Today I wanted to share that one of my quilts was featured in a new publication, Curated Quilts. It's a quarterly journal put out by Amy Ellis and Christine Ricks. Each issue is packed with content centered around an overarching theme.


The second issue was just released and the theme is Log Cabin. There is loads of inspiration in the gallery of featured quilts, the mini quilt challenge, in depth articles. There's even an article about working with thrifted materials (right up my alley!).


You'll find my Giant Jelly Roll Log Cabin Quilt that I made last year in the gallery section of this issue. Read more about that quilt here.


I have long been drawn to the log cabins and this issue has inspired me to pull out a very old work in progress. I started it in August 2011 (yikes). The pieces were stuffed in a couple ziploc bags all those years, so I spent some time yesterday ironing all the strips so that I can start working on it again.

I thought I'd also take the time to share a few of my favorite log cabin projects that I've made. Not sure I'll ever tire of this block!

Harvest Log Cabin Quilt (+ Tutorial)


Rectangular Log Cabin Wall Quilt


Mendocino Dreams Log Cabin Quilt


Triangular Log Cabin Pincushion (+ Tutorial)

If you'd like to subscribe to Curated Quilts or buy single issues (digital or hard copy), visit there shop here.

Happy Quilting!

2018 Crafty Goals

Happy Friday! I'm back today to share my crafty goals for 2018.

This is really the first break I've taken from sewing since I started quilting in 2009. It's been primarily out of necessity (hard to sew in the middle of a big move), but I think I also needed the break. I'm still trying to process all the newness in our daily routines, new city, and the responsibilities that come along with owning a home. I'm on the verge of getting back to the machine, and while I don't feel like I'm brimming with ideas, I do feel a bit refreshed. It's a new beginning, a blank slate, and different surroundings that I hope will help kick start a productive year!

Sewing & Quilting Goals for 2018:

Fantastic Quilt Voyage

- Use up more yardage than I bring in. I'll track my yardage each month to help me stay on target.

- Reduce my works in progress (WIPs), and end the year with fewer than I started with. I currently have 33 sewing & quilting WIPs.

- Finish or destash remaining quilt tops/blocks from my book.

- Make another quilt from non-quilting cotton fabric. (chambray, lawn, etc)

- Make a quilt from my vintage sheet stash.

- Start a hand-work project. (EPP, applique, or hand quilt something)

- Finish my Dreamin' Vintage double wedding ring quilt. This is the year!

- Finish my Fantastic Quilt Voyage.

- Sew a Kelly Anorak Jacket.

Knitting Goals for 2018:

Fiddlehead Mittens

- Use up more yardage than I bring in. I'll track my yardage each month to help me stay on target.

- Finish a shawl WIP (Briochealicious, Daybreak, Sundial or Hitchhiker).

- Start knitting another pair of colorwork mittens.

- Knit a softie or ornament(s)


George says HI!

I'm keeping my goal list a little shorter and simpler this year. I know I'm going to need to spend a lot of time just getting my sewing room up and running. Between that and work on projects around the house, I want to be realistic about what I can do. Hopefully setting myself up for success! See last year's monthly reports here. See last year's goals here.

 Happy 2018!

2017 in Review

Indigo Picnic Quilt

It's time for my year end review, a look back at all things crafty that happened in 2017. I'm moving a little slower this year so far, but I figure better late than never! I like to document what I made and how I did on my goals at the end of each year, but otherwise I'm not feeling super reflective.

The past year was really unusual in terms of all the change we saw in our day-to-day and honestly it was tough. I am a creature of habit and I love my routines, so I'm ready to get back to a sense of normalcy in the new year. The last few months I've had little to no time for crafting, and it's left me feeling ready to get back behind the machine. I think the little bit of a break from making will end up being good for my creativity. Now, on to the review!

In 2017, I sewed...


Giant Log Cabin Jelly Roll Quilt

10 throw (or larger) quilts, 3 baby quilts, 1 runner and 1 mini quilt.

Giant Vintage Star Pillow

2 pillows and 2 pillowcases.


Waxed Canvas Backpack

6 drawstring bags, 29 pouches (whoa!), 4 tote bags, 1 back pack and 1 yoga bag.


Liberty Dumpling Pincushions

6 pincushions, 1 pin banner, 2 sewing organizers, 1 sewing machine cover and 1 basket.


Henrietta Hippo Softies

6 softies and 14 shirts.


I also released a new quilt pattern this year, the Giant Vintage Star Quilt Pattern (more about it here).

I shared 5 new sewing tutorials this year, find them all here:

Heart Crossed Throw Quilt Tutorial


Easy Going Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial


Enamel Pin Banner Tutorial


House Quilt Tutorial


Harvest Log Cabin Quilt Tutorial

2017 Fabric Stash:
Brought in: 172.5 yards
Sewed up/destashed: 467.5 yards
Net: -295 yards 

For info on how I track my yardage, see this post.

In 2017, I knit...


Drachenfels Shawl

1 shawl, 1 pair of socks, 4 hats, 1 scarf (weaving) and 1 baby sweater.

