Looking Atcha 2019

Offhand, I'd thought this year had been a little less eventful than last year, but then this post just started filling up, so I think my perception was off! It's been plenty full that's for sure - sewing every chance I got, with enough 'special events' to keep things challenging.... a nice manageable mix I'd say.

QuiltCon was definitely a high point, with Leanne/@shecanquilt's "Smile" winning best of show. It was so good to have most of Bee Sewcial there, and we had fun taking photos in front of our various quilts. Here we are with Baconrific.

Creating with Bee Sewcial was also a constant continuing through the year. The prompts and subsequent blocks are challenging each and every time, and I'm thankful for the ways creating with them stretches me. Below are the blocks I made this year.

L to R, top row: Be Counted, Triptych Jewels, Portraits

middle row: Improv Play, Modular [see finished quilt], Burle Marx

bottom row: Stripes, Sonia Delaunay, Energy

There were three trunk shows this year - for the women in my church at their annual spring luncheon, for the Mukilteo Lighthouse Quilters, and for the Bainbridge Island MQG. Unfortunately I rarely get photos at those, but still, they were all very good times.

There were 18 quilts made, in a variety of sizes, which is my favorite. Big ole quilts are so great, of course, but I also love making smaller ones to try new things or just for pure enjoyment. Links to posts on all of them are under the 2019 Quilts tab above.

Alot of us talk about how many quilts pile up around the house, and throughout the year I was blessed to be able to share some of mine by donating three to causes I support, and gifting others to family members and friends. That felt good!

And finally, in amongst all of the above were little bursts of sewing, small projects that served as respite from either the busyness of life or the larger project, and as I glance at them together, I realize alot of them were gifted. That, too, feels really good. But seriously, when did I manage to make all these??

All in all, a really terrific year, filled to the brim with meaningful community moments, plenty of creative time, and a good amount of sharing. Thanks for being a part of it!

A Backwards Glance

The Best of 2018 tells just a fraction of the story. This year has held several new types of experiences for me which made for a pretty satisfying - if not sometimes stressful - year. 

It began with my first published article, "Take a Spin with Improv," in Curated Quilts Issue 02, the Log Cabin issue. As that issue's Creative Reset feature, my encouragement to {pause} with a little improvisational piecing is something that I personally turn to over and over again when I need a little restart. What I mean to say is, I really felt like I was sharing myself, and that was meaningful. Icing on the cake was contributing again with "Wavy Curves" in Issue 05 on Improv.

Not long after, Abby Glassenberg asked me to share on Facebook Live to discuss Email Marketing for Creatives. Who, ME? Abby is a well-respected and knowledgeable voice in our creative community, and it was both unexpected and delightful to chat with her. Considering she and her ebook informed and encouraged me as I started my own newsletter, The Scrap Basket, years ago, this too was a very affirming experience. If you missed it, there's still a link here.

There was also a guest post for Amy Smart/Diary of a Quilter, where I shared Tips for Sewing with Waxed Canvas. I had an enjoyable foray into creating with a new-to-me substrate.... I need to do more of that!

And then there was QuiltCon 2018! Always a good time, and having a quilt hanging in the show just put it over the top. Between that, our guild's quilt, and three Bee Sewcial quilts showing, well that was all pretty spectacular.

Then there was some teaching! Hubby and I traveled to Texas(!), where I taught my Everyday Improv class as well as shared a trunk show with McKinney MQG. And then later in the year, I got to do the same for my own Seattle MQG. All really wonderful experiences, and it was great seeing folks excited about exploring improv!

Participating in this year's Summer Sampler Road Trip was also very fun! I was asked to contribute just one block, but I got caught up in it all and ended up making all the blocks, and look forward to finishing that quilt early in the new year!

And of course there were the quilts. I finished 18 quilts in a variety of sizes and oodles of other, smaller handmade items. I really do like creating both.

There were also a few goodbyes this year.... to Faith Circle, a do.Good Stitches charity bee with whom I sewed for nearly 7 years. It was definitely bittersweet saying goodbye. And this month wraps up three years of being a SeaMQG Giving Committee co-host, which I'll share more about later. You may have seen our final quilt on Instagram - what a way to finish up! And lastly, after the recent fiasco at Craftsy, where my small shop was whittled down to one free pattern, I've removed it, and as always, you can find the tutorial for Quarter-Cut Baby Quilt Top under my Tutorials tab.

Of course, there was oodles more, but the above were definitely highlights. Just writing this post makes me thankful for all of it, and excited to cross the bridge into 2019 to start fresh and see what comes. Thanks to all of you for continuing to join me along the way....

Another Look

Despite sharing my #2017bestnine and Best of 2017 blog posts, which are all about the numbers, of course there was much, much more. Any maker, I think, will have those projects and opportunities (and yes, challenges) that mean something to them that no one else can see. That's just the nature of creating. That said, here's some of what made 2017 especially memorable for me.

Teaching an improv piecing class at Gossypium locally, and then traveling to Victoria MQG to share a trunk show were firsts that stretched and delighted me. More similar opportunities are scheduled for the new year, and preparing for them will consume much of my behind-the-scenes creative time. I'm excited and nervous.

