This year Mister and I have decided that we want to make a quilt for each of the grandchildren for their birthday in addition to sewing some for fun for ourselves. Here is a brief glimpse into what we accomplished. If you want further information on any of these, just check the monthly quilt update posts for the month listed and you will see the details. (Then somewhere along the way I went totally nuts and determined to make one for each child/spouse AND for each of our mothers for Christmas - insane!) January: Raef's 9th birthday (1/17) - Scrappy Mountain Majesties by Bonnie Hunter set in burst pattern with browns and greens. Pieced border. Camo back. First time ever machine quilting. Jared's 9th birthday ( 1/30) - Scrappy Mountain Majesties set in zig zag pattern with browns and greens. Bugs border by Michael Murphy. Camo back. Mister's Table Runner - Made from a batik kit purchased in Hawaii on his birthday. Backing and binding from a local quilt shop. It now graces our dining room table. Hand quilted. March: Jon's 13th birthday (4/7) - Dancing Nine Patch by Bonnie Hunter made with recycled shirts. Pieced border and back. Josh's 7th birthday (11/30 - way ahead I know) - Scrappy Mountain Majesties set in burst pattern of red/white/blue. Pieced back. Caleb's 3rd birthday (4/26) - Scrappy Mountain Majesties set in a multicolor mountain pattern. Back has orange border with whole cloth center. Jason's Chemo Quilt - My take on Jelly Roll Race with shirt strips of varied lengths. Pieced back. April: Baby Girl Ashton (arriving in June) - pink tricot Sunbonnet Girl - entirely hand-stitched Zyra's 4th birthday (4/27) - Scrappy Mountain Majesties set in burst pattern of pinks and purples. Back is pieced with a few leftover blocks in the center. Malea's 2nd birthday (5/4) - Scrappy Trips by Bonnie Hunter in a variety of colors and shades. Back is whole cloth. Elena's 5th birthday (5/7) - Bricks and Stepping Stones by Bonnie Hunter. Purple, pink, neutrals, and those wonderful black polka dot squares. Back is pieced with pink tie dye flowers on sides and a rainbow pinstripe down the center. Neighbor Baby Quilt - My take on Dancing Nines by Bonnie Hunter. I am calling it Dancing Pastels. Made with minky on the front and a bright polka dot four-patch from 4 flannels on the back. Hand quilted. May: Ryan's 7th birthday (5/16) - Log Cabin quilt in blacks and gold/yellows. Back is pieced camo. Bekah's 15th birthday (6/12) - Stacked Squares in black/white/grey/red with as many musical and soccer prints as we could find. One piece back. First perfect machine quilting -- no bubbles on back at all. Binding says "Blah Blah Blah" Bob Graduation Quilt (5/24) - Rectangle Squared with sashings in blue/turquoise/white from scraps and shirts. Solid blue back with leftover blocks fit in. First time using walking foot to quilt straight lines. June: Ophelia's Baby Quilt (6/10) - Another of my takes on Dancing Nines by Bonnie Hunter - Dancing Pastels. Made with minky on the front and a white/pink flannel and pink minky the back. Hand quilted. Again, I added a little strip to the label. Jon's Strip Quilt -- I am going to count this one even though Jon made it as I was there the entire time and did all the cutting, half of the tying, and all the binding. I sat and deboned shirts while he sewed the top. July: "Gratitude" - my original work from orphan blocks bought in large purchase at Urban Thrift. First attempt at a more creative label. I used a leftover block and added the muslin to it before putting a strip across the top. August: Nature's Bounty Applique Quilt - My first attempt at applique. A Block of the Month that Jen and I purchased years ago. She worked on hers during retreat in May and I am excited to see it. This is my first time machine quilting a specific pattern and I definitely need practice. This quilt is Rhiana's Christmas gift. September: No finishes this month - so sad. October: Celtic Solstice I - Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2013. There is a special tab on the blog to watch the progress of these two quilts (see below). Colors given were jewel tones of orange, green, blue, and yellow along with neutrals. Backs are whole cloth with pieced off center strips down the middle. First stitch taken December 2, 2013 - last stitch October 9, 2017. Jacob's 12th Birthday (10/15) - Log Cabin in oranges and black set in a swirl. Back is a funky cat on motorcycles whole cloth. Hyrum's 7th Birthday (10/31) - Old Kentucky Album by Bonnie Hunter using blacks and