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Thursday, December 31, 2020

Best of 2020!!!

 Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs is having a Best of 2020 Linky Party.





She encouraged us to include out "best" posts from the year.  If you are new to The Joyful Quilter, welcome!  If you've visited before, welcome back!

To take part in the link party, bloggers were asked to 'simply write a new blog post highlighting your "best" 5 posts from 2020 and linkup.'  There were no rules for what to include.  She provided the following examples:
  • Posts with the most views
  • Posts with the most comments
  • Posts that provoked the best discussions
  • Posts showing your favorite 2020 finishes
  • Posts of your best tutorials
  • Posts that are simply your favorites 

Thanks to the global pandemic, I've been practicing for retirement since March of this year.  With more free time on my hands, my creativity was through the roof!  As 2020 comes to a close, I am pleased by what I've accomplished. I completed 13(4) mini quilts, 3 quilted pillows, 3 quilted pin cushions, 1 quilted post card, 24 quilts of varying sizes, 9 quilted scrap baskets, 1 quilted thread catcher, and 10 quilted mug rugs.  All of these were made from my ever-growing stash of fabric scraps!  I also quilted 18 quilts on my APQS longarm quilting machine for my quilting friends, along with making a variety of other small projects for my family.

Items made per month...

January - 5
February - 3
March - 6
April - 6
May - 15
June - 9
July - 3
August - 1
September - 7
October - 5
November - 3
December - 3

2020 total of 66 quilted items made this year!!  My most productive year EVER!!!  


But my BEST posts??

Considering what constitutes or quantifies best is a tall order.  After thinking long and hard...


... Mine include...


Most artistic make - Improv Barn Quilt


10th UFO Club anniversary post - Wonderful Wednesday - Where Did the Time Go??




Favorite modern finish - Mini Monday - Modern Plus Mini (CTJ)


Most views (Nearly 2500!!) - Magic Stars with Tiffany




Thanks for coming along on my trip down memory lane.  I'm glad that Cheryl organized this Linky Party to remind us to review the blog posts we've written during the year.  Oh! Don't forget to check out my new 2021 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge!  You can find the condensed version of that information HERE.


Until next time...
Quilt the year away!!!
at 12 comments:

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

My 2021 Stitching Resolution Blog Hop

Welcome to final Blog Hop of 2020!!  Well, maybe not the very last one, but it's the last one in which I will be participating.  It's being run by Carla @ Creatin' in the Sticks.




This is what Carla had to say...

The Challege:

This hop doesn't require stitching, it's all about your stitching plan for the new year.  Let's share new ideas and inspiration.  All you have to do is finish this statement in a blog post:

My stitching resolution for 2021 is _____________________________.


I bit... I don't normally partake in resolution making.  In my experience, it tends to be a recipe for failure.  Perhaps, this year will be different!  One can hope different in this case means better.  Here is a list of participating bloggers:




My goals for 2021 are as follows:

1  Start a Table Runner Challenge Link-Up (even if it's low-tech!)
2  Finish up LWR Quilt Drive
3  Sew a bunch of scraps
4  Finish (at least) 4 UFOs this year
5  Limit fabric purchases


Looking at the list I've shared, I think these resolutions are manageable.  The most challenging of the bunch is going to be starting the Table Runner Challenge Link-Up.  If YOU are interested in the Challenge, visit this LINK for details.


What about the PRIZE, Joyful???

If you're asking that question, you've probably visited during a previous blog hop.  Welcome back!  If you are wondering what on Earth I'm babbling about, you are in for a treat.   With each Blog Hop comes a prize offering here at The Joyful Quilter.  What better giveaway for the Stitching Resolution Blog Hop than a scrappy little Palm-Sized Pin Cushion:




How do I enter to win, Joyful???

Leave a comment with stating what color pin cushion you would like to win.  A comment name/number will be chosen at random and I will contact the winner by email.  I will mail this red pin cushion or make another Palm-Sized Pin Cushion in the color of your choice.

