Welcome 2026!

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 2025 post and now I'll be linking up to Yvonne's #2025QuiltingCheckin.  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 2025 goal post and the mid-year check-in.)

I had 5 intentions for 2025.

• Enter at least one new quilt into QuiltCon 2026 (Raleigh!) -  Done!  I proudly entered 4 quilts into the show. Two were accepted (need to blog about those) and two were not - Happy Dance and 1-1-2-3-5-8.

Happy Dance - a favorite finish!

• 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 -  Done!  I did well with this one. I finished one crochet project and started another plus I've got a hand quilting WIP, a embroidery project and a cross stitch underway.

My Granny Square Blanket

• Continue blogging at least once weekly and post finishes on IG - I want my grid to be filled with all the good stuff! I blogged a lot less this year than I had in the past and I really didn't do much with IG. Some of this was because I was working on quilts that took a long time to make and quilts for QuiltCon entries that I wasn't yet ready to share.

1-1-2-3-5-8

• 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. In progress! 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. I did make several things that were just for me - not a gift, not a quilt show entry - and those were definitely all about fun! There was some concentrated good time with friends - quilting retreats (two of them!), guild meetings, multiple coffee dates - plus picnics with neighbors and pickleball!

Love the Llamas!

Favorite Bag Make of the Year

Moving into 2026, I have similar intentions for the year:

• Enter at least one new quilt into QuiltCon 2027 (Atlanta)
• Finish at one of my two WIP scrap quilts to be donated to my guild's community giving project.
• Make time to play and always have several kinds of handwork WIPs
• Get more consistent about blogging - posts on finishes and a monthly WIP update - and then IG each finish
• Continue to 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 2026!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Best of 2025

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 2025 listed in no particular order.

Favorite Make

I wanted to make a new queen sized quilt for our bed for awhile. I was very happy with my finish - a modern twist on a double wedding ring quilt. Read more.

Peachy Keen in Make Modern Magazine

Peachy Keen was my entry for the Pantone challenge. It was a fun quilt to work on and I was thrilled that it appeared in Make Modern magazine. Read more.

Favorite New Obsession 

What fun it was to make all these colorful granny squares and join them together. However, burying all the threads was not fun at all and in fact there are a still a few to go even though the blanket is getting lots of use. Read more.

Favorite Quilt Exhibit

It was such an honor to have my quilt selected to be part of a Modern Quilt Guild exhibit at the Virginia Quilt Museum. Read more.

Favorite Quilting Event

QuiltCon Phoenix was memorable in so many ways. I had two quilts in the show - Island in the Sky and Arcturus - which was awesome and I got to spend time with my sister! I took a class from Kitty Wilkins (Quilt Your Life) which was awesome. And I got to see so many old friends and make some new ones - - the Best Bits.

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: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020,  2019,   2018,  2017, and 2016.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Handmade Holiday 2025

Now that Christmas gifts have been opened, I can share two mini quilts I made for family members!

My husband runs in a park early (like it is still dark early) each morning and often encounters various wildlife. Recently, he and a coyote met up on the trail and the coyote just walked right on by him! Each year, I make him a mini quilt to commemorate some animal encounter. (See the 2024 version.) The coyote pattern came from Quilt & Dagger Designs and the alphabet is from Carolyn Friedlander.

My second mini was to celebrate my daughter who finds delight in so many things!

Have a wonderful day! Patty