My bi-monthly newsletter, The Scrap Basket, topped 3000 subscribers and continues to be an enjoyable way to connect with my followers.

Chatting with Pat Sloan on her podcast was simply a blast. I was stunned when she invited me on the show, and as nerve-wracking as it was, it was such a privilege, and afterwards, I was buoyed for days.

On a whim I joined in on the #pinnieparade, and crazy as it sounds, it was such a fun diversion!  Consciously focusing on a new, small project every day was intense and rewarding. I tried so many pin cushion patterns, made up my own designs, used up scraps galore, and the best fun of all, gave most of them away.

As far as quilting itself goes, I especially loved dabbling in a range of improv. I purposely tried techniques I never had, explored several unique palettes, and just went with the flow again and again. This kind of creating takes me to such a fulfilling place.



And one of the things I was most excited about is something I haven't even had the chance to share with you yet - but soon!! I contributed an article - and project! - to Issue 2 of Curated Quilts, which ships next week. I can hardly wait!



Whew. Lots of good stuff. There was plenty more of course and I truly could go on and on. Being a member of  both the Seattle MQG and the online quilting community has continued to inspire and affirm me, and indeed, all of you feel like an essential element in my work as a creator. Ok, enough already. It's been an unquestionably good year. Thanks for being a part of it.

Best of 2017

There were hopes of one more finish before the year runs out, but I'm beginning to think that won't happen. I'm feeling a little daunted by things I already know are waiting for me in the new year, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a little time to look back. And for that reason, as a start at least, I decided to join in with Cheryl/Meadow Mist Designs' Best of 2017 Linky Party. The object is to share your top 5 posts of 2017, and I'll just judge that here purely on view count.

1. 10 Ways to Make a Quilt Back - Though I'm not usually too creative in this regard, folks obviously really appreciated a few new ideas.

2. Thinly Sliced - Interesting that of my all my quilt finishes, this one qualifies as most-viewed. What fun to explore the improv stripe technique though!

3. The Improv Stripes QAL Begins! - It was so much fun, others wanted to play too, which led to my second Instagram QAL! Skim through the #improvstripesqal hashtag to see progress photos or if you're interested in where the technique can take you, you might enjoy the show-and-tell blogposts here and here.

4. No Scrap Left Behind - Made for the blog tour for Amanda Jean/crazy mom quilts' latest book, this project was actually made the first time I took my sewing machine on vacation!

5. And finally.... "What do you do with all those quilts?" - I get asked this all the time. And though I shared in depth with lots of quilt photos in my blog post, the short answer is... I use/gift/donate/show/share/store/sell them!

So the above is just one way to indicate 'the best of', of course, and I hope to share some other thoughts soon. But it's telling, don't you think? As much as folks want to see finished quilts, they want to try new things, and get a peek into each other's crafty world. And that sharing is really one of the best things about our quilting community. Here's to more of that!

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.

My Own View

It was interesting to see #2015bestnine on Instagram and the Best of 2015 here on the blog, but from where I sit, things look and feel a little different. Numbers aside, I have my own favorites...

Monochrome

Sizzling

Each of the quilts pictured in this post gave me a singular pleasure in the making, and Steeped in Tradition and Mod Mood are close runners up. And though making quilts is mostly what it's been about, there have been some other moments worth mentioning, and more to come.

During the last year:

• My daughter Rachel/Snippet of Sweetness, and I were able to attend QuiltCon, which was an amazing experience all around, and we pretty much couldn't stop grinning just because we were actually there. Plus I got to see my Fissures hang in the show. I honestly gasped when I first rounded a corner and saw it.
• As a member of Bee Sewcial, an improv bee working only in solids, I've been challenged in new ways and found I love improv way more than I realized. 
• I stepped up to being lead of Faith Circle, a part of the charity bee do.Good Stitches. Starting with my circle as a stitcher in 2011, then becoming a quilter in 2013, it seemed only natural to take on this new role when it was offered.
• Being asked to share on Tsoniki's me being crafty podcast was surreal yet fun! Plus it was a good exercise in thinking about why I do what I do and where it all started.
• Three new tutorials were created, and I even set up a Craftsy presence, just because.
• Something I had no inking I would ever do at the year's start was accept speaking engagements. I shared The Creative Use of Neutral Fabric with the Fidalgo Island Quilters and The Improv Process with the Tacoma Modern Quilt Guild. Uh, both experiences were way more enjoyable than I expected; and though alot of work to prepare for, so very affirming. 
• I brought The Scrap Basket newsletter to life after encouragement in a lecture at QuiltCon, and boy has it been fun! Having grown to over 700 subscribers, it's been a great place to expand what I do on the blog, as well as highlight the work of others. 

Keychain

A new year is always filled with unknowns, but from what I do know, there's a couple of added roles I'll be playing:

• Louise/I'm Feelin' Crafty and I are heading up the SMQG giving committee and we have huge shoes to fill.
• As I already shared, I've joined the team of 2016 Finish-A-Long cohosts. This group has been so motivating to me over the last few years. I hope you consider joining us!

Snooze Alarm

With that, I hope to step back from the over-posting you've been succumbed to the last week as I shared my end-of-year projects, and take some time with family. So you may not hear from me for a few days. Then again, you might. Either way, here's to facing a fresh new year.