Just a Couple More Things...

 As we close out 2022, this made me laugh. 

I completed a total of 16 quilts this year--most of them projects that had been started years ago, many of them with precious blocks made by my friends. It's a good feeling to have the quilts completed and to the point where I can now enjoy them. 

Here are some of my favorites, both completed and works in progress.

Of interest, I started tracking my fabric in 2022 with the goal of buying as little as possible and using as much as possible. Here are the final numbers: 

Fabric in: 119 7/8 yards. 

That seems like a lot; however, it included very little in the way of impulse buys--most of it was either for backing or backgrounds for quilts that were actually completed in 2022. I will definitely continue tracking in 2023 because I really like how it made me rethink whether the fabric was something I liked but had no plan, or was something I would actually use. 

Fabric out: 384 1/8 yards. 

I know--that number seems astronomical. But I went through my entire stash and donated or gave away yards and yards to people (a total of 212 1/2 yards!) who hopefully will find it helpful, rather than just sitting on a shelf in my sewing room. 

So that brings the net to -264 1/4 yards for the year. 

That number is very unlikely to be repeated for 2023, although I will continue to routinely go through the fabric on hand and pass on what I know I won't use. 

And books. I ended up reading 99 books in 2022. I have never come close to that total. Ever. There were a few standouts, such as Incredibly Bright Creatures and How the Penguins Saved Veronica, and one that I just finished in December, Thank You for Listening, recommended by my friend, Felicity. I ended the year (but didn't finish the book in time to add it to 2022, which would have brought my total of 100)  by starting my very first Stephen King novel, recommended by my friend, Janice. I have always resisted reading a King novel because I thought they were scary, but I can highly recommend Billy Summers. 

I think that wraps up the sewing and reading for 2022. This expresses what sewing means to me. I'm anxious to see what 2023 holds.