2014 by the Numbers

I can't believe we're getting ready to say goodbye to another year.  2014 certainly flew by, and I didn't want to let it slip away without thinking back to this year's happenings.  So, as I look back, here's a little recap of my year, both quilty and otherwise!

33- quilts finished this year.  I am not counting the mini, or little preemie quilts I finished.  Since they are so small, it almost feels like cheating to include them in the count.  Check out my favorite of the year, and the one that I have the most regret about selling.  When I sold it, I knew that I could always make another one (since scraps always accumulate), but I'm not sure if I would make the same choice again-

4- preemie quilts finished and donated to our local childrens' hospital.  Here are a couple of them-

1- mini.  The only one I've ever made!

8- patterns added to my pattern shop (plus one more in the works).  This was a new venture this year, and I could not be happier with the way it has blossomed!  My very first pattern was Paper Doll Dress-Up.  Oddly enough, it is one of my favorite patterns, yet the one I have sold the least copies of. Weird how things work out sometimes!

2- additional exams taken and endorsements added to my teaching license last spring, which led directly to-

5- the new grade level that I now teach.  5th grade is the oldest grade level I have ever taught, and although I was apprehensive about the move, I has been a good one!

2- quilt shows entered.  One was of course the Blogger's Quilt Festival, and the other was the local quilt show for the Memphis Area.  I was so honored that my Shattered Rainbow quilt won the ROYGBIV category in the Blogger's Quilt Festival, and Serendipity won 3rd place in the Machine Quilted category in my local show!

1- brand new sewing room!  Over the summer, I converted my dining room into a sewing room, and haven't looked back.  The room is much more functional this way, and I love the fact that I still get to stay downstairs with my family when I sew.

2- magazine publications.  (I know this is my third number 2 in this list, but that's just the way it happened!)  In the spring, Quilt-It Today featured the memory quilt I made for my dad out of my grandfather's western shirts, Western Kaleidoscope.  Then, in the summer issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited, my full Acadian Trellis pattern was published!

countless- basketball games, baseball games, karate classes, karate belt tests, choir concerts, family dinners, lazy days spent at home, and busy days spent together.  These are the little moments that make my heart full that cannot be counted, and are absolutely priceless.  These are the moments that could be easily forgotten in a list like this, but these are the truly important things.

So long, 2014!  You've been a great year.  I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store.  Happy New Year to all!