Mid-Year Quilty Check-In

The Square Up quilt - free pattern from FQS

Happy July! The year is halfway done which is a perfect time to take a look at my creative goals for the year and possibly make some changes. I'll be linking up with Yvonne @quiltingjetgirl.

At the start of the year, I posted my intentions for 2025 (see that post) as well as summarized how I did against my goals for 2024. 

Halfway through 2025, here is how I'm doing:

• Enter at least one new quilt into QuiltCon 2026 (Raleigh!) - I have plans (at this point) to enter at least 2 quilts. I've started the quilt for the fabric challenge and have the fabric for my second project. No photos to share though.
• Finish at least one scrap quilt to be donated to my guild's community giving project. - Done! I donated the Square Up quilt and have two others in progress! The first is ready for basting and quilting - (Read more.) and the second is at the block stage. Enjoying making these pineapple blocks at this point using blue scraps.

• Make time to play and always have at least 2 different kinds of handwork WIPs - Much of my handwork time has been spent on my granny square afghan which has been so much fun to work on. I've also got a Snoopy cross-stitch, a star map embroidery, and a rainbow applique. 
• Continue blogging at least once weekly and post finishes on IG - I want my grid to be filled with all the good stuff! I try to blog at least once weekly but there have been a few weeks that were missed. I've been reasonably absent from posting on IG too. Not sure if I'll make any changes moving forward 
• 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. This continues to be an important intention. I do fine with daily exercise and rest but not as good as I would like on the recognizing joy part.

My guild has started a UFO challenge to finish 5 of them this year. I love a good challenge so will see what I can do with this one! I posted about my UFO and WIPs earlier this year - time to inventory exactly where each project stands.

I'll be linking up here.  

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Three Llamas and a Hippo

My nephew and his wife just had their third child - a little girl - to go along with their two boys. I've made quilts for each of the boys so my new great-niece absolutely needed on of her very own.

I used the Little Llama pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. The fabric used to make the llamas was leftover from making the quilt for her older brother. (The photo above is true to the fabric color.)

My youngest crocheted a sweet blanket for the baby and a fun hippo rattle. (You can see the hippo in that first photo.)

They do such beautiful work!

The quilt finished at 40" x 44" and the blanket is 26" square.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Double Zip Gear Bag

I have a great group of quilting friends and we like to get together and sew for the day in what we call 'day-treats' as in day retreat! Each time we get together, I end up gathering stuff into zip lock bags and random containers. I wanted something a bit more fun and pretty.

This is the Double Zip Gear Bag pattern from By Annie. Fabric is a Ruby Star print. The pink zippers and the mesh and the soft and stable were all prizes I'd won in my guild's retreat earlier this  year. I was happy to put them all to use!

It was a fun sew. I've made other By Annie patterns before so I was familiar with her style of pattern writing. Adding the binding around the two inner seams was a bit tedious but it came out better than I expected.

 This bag has lots of zippers and plenty of room and will be perfect for my next 'day-treat'.

Have a wonderful day! Patty