09 December 2018

Year Fourteen (2017)



In 2017 I made Metamorphosis
in response to the AHIQ Coins challenge.





I also made Words to Live By
in response to the AHIQ Words on Quilts challenge.

Words on the front and words on the back -
be sure to click through to see more photos.




I also participated in the online 

Scrap Happens features 
the first four prompts/challenges -
baskets, childhood, log cabins, and stars.





For the fifth prompt/challenge - Something Fishy,
I created this small wall quilt since
Scrap Happens was already just the right size.

The center elements of "fishy" were created in a class
with Lynn Carson Harris at AQS Chattanooga.

This quilt features my first work with solids.





This two-sided quilt is named RETIRED.

It was created using dress shirts 
from my husband's closet
that were no longer needed 
after his long-awaited retirement.

I love this quilt for so very many reasons.

The leftovers were pieced into a second top
which I named Retired, Too
in honor of my 2014 retirement.

That one is still waiting to be quilted.

* * *

I'll admit that I've thought about 
abandoning this retrospective
several times over the past few months.

With only one more year to go,
I will finish what I started with one more post
near the end of the month.

Kaja asked me about my take-aways from this effort.

Here are my top three:

One - I am glad I saw this through instead of stopping.

Two - It is good to look back at where we've been
and what we've done - it's too easy to overlook
the progress we've made, 
the things we've learned about ourselves, 
and just how many gift/donation quilts we've actually made.

Three - I am more certain than ever that I truly am
a liberated, eclectic, scrappy, colorful quilt maker -
and I wouldn't have it any other way.



5 comments:

Mary Marcotte said...

Goodness, I didn't realize it's time to think about the accomplishments of the year. Already! You have been doing some serious thinking about your quilts and quilt-making. You seem so organized and, yes, liberated. I'm impressed.

Ann said...

I’ve enjoyed watching your skills develop in style, piecing, and color. I hope your retrospective has been as fruitful for you as it has been instructive for us.

audrey said...

I'm glad your following through with your retrospective. Lovely to see these latest quilts. They are some of my faves of all your quilting! I have been loving seen the development of your style through the years. Very, very interesting!

Kaja said...

I'm glad you're seeing this through to the end as, like Ann, I have enjoyed watching your development as a quilter: you are right too, that it's easy to lose sight of how much we've learned and grown (a lesson for us all). This post has some of my all time favourites in it.

Mystic Quilter said...

It has been a real pleasure reading your posts and seeing the quilts made throughout each year, wonderful achievement Julie. Like other commenters I am so pleased you dismissed the idea of abandoning your retrospective. There is no quilt made by you that I haven't loved and admired for your design and use of colour. I must say that Something Fishy is a beauty, super mix of vibrant colour.