2014 in Review

I have to say, overall I am pleased with the projects I finished in 2014. In spite of health set-backs and day job challenges, I managed to finish seven quilts, seventeen garments, four small projects and thirty-five gift bags.

Quilts

Of all the quilts I made in 2014, my favorite is the Bubblegum Glam Clam quilt that I made for my daughter. It was the most challenging, and it warms my heart to see my daughter use it every day. Looking back at my quilts, I find it interesting that of the seven I finished in 2014, five were square (January Jewels, Giant Snowburst, Vintage Modern Marmalade, Swoon Baby Quilt the First and Scrappy Migration), and four featured a large amount of white (Giant Snowburst, Patriotic X and Plus Quilt, Swoon Baby Quilt the First and Scrappy Migration). White is not very practical, but I do like how it looks. 

Garments

When I totaled up the garments I sewed in 2014, I was surprised when the count hit seventeen! I made five Belcarra Blouses, three Julia Cardigans, two Myrtle Dresses, one Crepe Dress, one Wiksten tank, one Staple Tunic, one pair of City Gym Shorts, one Plantain Tee, one Bess Top and one Greenpoint Cardigan. It’s hard to choose, but my favorite garment of 2014 is my Dotted Boulevard Myrtle Dress, because it was my first knit project, my first successfully finished Colette pattern, and I feel good wearing it. 

Small Projects

What with all the quilts and garments I made, I only finished four small projects last year. Of those, my favorite is the Cotton + Steel Quilted Placemats. 

Gift Bags

If you’d like to see the thirty-five gift bags I finished in 2014, check out the Gift Bags tag. That’s too many to turn into a collage! 

2014 Goal Progress

Back in January, I set a few goals for myself for 2014. Here’s how I did:

Use my stash: While I did buy a good amount of new fabric last year, I also dipped into my stash quite a bit. Six of my seven quilts used at least one fabric from my stash, and a couple of my garments were made from stash fabric. The biggest stashbuster were the gift bags, the vast majority of which were made last-minute from fabric I already had on hand. Still, my stash could stand to be reduced further, so I’ll continue with this goal into 2015. Now that I’ve acquired a small stash of apparel fabrics, this goal applies to garment sewing, too.

Use my scraps: Last year, I definitely made more scraps than I used. Only one quilt top and one garment were made entirely from scraps last year. This goal will also be on my list for 2015, since it still needs a lot of work.

Keep It Small, Silly: In 2014, I made a goal to sew smaller quilts, since previously I was wont to bite off more than I could chew and make bigger quilts than I needed to. I consider this goal achieved, since most of the quilts I completed were baby sized or smaller. Finishing smaller quilts more often was so satisfying, that I think I’ll try it again in 2015.

Here’s to continued productivity and creativity in 2015!