Farewell 2024! Welcome 2025!!! Here is a Grace and Peace Quilting review of 2024, and a preview of what's to come in 2025!
First of all, in 2024, I quilted 159 quilts total, 69 for others, and 90 of my own.
2 Queen size quilts
13 Twin/Throw quilts
6 Baby quilts
63 Wall/Mini quilts
4 Table runners
2 Bags
Overall, I have quilted a total of 1,262 quilts on my APQS longarm since it arrive in June, 2012!
Here are a few highlights from 2024, not mentioned in my Best of 2024 blog post:
In January, I had a slow start to my quilting year, as I broke my wrist on December 22, 2023, so I spent the rest of December and all of January in a cast, recovering.
In July, I sent 25 mini quilts to Japan. ⤴️ I worked on these the first half of the year. They were sent to our former mission in Japan for fundraisers.
January through August, I worked on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, making butterfly blocks from scrap 5" squares in my collection. I made a total of 128 blocks.⤴️
Also in August, GE Designs had another Quickies QAL--the Mia quilt pattern. I made mine out of Japanese prints.⤴️
In September, I celebrated my 9th year of working at my local quilt shop! My favorite benefit of working there is a 50% discount on a one-time purchase during our anniversary month. Here's what I bought this year!!! ⤴️ I once more went for a lot of blenders and 108" backings, 2 king size battings, some thread and notions.
The owner announced her retirement and the quilt shop went on clearance, and then closed down on November 29th.😕 It was my weekly quilt outing: a chance to meet quilters and talk quilts, so I'll have to work on another quilt outing in 2025! Farewell Quilt Cove!!!🩷
In October, Gudrun of GE Designs started a one-year QAL from her new book, Stripology Quickies, which includes 12 quilts. Yes, I am a big fan of GE Designs and the Stripology Rulers! The GE warehouse is in the nearby suburb of Chaska. The first QAL was the Lilo quilt. I made both a queen size quilt and a table runner from the leftover blocks.⤴️
In November, the 2nd GE Quickies QAL video was released--Skyler. I made 2 different versions--the original and 2.0.⤴️
In December, I made 50 Christmas cards that I sent to family and friends.⤴️ It felt like making 50 mini quilts! Fortunately they did not require quilting or binding! I was inspired by Kathy Schmidt of Quirks LTD and her card making.
Also in December, I made 29 mini quilts from 2" squares for Christmas gifts. These finish at 8" X 9 1/2". I enjoy quilting each one with a different quilting design! Here's a sampling of them.⤴️ Some are made from mini charm packs, some from scraps and many from a mixture of both.
While sewing this year, I listened to 240 books, via Libby and Hoopla apps, free from our local library. This is a new yearly record for me! I keep track of my books on Goodreads.⤴️ A favorite author of mine is Gabrielle Meyer with her time-crossers series, "Timeless". There are 4 books in the series with a 5th coming out in May, 2025.
In Japan, everyone sends out New Years cards! Here are my quilt plans for 2025:
~I will be putting together my 2024 RSC butterfly blocks into baby quilts for Bundles of Love.
~I will be doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again. I want to work on using up some of my spare 2 1/2" strips in 2025.
~I will continue with the 1-year GE Stripology Quickies QAL, with 10 more quilts to go in 2025.
~I will continue my longarm business of quilting for others.
Happy New Year!!!!
Grace and peace!!! ~Nancy
Congratulations on a year well-spent with lots of creativity. Sue at sueclive at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you Nancy! I've got to say, you and your longarm had a banner year!! May this one surpass 2024! Ooh, I am so glad I didn't hear about Gudrun's "Quickies" until now: I too love the Stripology ruler and her patterns and my other projects probably would have been waylaid by them like I was during the pandemic. I am sorry to hear your LQS closed down, that anniversary perk was killer! But this just means you'll be able to focus more on your own LA business even more. Wishing you much Yorokobi and Manzokou in 2025 (and I hope I got that right)!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that your LQS closed; both of the ones in my small town have closed, too. It's an unfortunate trend. May 2025 enter lightly and I hope you have a lot of fun as you work on your goals over the next year!
ReplyDeleteYour quilts are all beautiful, Nancy - both large and small! Looking forward to seeing what you make with those butterfly blocks. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Nancy! You had a great year, inspite of a slow start. So impressed with all you do - your quilts, other peoples quilts and all that reading!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a year. Those numbers are amazing.
ReplyDeleteSo many incredible quilts!
Happy New Year!
