My Compass Bag

A new year, a new bag!

This is one of Noodlehead's older patterns - the Compass bag. I had great fun in the making process and fudged my way into a recessed zipper for the top of the bag.

I added a zipper pocket to the outside, perfectly sized for my phone. There is a zipper pocket inside. I plan to take this bag to QuiltCon next month. It should have all the room I need to carry basic stuff plus a small snack or two!

I intend to wear the bag as a crossbody - I love it. The fabric is a canvas by Ruby Star. 

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Welcome 2025!

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a wonderful time to reflect on goals accomplished and to set new ones for the upcoming year.  I recently shared my Best of 2024 post and now I'll be linking up to Yvonne's #2025QuiltingPlanningParty.  I've filled this post with some eye candy of favorite finishes for the year because it is always fun to share them one more time. (The quilt above is my favorite finish of the year - something I use most days - read more here.)

(For reference, see my 2024 goal post and the mid-year check-in.)

Starting with my making and creativity related goals:

• I ended up making three quilts specifically to submit to QuiltCon although two of them served other purposes too! Arcturus was my first attempt at the fabric challenge for Phoenix and happily it was accepted. Peach Fuzz was my Pantone Challenge quilt (not accepted) but a pattern is coming soon. Finally, Stepping Stones was made for my guild challenge and to also have another fabric challenge entry.

• I donated two quilts to my guild charity this year, Scrappy HSTs made only fabric from stash (go me) and Lily which was at the request of Fat Quarter Shop. There is another donation quilt ready for quilting made entirely from stash that I hope to finish this year.

• I gave myself a goal to spend time playing and experimenting. Large curves showed up in my Arcturus quilt and I hade fun with the Project Quilting prompts - A Bit of Blue was my favorite make from that challenge. I started a new improv project and I also really had fun with the process of creating my Currents quilt. Relearning how to crochet and making lots of grannie squares was also a great example of focusing on this goal. Playtime will be an intention that I bring into this year.

I did reasonably well with my goal to keep my fabric stash so that it fit within the bookcases I currently have. Fabric purchases are project based with the exception of some solid colors that I always want on hand. At the time of this writing, everything is nicely organized so lets hope it stays that way! 

I did generally achieve my goal of blogging 1-2 times weekly and my monthly newsletter got some updates that are working for me.

Six Hours

I give myself a big high five for working on general well being goals. I walk or swim daily and added a twice weekly strength training practice. I also make time to create, read and nap most days. Spending time with friends was also important and a focus I want to carry forward. The quilt above Six Hours was made with 5 friends on a quilting weekend at the beach this past fall.

Rainbows

Moving into 2025, I have similar intentions for the year:

• Enter at least one new quilt into QuiltCon 2026 (Raleigh!)
• Finish at least one scrap quilt to be donated to my guild's community giving project.
• Make time to play and always have at least 2 different kinds of handwork WIPs
• Continue blogging at least once weekly and post finishes on IG - I want my grid to be filled with all the good stuff!
• Focus on my personal well being by making time to exercise, to read, to rest, to relax with friends, and - most importantly - recognize joy in every day.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post. I wish you a happy and creative 2025!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

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