Best Year Yet - 2016

This year was another busy year for me. I have had my shop on Etsy since 2011 and this year I reached my 100th 5 Star review and 236 official sales. I really appreciate all the wonderful customers I have had over the years. Especially as they love the quilts I make and leave me such positive reviews. Many times they tell me how when they have opened the box they are brought to tears. That is what keeps me sewing as I see my quilts make such an impact in their lives especially when the quilts are made after a loved one has gone.

Softball T-Shirt Quilt

Softball T-Shirt Quilt

For Etsy I made 34 T-Shirt quilts, 12 necktie quilts and 8 other quilts that include vintage hankie and picture quilts. The T-shirt quilts I make are often high school graduation quilts, quilts made using shirts spanning from preschool through college, or sports fan shirts from a favorite team.

College Hockey Player Quilt

College Hockey Player Quilt

The type of quilt I enjoy making the most and I made 11 of this year are necktie quilts. I love to use the silk fabrics and am always amazed at the patterns and colors that I get to work with. As the blocks grow and then as the blocks are laid out to form the quilt the satuation of color and pattern is endless.

Necktie quilt made using about 45 ties

Necktie quilt made using about 45 ties

This fun quilt I made as a retirement gift for a Chick-fil-A executive who retired after 35 years. It was such fun working with all these Chick-fil-A ties. I learnt so much about that company and then they opened one in my town.

Chick-fil-A Necktie Quilt.

Chick-fil-A Necktie Quilt.

I also got to make my first Dresden Quilt. I was sent about 60 quilts from a collection of ties from my customers father. He had many ties from his  school days, Harvard and other old East Coast institutes. I included the tie labels next to the appropriate ties and used his initials and dates in the center. 

Dresden Quilt made using neckties

Dresden Quilt made using neckties

Another popular quilt I make is one using vintage handkerchiefs. The pattern I use is laid out en pointe, which means the blocks are diamonds not squares.  I have to make the blocks a uniform size which works with hankies that are all different sizes. I love the shabby chic look 

Handkerchief Quilt

Handkerchief Quilt

Now 2017 is here one of my goals is to blog more regularly. I will share some of the unique customer request quilts I have made and not shied away from. 

Sunflowers seem to be the flower of the moment.

January was approaching and I hadn't received a 2016 calendar. Luckily I found and purchased a Sunflower Calendar for half price. Looking at all those striking images inspired me to start making Sunflower quilts. The first few were small wall hangings that I have since developed into a raw edge applique class to make a 16" wall hanging that can be stretched onto a 12" canvas. I then remembered an oil pastel sketch I made in college of a sunflower that would be perfect made into a larger wall hanging.

Work in progress of a small Sunflower wall hanging

Work in progress of a small Sunflower wall hanging

I am happy to say this quilt that I made in April has been accepted into World of Color at the International Quilt Festival in Houston this fall. The quilt I named Life is Good as I used many scraps from the t shirt quilts that I make and cant bring myself to throw away all that good t shirt fabric. The colors are rich and work perfectly with the added print fabrics that include.

The original artwork from college.

The original artwork from college.

The completed quilt 'Life is Good'

The completed quilt 'Life is Good'

Nearly a years worth of quilting.

I cant believe its been a year since I updated this blog post. I have made so many quilts, been accepted into a few quilt shows, taught many classes for adults and kids and am still making more t shirt quilts.

Whilst doing my end of year taxes I figured I made about 70 t shirt quilts in 2015 and was surprised that was about 20 less than 2014. I remember feeling throughout the whole of 2015 that I was catching up. My lead time for a quilt got to about 4 months and now I am running about 2 months. I am just happy my customers are happy to wait.

I am currently working on some new classes to teach adults in my raw edge, collage applique technique. Have a kids camp at the end of June that I need to promote and make samples for. And I am looking at a new lecture as I am taking bookings for 2017.

This is me today working on another t shirt quilt that will be a graduation gift in May.

This is me today working on another t shirt quilt that will be a graduation gift in May.