So sorry about your sister. It takes me forever to finish a quilt! But I work full time and always make a queen-size. I end up doing a lot of smaller projects in between though, like making baby and wedding gifts. I started two quilts a year and a half ago at at sewing camp and have not touched them since. And I have bought tons of fabric to make my son a quilt in Virginia Tech colors. So join the crowd, you're certainly not along in your time frame.