Reflections after 52Quilters

This week for me was about sharing my experience as a new quilter.  The whole time, I only posted one finished quilt.  My hope was to help encourage relatively new quilters or time-strapped quilters to keep going.  I am honest about where I am with my skills, and I received a lot of encouragement at my last guild meeting from women who feel the same way.

I feel that as a relatively new quilter, I still have a lot to learn about my aesthetic, my work style and my goals.  Since it's still January, I think I can get away with some looking to the past and planning to the future:

What I learned in 2015:

1. I love Elizabeth Hartman, but I can't handle Patchwork City.  I'm starting to feel the same way about Tula Pink's City Sampler.  I love chain sewing, which is why I loved Hazel Hedgehog so much.  I could break it down into steps and see the end of the tunnel.  Maybe I need to leave my Tula 100 for another time when I have more of a stash, so thanks for the encouragement, Chris!
2. You have to work on projects that you like.  For me, this was a long process to even figure out what I liked, and there is totally value in that.  I started a lot of things that I haven't finished because I'm not really that into it anymore.  For example, I started a t-shirt quilt from my sorority t-shirts.  There were so many of them, I didn't want to get rid of them all.  But now, 6 years out of undergrad, I don't really care about it anymore.  I don't think it's worth my limited time, so I need to decide what to do with all of my blocks. (Pictured isn't even all of them) 

The T-Shirt quilt that might forever be a UFO.

Goals for 2016:

1. I want to finish 4 quilts: 
• Violet Craft's Jungle Abstractions Lion (in progress)
• A Tula Pink Elizabeth quilt
• Violet Craft's Forest Abstractions buck (for my in-laws)
• Charity Quilt
2. I'm going to make a bunch of quilts that I want to make, and let my family choose which ones they want.  Eventually.  You know, when they're all done.  I think my confidence will increase and some day, I'll be more sure that I can finish a project, but for now, I'm going to chase my excitement and do fun projects.  
3. I think it's also important to do projects to donate.  I haven't donated anything yet, but I'd like to do at least one per year.  I feel that it's a really great way to use something I love to help other people. 

   

   Plus quilt for charity I've already started!
   
   

   
   

Well, I think that's all I've got for 52 Quilters! Thanks for having me; I've had a blast on Instagram and can't wait to see what 2016 holds!  

Post by Kelly Kay:

Kelly Kay has been quilting for about 2 years, right about the time she moved to Calgary from Texas! The transition from grad school to the professional world, summer to winter, and journal articles to patterns has been eased by a spouse and two adorable kittens. You can see her cats, Larry Bird and Babou, her quilting, and the occasional yummy dinner on her Instagram: @kkspur