Year End Review

Here are the spools I emptied in 2011. This represents 6,596 yards, or 3.75 miles, or just over 6 km of thread. I finished 12 quilts in 2011. I have no idea about yardage used, because I didn't even write down the finished size of all my completed quilts. I'm sure I probably used at least 50 yards for all of the scooter rally things, and at least 50 yards in quilts, so somewhere over 100 yards used.

This is a far cry from the previous year, since my 2010 numbers were over 20,000 yards of thread used, over 300 yards of fabric used, and 35 quilts completed.

These numbers do not indicate a change in my zeal for quilting, but they do reflect the fact that I have had my grandtwins living with me all year.

I just read over my quilting goals for 2011, that I wrote last January. I knew my quilting time would be greatly reduced, so my only goal was to make the quilts I needed as gifts. I knew then that I would need one wedding quilt, one "big boy" quilt, and a couple baby quilts. I figured anything else I finished was just a bonus. As it turns out, I made two wedding quilts, three twin sized quilts, one comfort quilt for someone with cancer, a scooter quilt for the rally, and several baby quilts. That's not bad for the crazy year we had.

I've been thinking about 2012 quilting goals, and I am really stuck. I will likely have even less time to quilt this year than last. I will soon be babysitting the grandtwins five days a week while DD#3 attends school. I still babysit the little boy I've been babysitting, and now he has a little sister. With four kids in the house two and under, that doesn't make for great sewing opportunities.

Keeping that in mind, here is what I would like to get done in 2012, but will not beat myself up about it if I can't. I would like to quilt and bind at least half the quilt tops I have done. Most of these are baby quilts, so that should be a fairly reasonable goal. It is probably what I am most likely to succeed in, considering the lighting over the machine I quilt with is great for night sewing, so I can quilt after the twins are in bed. Finishing up some quilts is the most important goal in my mind right now.

I have several quilts in assembly stage, and I would like most of those to be quilt tops by the end of the year. If they are all quilt centers just waiting for borders, I'd probably still consider that victory.

Here are the new starts/gift quilts I know I will need in 2012 as of right now-

*the scooter rally quilt, for the rally in May
*one wedding quilt- this number may change, but right now I'm thinking one
*two baby quilts, and this number is VERY likely to change. At least one of these I am likely to use a top I have completed already, and just quilt it
*two quilts for family friends which are already started and in rows

That's better than I thought, writing it down made me realize that I actually only need to start three of the quilts I currently need for 2012, some work has been done on all the rest.

If I get very many quilts finished in 2012, it will be because I have so many quilt tops finished already. I am not expecting a banner quilting year, but you never know when circumstances will change. It's looking like the beginning of 2012 will be very busy for me, but only God really knows what this year holds. I will just hold on and try to enjoy the ride.