Hope everyone had a wonderful New Years and set themselves some new challenges for 2011, mine are to go without chocolate for 365 days (gulp), travel more, I also have some mini career goals and of course, more sewing! I set myself a personal goal to complete more quilts than last year, not hard as I only made 5 and 2 were doll quilts! This year I have managed 6, woot! I have 2 more that are fully quilted and just need the binding sewn onto them, and another that is sandwiched and I have started quilting; so I am hoping to have 3 finished quilts in the next few weeks.
In January 2010 I made
Black, White and Pink All Over for a friends 40th, I love this quilt, it came together quickly and was mostly from my stash.
A work college had a baby girl in February so
Sea Life was made to match her nursery decor.
April came, I whipped up a
Disappearing 9 Patch for a 30th Birthday gift, if I focus I can make one of these lap quilts in a week, IF, lol.
I also completed another
baby quilt for my manager who had a son, that we are yet to meet (I think he's afraid to bring him into work as were all a little baby crazy!!)
In August I completed Stuart's
Two Rail Fence I made this quilt from a free pattern on Mary's blog, I just love it and his fave colour is lime green so he's happy with it.
In December I made another
Disappearing 9 Patch for Cate's dance teacher, mostly the same as the other but I added some aqua homespun. I have found these are great universal quilts, so hope to make a few and put away for gifts, less personal but great for the time poor worker, and I find that the Amy Butler daisy chain print suits sea side dwellers.
So there you have my 6 quilts for 2010. Peak sewing times seams to be whenever I manage to get some holidays and there was a big lapse from May to July when I was sewing dance costumes. All in all, pat on the back for me, I work full time supporting a family of 6, the kids have sport commitments nearly every night, I run a Guinea Pig rescue, volunteer at the school, help fund raise for our Bali sponsor child and I would like to dabble in the occasional market, so my aim for 2011 will be to complete eleven glorious quilts! Eleven!! (with 3 nearly done plus 7 = one more than I made in 2010, lol)
I bought the kit about 3 years ago from the craft fair, the pattern could do with a little more instruction imo and more fabric really is needed, I had to make the smaller blocks using a scant 1/8th seam and was quite worried about running out. Also there are no set instructions on how to sew the blocks together in a particular order, so I would say that this quilt is best suited for an intermediate quilter who's up for a challenge.
Next quilt, my squares. I bought this kit when I went to Melbourne so also a good 2 and a half years ago. I did buy 2 kits the same and gave one to my mum in a blue and brown colourway and mine was in the pink. 
When I was sewing it up I was a tad unsure about some of the prints but I think it has come together beautifully. Generous amount of fabric, there was enough fabric to make 7 squares from each print not the suggested 6, so my quilt is bigger and I have some quares left over for a matching cushion. 
I thought it would be for Cate's bed, but I think it suits an older girl so will put away for now and maybe when she's 10 pull it out and have it quilted. 
And from my Castle Peeps fabric, a while ago I was inspired by this quilt and I cut and sewed 116 mix tape blocks all 6" to make 2 single bed quilts and 4 matching cushions, photos to come. I bought the sashing yesterday amd have been sewing on and off over the weekend, I hope to finish the tops in the next 2 weeks, before the bunks arrive!
