Sunday, January 15, 2023

Progress on Jazzy Blues

When I finish making a small quilt, I usually add it to my bulletin board. Sometimes I just remove a quilt that is approximately the same size to make room, and other times, I switch other quilts too to form a cohesive theme. It keeps the decor fresh and revolving.

Several people asked me questions this week so I thought I would show you.

I have given a few small quilts away, but most of the time, I just add them to my small quilt collection. I have fun curating the bulletin board.

I have a bunch of animal quilts now, and the ones in this picture are just a few of them. I just grabbed them without digging them all out.

I do make bigger quilts too, mostly lap quilts, and a smattering of bed size quilts. Aunt Daisy is going to be one of those really big, bed size quilts. Big quilts take a long time to make, and are difficult to go through my domestic sewing machine for quilting. And I would have a hard time finding uses for big quilts since there are only so many beds in the house and they take up a lot of storage space in the summer and for rotation. Although the big may seem to be more practical, they are actually less useful to me. Small quilts are fun to make, don't take up a lot of time to make or a lot of space to store. They let me play and try out different techniques, and let me have finishes even when I can't devote large amounts of time quilting. 


Last year, I showed a whole post with my statistics, so here is an update. The number of quilt finishes increased, but the spread between starts and finishes didn't move last year. I am hoping that this year I can narrow the gap. Because I make small quilts, sometimes ugly ones I finish in a week, the number of finishes isn't that impressive.


Last year, I tried to only start quilts I was committed to finish, so I had fewer starts. I did have one more start than finish because I chose to make a big quilt that I knew I couldn't finish quickly: the Aunt Daisy quilt pattern that I am calling Jazzy Blues.

2023: 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 2



Since the Project Quilting challenges are every other week, I had free time this week to choose my own project. I decided to make more triangles for Jazzy Blues. There are more of these triangles than any other block in this quilt. I made two batches, and will need to make more. I also need to press and trim them.

 
15 minute days this week --7 out of 7
15 minute days this year -- 14 out of 14 days
Success rate  = 100%
 
Linked with: 15 Minutes to Stitch

9 comments:

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I agree, the smaller quilts are more fun and lap and throw quilts are useful, maybe more so than bed quilts. I don't make bed size quilts for gifts any more because that tells them that I want to decorate their bedroom and maybe it isn't their choice at all.
You have a great start on your peercentages. Maybe you could use bonus minutes as carryover into the next week if you know you are going to be too busy to sew. It's like rollover minutes on your cell phone.

Anorina @SameliasMum said...

Love your little animal quilts. They certainly brighten up the space :)

Joyful Quilter said...

Love all the animal minis. I don't know why but I think I get more satisfaction from making a fun mini quilt than I do from making a larger quilt. Case in point the Aunt Daisy quilt, I finally finished cutting out all of my triangle in a square pieces and parts...this quilt is taking forever. ;o)

Queeniepatch said...

That's a good way to display smaller quilts. The animals are all charming. I don't think I have seen the llama and the elephant before...

Kate said...

Your bulletin board is really fun, love those minis. I remember most of them, but not all. Love your charts. Your small project approach makes a lot of sense. Congrats on a good week of stitching time. Love that blue in your triangles. Happy stitching this week.

Rose said...

I so love the blue fabric in your triangles!!!! I have sure loved the fabrics you chose for this. I need to try making some minis...to give me the satisfaction of finishing something. I always love seeing your minis...

Nann said...

Seeing the statistics as a graph is eye-opening. (And that graph could make an interesting quilt.) Great idea to have the minis as a rotating exhibit.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

I like that idea of a bulletin board for your small quilts - the collage is amazing

Tanya said...

I really should think about making more mini-quilts as that would get the fabric flowing again, but when I give away smaller quilts people often don't know what to do with them. Maybe they don't know what to do with the larger quilts either... Never thought of that.