greens. Since his birthday is on Halloween, there are several holiday prints in there as well. Drat the sunny day since it washed out several areas on the quilt. First time doing a pieced strip border that is attached all at once. Back is solid black with a pieced section in the middles of leftover parts. Celtic Solstice II - First stitch taken December 2, 2013 - Last stitch October 17, 2014. The twin to the above quilt. All details are the same as for it's sister. November: Lazy Sunday- The New Years Day mystery quilt in Plano, Texas 2013. I had just started to get back into quilting and was able to get into a Bonnie Hunter class at the last minute. After a quick trip to the local quilt shop -- I was set. It has taken me quite awhile to get up the nerve to quilt it. I have had the top finished for over a year. The colors are all batiks and the neutrals are cotton. The back is a solid yellow. Scrappy Bargello - Last year over New Years, I was once again able to take some Bonnie Hunter classes in Plano. This was not one of the classes I signed up for but at the last minute it had openings so I added it to my week. I love the way it turned out and the border is my own design. Very fun. Back is a solid burgundy. This is for my mother-in-law for Christmas. My Favorite Things is a JoAnn block of the month from 1999. Yep, I've had this one awhile. Back is just a bunch of green fabrics that needed to be used up. This is for my mother for Christmas. This Wedding Quilt Wall Hanging is my own design and the first time I have attempted to use photographs. It is a gift to Zach and Rebecca Hamilton (my nephew and his bride). It was made at retreat and quilted on my Featherweight using the penguin walking foot for the straight lines and then just letting it all go and free motion quilting the outer border. Back is solid yellow and label consists of their invitation. (THE outdoor shot is a terrible picture -- it was folded and I didn't press it before picture -- thus, ick - and then it was mailed) Peaceful Paisley is another JoAnn block of the month from 2013 -- not quite an ancient as the others. It is quilted with a walking foot for the majority of it. There is a bit of free motion in the outer border. The back is a giant 4-patch from fall colored fabrics that were in the studio and needed to be used. Cassie and Scott are receiving this one for Christmas. Virginia Bound by Bonnie Hunter - I took this class through the Dallas Guild back in the fall of 2013. I finished it right away but again have been scared to tackle the quilting. It is all free motion on my 301. The back is a solid green with a section of a green/blue fabric. This is all made from men's shirts and is all paper pieced except the border. Matt and Becca will find this in their Christmas box. December: Sew Squared is a JoAnn quilt block of the month kit from 2014. When I first saw the colors in this one, I knew I had to get it and I am so glad that I did. I am amazed at how it turned out and how much I am learning of the quilting process on these BOM kits. I get a little bit better with each one. This is for Amanda (and Trent) as she has always asked for some thing teal. I will post a better picture when I receive one from her as I literally finished the last stitch on this and packed it up to mail. No time for Mister to take an outdoor shot. The back is made from matching fat quarters in a giant 25-patch. First time for that but I know it won't be the last. The only area not quilted with a walking foot is the outer border which has some free motion stippling. UPDATE: Went to Amanda's and took a picture outside. Isn't this grand? Making Waves is a JoAnn block of the month for 2014. I wanted so very much to make something that Jen had not seen and so it waited until December to really be worked on. I LOVE how it turned out. This is the first time I feel like I really have control of the quilting even though it took forever. The back is made from fat quarters of fabrics in the top plus a few others I threw in to have enough. Quilted with a walking foot except for the stippling in the colored rows. Jen and Louis will receive this one. That makes 30 for this year. Wow. I still have my Wanderlust top sandwiched and ready to quilt but since I have little grandgirls staying this week, it most likely won't happen before New Years. What an amazing experience this has been. Next year won't come close, but I know this is a passion that will continue for quite some time. I can't wait to see what the new year will bring.