From the Maker

As always, the #2016bestnine and the Best of 2016 don't tell the whole story, not the real story as the maker knows it. Which is why I'm always compelled, at the year's end, to glance back and look for what I liked best, those creations that are so much more than a pretty quilt.... those that have struggle and wonder and pride stitched into them.

Scrap Leather

Though I usually post several tutorials a year, those I especially enjoyed this year were a handful of improv block tutorials - with which both Faith Circle and Seattle MQG made giving quilts. I liked that.

X Marks the Improv

Some of my very favorite sewing has been when I sewed just to see where an idea would take me. Those times can be where I doubt myself the most, but when things turn out, they are some of the most satisfying.

StringSong

Yay or Nay

And then there was Crosscut. What started out as bee swap blocks turned into more FUN exploration, and even my hosting my first Instagram sew-along. Talk about good times! 

  

Crosscut

There were other shining moments....

• Dabbling in improv more than ever before. I start to crave it when it's been too long, and though sometimes unsettling, it has brought alot of joy to my sewing.
• Mod Mood winning first place in the group category at QuiltCon! That was one terrific day for Bee Sewcial, and for me.
• And then selling my first quilt. It wasn't a goal necessarily, but it was a landmark moment just the same.
• The Scrap Basket newletter, which goes mostly out into a quiet void, but the readership continues to grow and I hear affirmation from a consistent bunch.
• Sharing That One Last Step, encouraging others to do their finished quilts the honor of a proper photoshoot. It's such a good thing.
• Adding to my sewing machine family, which has done so much to help me improve my machine quilting

There's more of course. So much more that has made this one terrific year of creating and community. But it's what comes to mind in this moment, and it's certainly more than enough.