Oh my! Your quilting output is off the charts! Your electricity bill, for running that longarm so much, must be huge! Ha, ha. Still, your dedication to quiltmaking is impressive. I'm blown away by those Christmas cards, and the mini quilts. Do you think the recipients are using the mini quilts sort of like mug rugs? I'm happy to see your great, fifty percent off, haul from the quilt shop, before it closed. No doubt about missing that place and your outings. I hope you find a new quilting group to spend time with. As for book-listening... my goodness. I thought I listened to a lot of books (too many, as hubs mentions to me - too often having an airpod in my ear), but you more than doubled my count. Wowsa! Thanks for the suggestion to read Gabrielle Meyer books. I'll look for her. I'm not into Gudrun's designs or ruler, but I know many people who are. It makes me glad for you to enjoy her designs so much. I'd like to wish you much productivity in 2025, but I think you've already got a handle on that! Your 2024 makes are proof. Keep enjoying, and have a wonderful and blessed 2025.
ReplyDeleteWhat a year you've had, Nancy! The number of projects you've quilted is surpassed only by the astounding number of books you've listened to! Wishing you all the best in 2025. Know that I'll be here on the sidelines cheering you on. : )
ReplyDeleteNancy, you had a very productive year! I enjoyed looking through your posts again. Wishing you and yours a very Happy, Healthy 2025!
ReplyDeleteI don't know which number to be amazed about: the number of quilts you finished or the number of books you've read/listened to this year. I am still figuring out my numbers of finishes. I think it will be in the 20s. But Kindle tells me I've read 120 books on it. But that doesn't count real books, books not available on Kindle nor audio books. I love to see what you've been doing each week. I hope you keep up your blogging. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteOh my word girlfriend you had a fabulous quilting year!!! Those Christmas cards are darling! I know I need a quilting outing, there is a quilt show here in 9 more days! Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! You are an inspiration to me!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you. Wow, very impressive all of the quilts that you completed in 2024.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! (Wow, you accomplished so much in 2024!)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Nancy! What an amazing output of gorgeous work! Your I-Spy quilts are still being used in orphanages in Japan. Thank you! One of the workshops at the 68th annual Japan Women's Conference in February will be quilting, led by Julie Fukuda, who will lead the construction of an I-Spy quilt for JOEE.jp. Julie is a master quilter who has designed and crafted handmade quilts that hang in Tokyo Union Church and other places. The conference website is here: https://woconjapan.wordpress.com. If you have friends in Japan who might like to attend, please share out the website.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and your family in 2025!
Wow, you really did a lot of sewing work last year, I also love sewn cards, I made a few too - but only four :-))) Sending cards has declined here, everyone writes by cell phone. I love cards and letters in the mailbox.
ReplyDeleteAll the best for you for 2025. It will be very exciting to see your sewing work, just like your work on your quilting machine... I wish you a successful year.
Hug from Viola
Great year! Love the quilts you made. Your plans for the new year sound fun, especially the QAL. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2025/01/01/wednesday-wait-loss-413
Wish you all the best for 2025 !
ReplyDeleteAnna
Looking forward to joining you at Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025. The butterflies will make adorable baby quilts. I’m sure your quilting community will fill your need for an outing. Quilters to the rescue ! And 240 books!! Good gravy, that’s 10x more than me! 👏
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Nancy. I enjoyed every detail. I also follow GE Designs but don't join in all the qal. I cant keep up. How do you?? lol I used to make cards by intricate paper piecing, I would print designs to exact size with EQ, then sewed the piece to the cardstock around around the very edge. They I became dissatisfied with how the edge was turning out. So I stopped making them. I do love your cards. Maybe its because its created on a lovely background piece then stitched around 'inside' the edge. My question is: do you glue it to the cardstock also?
ReplyDeleteHolee Buckets!!! first I am so impressed that you are so good at keeping stats!! Impressive - but wow!! what a productive year you had - kind of like that beginning set back didn't even exist!!! GO you!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! And what a productive time you have had in 2024. I hope you also enjoyed it ;) Wishing you all the best for 2025! xo Melanie
ReplyDeleteWhat a great year of finishes! I love the minis you sent to Japan. So cute.
ReplyDeleteWhat a year you had! Well done. :) Thank you for sharing your recap in my Sew & Tell party. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, nice Christmas cards! And don't think you 'copied' my design because I probably saw it from someone else! With social media today, everything is shared!
ReplyDeleteSorry------didn't mean to be anonymous! Kathy-Quirks
ReplyDeleteThanks for your Christmas card idea. I make mine as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous, quilty year you had! Thanks for the book recommendation, too. I hadn't heard of Gabrielle Meyer, so I'll check out her books. Happy quilting in 2025!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Nancy! What a busy and creative year, you did a lot of beautiful projects over the year! I wish you all the best for 2025!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this amazing review, hugs!