2017 Yarn Stash:
Brought in: 890 yards
Knit up/destashed: 7744.5 yards
Net: -6854.5 yards


Minny Muu Prism Quilt
 
And now, a look back at my 2017 goals to see how I did:

- Sew/knit with more yardage than I buy.
I'm giving myself an A+ for both fabric and yarn. I was negative for fabric again this year, and I brought in 84 yards less than last year. Overall I was down a total of 295 yards! Very happy with that number. For yarn I was negative for the first time this year! I only bought three skeins of yarn over the course of the whole year, which is a huge feat for me! Overall I was down 6854.5 yards.

- Make sewing/knitting a daily habit.
I did this in January, as I planned, but wasn't good about continuing it through the year. I made great progress on my projects when I made a daily commitment, so I'd like to try it again.

- Track my works in progress (WIPs), and end the year with fewer than I started with. I currently have 44 sewing/quilting, 5 knitting and 1 weaving.
Success! I now have the following WIPs: 33 sewing/quilting, 4 knitting and no weaving.

- Make two Liberty churn dash blocks per month or a total of 24 this year.
Made almost no progress on this quilt, I prepped blocks but that was it.

- Build up a small stash of baby quilts, ready for gifting. Aiming for 4-5.
I made 3 baby quilts this year. 

- Work on projects made exclusively from scraps.
I started a scrap project, but it didn't get too far. I have been working with scraps for my Fantastic Quilt Voyage.

- Make a quilt from my vintage sheet stash, I'm thinking a pineapple logcabin quilt!
I thought a lot about this over the year, but never landed on a project.

- Finish my double wedding ring quilt. 56 wedges to go.
Made almost no progress on this quilt, unfortunately.

- Finish my indigo hand-dyed quilt. The top is already pieced.
Was very happy to get this one finished, see it here.

- Finish up lingering quilt tops. Currently 6 tops waiting to be quilted.
Cut this list down to 4! They're all still leftover from writing Patchwork Essentials, so they were not a huge priority.

- Continue to sew garments that I'll actually wear. Specific patterns I'd like to try for the first time this year: Beatrix Top, Derby Dress, Kelly Anorak, knit t-shirt (either Lark, Union St. tee, Plantain, or Hemlock), and the Hudson Pants. 
I didn't try out too many new patterns this year, but I did make a bunch of Plantain tees as well as a Hemlock and I made a shirt based on an existing top.

- Knit 1600 yards of sock or sport weight yarns.
I knit 1312 yards of sock/sport yarns. I feel okay about this though because I didn't finish any knitting projects after June. If I had continued knitting the rest of the year I think I would have met my goal.

- Knit 1000 yards of DK or worsted weight yarns.
I knit 795.5 yards of dk/worsted yarns. Ditto previous comment.

- Finish my Drachenfels shawl.
Finished! See it here.

- Finish my Sunset weaving project.
Finished! See it here. 

- Knit a brioche project: Briochealicious or Sizzle Pop. Or both!
I started Briochealicious and am loving it!

- Knit another sweater or destash my sweater quantities of yarn. 
I destashed one of my sweater quantities.


Little Folks Summer Voile Quilt

I definitely made less progress on my goals this year that I hoped I would. I'm glad I stuck to my stashing goals, that helped me still feel like I made some progress. Considering all the things that happened this year, I think I did pretty well. Between Michael defending his PhD, getting a new job and us moving to CT right before Christmas, there wasn't a lot of crafting time the second half of the year.

I love making goals for myself and I will be back soon (hopefully later this week) with my crafty goals for 2018.

Goodbye 2017!

December Monthly Report

Happy January! It's time for December's monthly report. See past reports here.


This month's report is a bit of a formality, as I did zero crafting in December! We made our move from Wisconsin to our new state of Connecticut, with a few days spent with family in Ohio in between. I'm excited to share that we bought our first home! We're very happy to be leaving apartment living behind. We will look back fondly on our time in Madison (already miss it lots), but we were pretty tired of our living situation there.


We've already been painting and fixing things up, I'll share more soon! Michael has a few more days before he starts his new job, and we've been taking advantage of every moment to get as much done as we can!


One little corner that we got put together right away was in our living room. Having a space to relax in the evenings was a big milestone in the moving process for us! Most of my Pyrex and enamelware is in Ohio at my parent's house, so I'm decorating with my quilts in the meantime. I picked up this tall shelf from Ikea that fits perfectly in this spot by the TV.


I did manage to make a few Christmas gifts this year! One was a yoga bag for my Dad, which I forgot to get a photo of. I was able to use leftover waxed canvas and webbing from the duffle bag I made Michael a few years ago. I made my Mom a Singer Featherweight mini quilt for her craft room! The block is a free pattern from Artisania, you can find it here. It has a lot of pieces, but it does turn out super cute.

To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I'm tracking my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track my here. Here is how I did in December:

December Fabric
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: -295 yards

December Yarn
Used up: 787 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -787 yards
Year to date: -6854.5 yards

I'll be back soon with my end-of-the-year wrap up post as well as thoughts and goals for the new year.


Bobbie enjoying a quilt after we celebrated Christmas. (Find the tutorial for this quilt here: Modern Plus Quilt Tutorial)


George the bun is very happy that he isn't in the car anymore. It's been extra cold lately (I think we brought Wisconsin winter with us), and he has enjoyed snuggling under a quilt. He's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

Have a Great Month!