A Chilling Year

"You are exactly the kind of loud-mouthed, wise-ass, brown woman who will be made an example of."

Paul's fear for my safety was obvious. Partly at his urging and partly out of caution, my blog focused on "just quilting" in 2025. As articulate and courageous I may have appeared to you,  I was chilled into silence.

I kept my head down. A new job meant I had plenty to occupy my time. A long commute gives me time to meditate.

Not my most productive, but here are a few of my favorite projects of 2025.

1. Honi - A modern interpretation of Irish Chain, and made with Island Batik collection Fusion, Honi was a nod to our Hawaii vacation. Honi also won the Viewers' Choice Award.

2. Nirali - A modern interpretation of a Crazy Quilt, and made with the Island Batik collection Everlasting, Nirali was also the post with most comments.

3. Leader of the Pack - The greater the challenge the greater is the sense of accomplishment!

4. Hot Stuff (Oliso Cover) - An unlikely project but I love how it turned out.

5. Doblest - Doblest is the most meaningful quilt I made this year. Channeling my frustration, and honoring a nation, my work speaks when I may not. 

My patterns were published a few times.

1. Dreaming of Daylilies - Dreaming of Daylilies was published in Annie's "For Love of Precuts". I used the leftovers to make a baby quilt which was promptly gifted :-)

2. Joyful - Joyful was published in the Special Christmas Publication by Annie's Attic Quilting. 

3. Stella - Stella was published in the We Like Quilting digital/online magazine's September 2025 issue and she made the cover! I am thrilled.

Picture Courtesy - We Like Quilting

4. Milo - Milo is a layer-cake friendly quilt published in Annie's Perfectly Precut - Simple Quilts With Precut Squares - of Quilter's World. 

5. Let's Dance - Let's Dance was published in Quilter's World. Purple stars (secondary design) emerge when blocks come together and that makes me dance :-)

6. Trillium Trail - Trillium Trail was published in the January 2026 issue of American Quilter.

And I wrote a few new patterns.

1. Garden City (68" by 84") - Layer Cake Friendly Pattern

2. Westfield (67" by 81") - Layer Cake Friendly Pattern

3. Veronica (60" by 84") - Layer Cake Friendly Pattern

4. Yamini (60" by 80") - Jelly Roll Friendly Pattern

5. Niko (60" by 84") - Jelly Roll Friendly Pattern

In conclusion, Rosemary kept us occupied.

My friends kept me sane. 

Paul kept me. 

What can I say about 2026?

"Hope is the consequence of action more than its cause."

The events of this year have chilled me into silence. But I urge you to speak up, show up, and stand up for truth. All my positive energies are with you.

I will be sharing with Meadow Mist Designs - Best of 2025 and all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

Veronica - Layer Cake Friendly Quilt Pattern

Sometimes, as I am playing in EQ8, shapes will magically align and something extraordinary happens. Such as this pattern - Veronica.

Made with Poetic Bouquet Fabric collection, Veronica finishes at 60" by 84".

 

Cleverly pieced, it comes together in the most elegant way. All you need is a Layer Cake of your choice plus 4 yards of background fabric. No special rulers or fancy dies.

The detailed directions include colored pictures for every step. The clever piecing means you don't have to fiddle with little pieces. Quick for experienced quilters and easy for beginners, Veronica is a win-win.

The pattern is easily adapted to your choice of fabrics. Here is an EQ8 mockup showing Veronica as a Quilt of Valor and also as a two-color quilt.

Veronica was first published in Quilteblad, the Norwegian Quilt Magazine.

The pattern was painstakingly translated from English to Norwegian and the units from yards/inches to metres/centimetres. The editors at Quilteblad are awesome! 

No, I can't read/understand Norwegian. I just read my name, see my pictures and smile till my face hurts :-D  

Veronica is now available as a standalone pattern in my Etsy Shop. On sale for one week only, you can get Veronica for just $9.

But of course, there is a giveaway. Leave me a comment on this post, telling me your favorite book this year, and I will enter you in a contest to win a free PDF copy of the Veronica (or any other pattern from my Etsy shop).  I will announce the two winners when I publish "2025 in Retrospective". 

Giveaway Update - The two winners are #14 (Heather Hamby, please send me an email) and #27 (Bonnie, check your email.)

I will be sharing with Quilting Jetgirl's Favorite Finish and all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

In other news, the T-shirt beast quilt is completed. That will be the first post in 2026. Look at me, planning ahead :-D

Basting the Beast

Trillium Trail

Hope you are having a glorious Sunday.  I have a bit of news. This is the current issue of American Quilter.

Look what I found inside!

My picture is from our Hawaii visit

Picture Courtesy - American Quilter

My quilt, Trillium Trail, is published in the January 2026 issue of American Quilter. 

Backing is Island Batik Multi - Marbles

Designed in EQ8, and made with the Island Batik collection Enchanted Flutter, Trillium Trail finished at 60" by 80".  

Enchanted Flutter

Orange Peel Units are appliquéd in threes forming the shape of the Trillium flower, alternating with Irish Chain blocks. A scrappy border completes the look.

Paul, the model

Grassy ground, shimmering lake and cloudy skies provide the perfect backdrop for the Trillium Trail. I took this picture at Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park, when we were visiting Luray Caverns this summer.

A book, a cuppa and a quilt = Perfection

I used Schmetz Microtex 80/12 Needle for both sewing and quilting. I secured the raw edge applique with stitches 1/8" from the edges, before piecing the blocks. The quilting is a 2" grid using my walking foot. I used Hobbs 80/20 Cotton/Poly Blend Batting.

Snuggleworthy Morning

A few more pictures!

Mayneview Bed & Breakfast, Luray

Quilting Detail

Scrappy Border Detail

Trillium Trail is also my submission for Island Batik's last challenge of 2025 - Ambassador's Choice.

Thanks to  Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) and Industry partners who generously provided the supplies to all Island Batik Ambassadors -  Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, and Oliso Iron.

In other news, I set up my colorful table at Gifts from the HeART holiday shopping market in Reston's Lake Anne Community Center. There were many people interested in my work but only a few buyers. It is a good thing that sewing/quilting is my hobby :-) 

Gifts from the HeART, Reston

I am currently working on a t-shirt quilt for a friend who is a fan of Rock and Roll bands. Hope to complete it before the end of the year. Will share more pictures in January.

Work in Progress

In February 2025, I started a new job. The commute is long (1.5 hours each way) and working from home is not an option. I leave home at 6:30 and return at 6:30. 12-hour days mean that I have no time in the AM and no energy in the PM and weekends are slammed with everything else - grocery, laundry, chores and more. 

I recently said to Paul that if I am invited to a social event, I thank the host. If I am NOT, I thank God!

For this reason, I chose to not apply for the 2026 Island Batik Ambassador Program. I will miss the community of my fellow ambassadors and the creative push that came with each challenge. But I will still be making quilts, writing blogposts, publishing patterns and sharing with all my favorite linky parties. I hope you will stay in touch!