (mostly Kona White), and the rest were purchased for specific projects. 

This stash study has made me realize that I am really a project person, and I know how I personally use my stash.  So I spent the day going through my stash, deciding what I would use, and separating the rest.  I now have 4 WIPs (my sneaky sewing), 1 WISP (hand piecing), and about 50 potential projects out of stash and scraps.  Plus, I have a very large pile of yardage and scraps to give to my local friend who has a very tight quilting budget. 

Because I inherited almost my whole stash, I am not attached to all of it.  It feels great to do this destash now that I know what I really will use.  I feel so free.  :D  Here is what my stash looks like now (4 cubes with room to spare): 

For reference, this is what it looked like in January (8 full cubes):

And what it looked like in March after I used 100 yards (6 cubes):

I think that once I use up my older stash that I will mostly buy per project, but I will maintain a small stash.  However, I know I can always change my mind if I want to.  ;)

How are you doing with your goals for the year 2014? 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.

The Month of April & May Goals

April was a busy family month for me, so I only finished one quilt.  It is my "Sunrise, Sunset" quilt which I made for my sister.  I am grateful I participated in A Lovely Year of Finishes, because my goal to finish it in April is what gave me the ability to tell some people I wouldn't be able to work on their project yet. I had to finish this one. :o)  Yet I still did some quilting for other people. 

I quilted and bound this fun hand quilt for my friends T and A. 

I also quilted my niece C's first quilt.  It is this gorgeous Turning Twenty quilt made from the Ooh La La fabric line. 

Plus I made a fun Thomas the Train bag for my little Monkey. 

In addition to this I made another baby blanket using 3 yards of flannel and a pillow case using one yard of teal stash fabric.  I also purchased a half yard each of a red and green. 

So here is my stash report for the month of April.  Not as impressive as March's report, but I still used more than I purchased.  :)

 AprilStash ReportQuilting Cottons
Fabric purchased this month: 1 yard
Fabric used this month:  9.75 yards
Net stash this month: 8.75 yards less
Fabric purchased year to date:  7 yards
Fabric used year to date: 148.25 yards
Net stash year to date:  141.25 yards less

I know that May is going to be busy as well, so I am selecting an easy goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.  I want to finish a blue and yellow lap quilt to give as a gift.  It will be simple floral squares with blue sashing and borders. 

With that said, I really hope to do more quilting this month.  I wish you all a wonderful month! 

XX,
Jasmine