Happy New Year! 2014 is almost behind us and I am looking forward to see what 2015 has in store. Personally, I am hoping for a calmer 2015, 2014 was quite crazy. Thank YOU for hanging out with me this past year, I have a giveaway to thank you at the end of this post – it’s a long one!
I thought that 2013 was big year for me quilting and sewing wise; but 2014 kicked 2013’s butt in that aspect. While I never did get our bed quilt made I did get a few minis done, I learned to paper piece (and love it!), and completed a bunch more projects – 25 if my count is correct! I also pieced a bunch of blocks for the Modern Instabee, have started blocks for the Philly MQG Bee, released two tutorials (a quilt and a scarf), was featured an article about swaps & bees and a Craftsy post, and have enjoyed learning and growing with each project that I complete.
A few of my favorite finishes from 2014 (my final three are below!):
You can see all of my 2014 finishes here and blocks & swap pieces here. I started 2014 with an ambitious quilty to-do list and my tastes changed and life continued so not much got done. I am starting this year with a much smaller list: a Charley Harper quilt for my aunt (two years overdue), a Christmas colored Hazel quilt for us, two swap minis, and monthly bee blocks for the Philly MQG crew. That’s it! The rest of the projects will happen as I discover them.
Blog wise, in 2015 I will continue to share my projects with you and I am hoping to have a few more tutorials to share. If there is anything specific you would like to see, please let me know!
Without further ado, here are my final three 2014 finishes: 
Plus No. 2 which some of you may remember from MidAtlantic MOD in April was finally completed and gifted to my high school mentor, long time Army man, and police officer Merle Bragg. 
I made another 241 tote for my mother featuring Splash in Midnight from Jessica Levitt’s new Cascade fabric line with Essex linen in gray. 
My final 2014 finish is Spools, a wall hanging for my Aunt Becky, featuring Charley Harper fabrics. I used SPOOLS from SPOOL/Bad Ass Quilter’s Society’s 2014 Row by Row pattern without the last block of four small spools. Since this is a mini I took the plunge and completed my first real attempt at free motion quilting (FMQ) with a simple meander. It is far from perfect and I still need a lot of practice, but I am happy with it and will continue to practice on quilt sandwiches in 2015.
Thank YOU for stopping by on a regular basis to cheer me on and to see what I have been working on. Knowing that I have you expecting a weekly post drives me to keep creating. I hope that you have a wonderful New Year’s and I cannot wait to share my continued journey with you.
To thank you for hanging with me, I will make three lucky winners their choice of quilt block (pick from Hazel, an outhouse, or a shirt) in their preferred color palette! I have really enjoyed the process of making blocks for others and I want to pay it forward to three of you. To enter, use the Rafflecopter below and leave me a comment below telling me what you are looking forward to in 2015. The giveaway is now closed and the lucky winners are:
I will close the giveaway at Noon EST on Sunday, 1/4 and it is open to all of my readers. I will contact the winners via email to go over their block details on Sunday afternoon and will have the blocks in the mail no later than February 27, 2015. Good luck & thanks again!
Elizabeth Hartman and Carolyn Friedlander, the block designers, have no affiliation with this giveaway.
Quilt Details
Pattern: My own Plus design.
Front: Platinum Quilter’s Linen and miscellaneous red, white, and blue fabrics from my stash and from
Beth at Stash Fabrics
Back: Widescreen in blue by Carolyn Friedlander Binding: Blue and white check print from my stash
Quilting: Aurifil 40WT #2600 (a pale gray) Finished size: approx. 45×54″
Pattern: SPOOLS from Spool/Bad Ass Quilter’s Society
Front: Charley Harper fabrics and misc. Kona solids for the spools
Back: Tan solid Binding: Red and cream feed sack reproduction fabric from my stash (I have an
original feed sack in the same print as well!)
Quilting: Aurifil 50WT #2310 (cream) Finished size: approx. 9×27″
Tagged: 2014 finish, aurifil, fabric, giveaway, handmade, hazel, modern instabee, outhouse, paper piecing, quilt, sewing, Shirts, stash, swaps
andpins 
[…] final blocks for February were for the winners of my NYE giveaway. Michele, Tabitha, and Gill all selected Hazel the Hedgehog blocks. They were popped in the mail […]
Learning new things, finishing lots of projects and going to Quiltcon.
2015 will be the end of my third and start of my fourth year of University & it’s my goal to worry less about grades & spend more of my time on famiy & myself. Learning how to FMQ & expand all quilting knowledge is my ‘me’ goal this year 🙂
I am looking forward to a healthier lifestyle. I hope to lose weight, but more importantly, I want to develop healthy eating habits and include more exercise.
I am most excited about watching my twin boys grow in the next year. They are six months old and learn new things every day. I hope to learn some new quilting skills.
I am looking forward to having my son live 4 hours away instead of 14 hours.
A new year always means a new chance to make new friends, reconnect with some lost old friends and enjoy the friends you have. Of course there is lots of quilts and fabric in there.
I’m looking forward to improving my sewing skills and finishing some old projects.
2015 is going to be the year I simplify my life….everything from reading books I have stashed away instead of buying more to using up my fabric that I collected over the years. I want to get myself in better shape physically and get more involved in volunteer activities to “pay it back”. Sewing-wise, I am going to perfect my FMQ skills and make a table runner for each holiday. Hazel would be my choice of block, in honor of my mother who had the same name!
I looking forward to getting better, both health-wise and improving in my quilting skills, so I can look back at the end of 2015 and see the difference.
Loosing weight and getting better at sewing, and making my first quilt. Happy New Year.
I am looking forward to QuiltCon – can’t wait to meet loads of bloggers that I have followed for quite some time!
I’m looking forward to my husband retiring!
Happy New Year! I’m hoping to streamline things this year and be very careful about new projects I take on. I’m looking forward to QuiltCon and the Curves class by Rachel Hauser! Here’s hoping for a great 2015!
My goal is to figure out my new futura 420xl, I can’t get it to properly embroider:-(. sonjasmith76@yahoo.com
I’m looking forward to using my awesome new sewing machine!
you got a lot done this past year!! I love that Hazel block! I am looking forward to learning some FMQ in 2015!
P.s. A lovely surprise came in the mail today!!! 😃 thank you!
I’m looking forward to quilting more!!
I’m looking forward to a move and setting up my new sewing room.
What fun finishes for 2014…love your spools wallhanging..I have some Charley Harper fabric I’ve been hoarding…think 2015 will be time to use it!!! Happy New Year and look forward to what you create in the new year 🙂
I’m looking forward to more creative time in 2015. Thanks for sharing with us!
I am looking forward to some special travels we have planned!
2014 looks like it was a very productive year for you! I am looking forward to a much more calm and even keeled 2015. 2014 had too many very low lows contrasted by very high highs. I hope things balance out a bit. I also look forward to seeing what you create in 2015!
I’m looking forward to learning more FMQ, finishing several bom’s, and learning how to make bags. There is so much to do sometimes it’s hard to fit everything in! I’m also looking forward to moving this year. Thanks for the giveaway, I love all of your work!
tdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com