2014 in Review

I know I am a little late to the 2014 year in review party but starting the year out feeling under the weather has me running a few days behind schedule.  I promise I will fill this post up with lots of great eye candy to make up for it!

First, I can't believe I am entering into my 9th year longarm quilting for others. I am blessed to have so many talented and loyal clients and I count many of them as close friends.  Running a very successful home business is quite rewarding and I am very thankful for the life I have.

One of the great things about quilting for others is I get to be a part of so many beautiful quilts.

Every week I am inspired by all the colorful and diverse quilts that pass before my eyes.

Because I love all styles of quilts, over the years I have built a very diverse client base.  So one day you might find something very traditional on my quilt frame.... 

 ...immediately followed by something very modern.

There are even a few art quilters who send their pieces to me to be quilted.

Pretty cool huh!?!  A quilt on a quilt!

Occasionally, I get the pleasure (and challenge)  of working on quilts with intricate piecing that I would probably never piece myself.

 This one just came off my frame and the customer hasn't seen it yet so I can't share too much but this little glimpse from the back.

For each quilt, I try and adjust my quilting styles to fit the canvas before me. 

 

The downfall to being a LAQ is I am constantly inspired and I have to constrain myself to not start a new quilt everyday.

Even the simplest of piecing done in the right colors of flannels has me placing items in a shopping cart!  I really wanted to snuggle up with this one right after I finished it but I think clients frown upon that!









Besides quilting for others, of course I had a lot of my own projects I worked on over the year. 

I started 2014 with a list of 47 projects in the works (Yikes).  So my main focus this year was on finishing some of these up.

I did finish 64 quilts in 2014.  And 11 of them (like the one above) were projects I started many years ago so that was an accomplishment to be celebrated!.  Most of these victories were due to joining in on a couple of Finish-A-Longs, something I will be doing again in 2015.

 I might even join in on some Instagram events like #SewMyStash2015 and #WhipYourWIPs2015.

My goal was to finish 2014 with less than 35 WIPs. I am delighted to say I have whittled down my WIPs to just 26!  I know that still sounds like a lot but quite a few of the projects are long-term, bucket-list type projects that I only work a bit on each year. But I want to continue to work through this list so I want to set a goal to have the list down to 20 by the end of 2015! 

Of the 64 quilts for 2014, 29 were made from scraps and 21 were made from my existing stash.  Those numbers make me and my pocketbook very happy as I didn't spend a lot of money on fabric last year.  I hope to continue to sew quilts from my older stash but will be allowing myself to design quilts around some new collections.

Due to my Scrap-A-Palooza series that I started in 2014, scrap quilts have become a regular feature on my blog. I think the quilt below was my favorite of the year.  It has definitely been getting use lately as I fight my way through this nasty flu bug!

 I am also proud to say that in 2014, I had 2 more magazine publications with one of my quilts even featured on a cover.  I will be starting 2015 out with another magazine publication so stay tuned for the announcement in a few days.  Hopefully you will see a few more throughout the year.

And in 2014, I published my first independent pattern (Wiggle Time is available for purchase on Etsy and Craftsy). I have been working on writing up a few more so I hope to have additional patterns available in 2015!

I also became a Craftsy affiliate in 2014. This allows me to make a small commission on purchases made by wonderful people who click through my site and make a purchase on a class or product. These funds help cover the costs of running linky parties and supporting giveaways. I really do appreciate the support!

But the best part of 2014 was getting to know so many of you.  I am so inspired by what I see in so many of your blogs and encouraged by my readers support and comments. I truly do appreciate all of you and look forward to seeing what 2015 brings.  Cheers!

If you are interested in more ways to follow me, you can find me on Craftsy, Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin', Feedly, Instagram, Google +, or get my blog sent right to your email inbox by entering your email address on the right sidebar!

I usually only share my client quilt photos on my Facebook or Instagram feeds.  If you want to see more of these throughout the year, you are welcome to follow along there!

Okay, here are a few more client quilts I think deserve sharing!

Linking Up:
Fresh Sewing Day
Anything Goes Monday.