Best of 2024

Each year, Cheryl invites bloggers to join the best of year link-up and share their 5 best blog posts of  the year and we get to define what 'best' means! It is hard to narrow things down but these are my favorites from 2024 listed in no particular order.

Favorite make:

I made a whole bunch of quilts this year - for gifts and for our guild's community giving project. This quilt is the one I made for ME! It was part of the Alison Glass Cozy QAL and I love all the words of affirmation. I use the quilt nearly every day with an afternoon nap!  You can read more here.

I loved each of the gifted quilts - the Puppy Quilt, London, and Colors of the Pacific Northwest.

Favorite quilting event:

Perhaps the biggest quilting thrill this year was to experience QuiltCon in my own back yard. I had the opportunity to volunteer for show set-up and tear-down and enjoyed the chance to see many old friends, make new ones, enjoy the quilts, the shopping, and having my family come see what the show is all about. You can read all about my experiences through a series of blog posts - My Quilts, The Quilts, The Workshops, The Best Bits and Final Reflections. QuiltCon returns to Raleigh in 2026 and I'm excited for this year's event in Phoenix.

Most Fun WIP:

Now that the QuitCon and holiday gift sewing is done, there are actually 2 projects I am excited to get back to! The first is my economy blocks using all Ruby Star fabrics. There are 120 of them done, last touched back in early October! (See that post.) The second in my denim jacket upgrade!

Favorite Bag Make:

I do enjoy a good bag make and look forward to the latest Noodlehead pattern. This is the larger size Oxbow tote. I also made a small Mickey Mouse themed Oxbow tote made from a recycled canvas bag, a rainbow tote for bringing my supplies to guild meetings, a picnic tote, the Grow bag, and a sew together bag for a friend. My final bag finish for the year will likely be another Noodle-head pattern - I've got the bag in progress right now!

My New Craft:

While I've knit on and off for many years, I haven't actually done any crochet since I was in High School. That changed this year. I am playing with 32 colors of cotton yarn in mini (25g) skeins to make all these small granny squares. I've completed the squares from 24 of the mini skeins and can't wait to spread out all the color and start joining them together. (Read more about my project.)

I enjoy participating in the link-up each year even though it is always tough to choose just 5 highlights.  You can find my previous yearly top 5 here: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020,  2019,   2018,  2017, and 2016.

Happy New Year!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Handmade Holiday 2024

I enjoy making just a few handmade gifts each year. Keep Out was a gift to my husband.

This mini quilt was compiled with patterns from Tartankiwi for the bunny, from Crafty Nomad for the plant, and Carolyn Friedlander for the alphabet. The bunnies made themselves at home in our raised garden beds until we surrounded them with chicken wire!

I had more fun with the alphabet pattern in making this pillow for my youngest, the writer. I made another pillow - not pictured - for my middle daughter and used Spoonflower to print a photo of them. 

The alphabet pattern is quite fun to work with so I decided to make a gift for my oldest. I wrapped the mini around a canvas frame so that it can hang by their front door. There was only minimal quilting around each letter. I like the way it looks and, frankly, it was all I had time to do!

Two gifts for friends - the first is a Harry Potter fan (see post)

and the other is a quilting buddy and our Friendsgiving gift exchange. (see post)

All this gift giving interrupted my other projects in a perfect way. None of them took very long - except maybe for the Sew Together Bag - and each project was unique and enjoyable in its own way.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Winter Stars

My friend Frances @offkilterquilt has released an original free holiday story for the last seven years. The latest story is very beautiful and is called Winter Stars. 

Frances is a wonderful writer and has published stories and books about quilters set in a fictional town called Milton Falls. On her QuiltFiction site, she releases an audio story each week.

For the last several years, I've written a block with a bonus quilt runner or wall hanging pattern to support the story. (See prior years: Dorothy's Christmas  Star and December Star.) 

The Winter Stars table runner finishes at 17.5" x 30". The star is constructed using HST - an easy way to construct a Lemoyne star. I love this color palette for January!

You can find the story and the block pattern for this block - written by me! - at QuiltFiction.  Make sure you check out Story Guild for access to more quilting fiction.  

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Harry Potter Themed Bag

Earlier this year, I started taking strength training lessons twice a week at my local fitness center. This has been the best gift to myself ever! Although I might complain a bit (ok, a lot) during the sessions, they have been very beneficial. I know I am getting stronger!

Sarah is a big time Harry Potter fan so I wanted to make her a bag for Christmas. The crest was from Fandom of Stitches and was a relatively quick FPP. The bag is Noodlehead wide open pouch in the medium size. (I boxed the corners at 2.25" but would likely go for 1.75" or maybe 2" the next time.) 

She really liked the bag!

I've got a few more homemade items to share but they will have to wait until gifted!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Denim Upgrade

Looking ahead towards QuiltCon Phoenix, I decided to upgrade a denim jacket with quilty goodness. The back panel was my first step but is only the beginning of the fun.

To create, I made a panel using scraps and skinny strips. I used fusible fleece and then had great fun with walking foot quilting.

Edges were folded over and basted down and then I used my walking foot to sew it down onto the jacket. I didn't switch to a denim needle. 

More upgrades to come - once I finish some holiday sewing. I can't wait to wear it!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Bag Exchange

We did a bag exchange as part of a Friendsgiving get-together. 

I made a Sew Together bag! I made one for myself 7 years ago (!!!) and had great fun tackling it again. I had some scraps of this gold fabric so I pieced it with the gold and added some to the binding.

More Alison Glass fabric (her favorite) for the inside. This bag can be a bit finicky but it went together quite smoothly.

I got these wonderful scissors bags in return (plus some yummy chocolate covered Oreos). Fabric is all Guicy Guice and pattern is from By Annie.

This was our first Friendsgiving and I suspect we will do one again!

Have a wonderful day! Patty