All entries must be received by
9 PM
on New Year's Day!!
(January 1, 2021)

Drawing in now CLOSED!!!

If you are a No Reply blogger...

Please make sure to leave your email address in the comment section so that I have a way to contact you.

Until next time...
Best of Luck in 2021!!!
at 26 comments:

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Tidy Up Tuesday - {A Very 2020} UFO Club Finish

Welcome to the final edition of Tidy Up Tuesday for 2020!!    I've been busy.  What else is new?  As the end of the year drew near, I had the overwhelming urge to complete the DARK Neutral UFO that has been on my list for the better part of two years.

It started innocently enough...

My Blooming 9-Patch quilt top needed corners attached - before I misplaced them again:


I didn't complete the quilt in time for the final LINK PARTY of the year, but there are still a couple more days in December.


SEW...


Goal met!!!  It's quilted and bound.  :o))




As with any quilt, there's a story to got along with the making, but I'm too tired to tell it tonight.


I'll give you the shortened version of the tale...

Well, as short as you get, here at The Joyful Quilter!  LOL!!

Three days ago...


I decided to cut the borders and binding:







Two days ago...

The borders were applied...






I'd like to draw your attention to the near-perfect match on the back seam:


It's time to get this thing layered:


Line up for the thread selection:



... And the backing, batting and the top were loaded on the frame:


It was too late to determine the best choice, but these are the top contenders:



Yesterday the quilting commenced...



By the time I got to the halfway point many hours later, I had already used EIGHT bobbins.  I was beyond frustrated...



It didn't get any better today..

With just this corner remaining, I ran out of bobbin:


Wound a new one and shredded the thread....


 All before finishing even half of the final stitches:


Whew!!  NINETEEN bobbins later... It's quilted:


Eventually the quilting was done and I moved on to the trimming...


And a photo shoot before the binding went on...




This was just AFTER burying the FORTY thread tales left after the quilting was done.  Remind me not to load a 90" quilt sideways along the rails next time, please!  It's a recipe for LOTS of empty bobbins:



Before tonight's Zoom-y Evening Quilt Bee, I prepared the binding:


Once the meeting was over, I applied the binding...


Or most of it!!  In order to finish, I had to dig out the fabric, cut another strip, attach that to the existing binding, and sew it on...


Before I could begin sewing the binding down on the front of the quilt:



And just because that couldn't POSSIBLY be the end of the aggravation...

I ran out of bobbin with about 45" of binding to be sewn down:


Done!!!


Including the label and four bound corners:


Some people like to see the back of a quilt.  Here's a (washed out) snippet:


And one very happy (and tired) quilter:



Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go update my 2020 Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Year in Review post to reflect this latest finish.  My two-year-old UFO has been completed!

Whooping It Up with Sarah
@
Confessions of a Fabric Addict

and

Sharing with Kelly
for
Needle and Thread Thursday

Until next time...
Mission accomplished!!


at 11 comments:

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Sew Some Love Sunday - LWR - A Half Dozen Quilts!!!

Welcome to another edition of Sew Some Love Sunday!!!  If you have visited in the last four months, you probably know what to expect to see in this post.  If not, you can find out more about the Lutheran World Relief Mission Quilt Drive here at The Joyful Quilter by clicking through the articles found in the DONATIONS tab at the top of the page.  (LINK)




A Half Dozen quilts...

That's what you see in the stack shown above and here is Carol, shown below, delivering LWR Mission Quilt Number SIX:


Some of the ...

It was a lovely, sunny afternoon.  Unfortunately, I would have had to lay the quilt out in the street to get a full-sun photo:


Indoors wasn't much better with its sun spots:


Carol provided the backing and binding:


By and by, DS2 returned home from running an errand and held up the quilt for a full photo:


Here's one a little closer in so that you might be able to see the free-motion quilting I did on this one, a variety of curved designs to balance out the straight lines of the Carol's piecing:



Until next time...
QUILT for a cause!!
at 7 comments: