What a Year!!!

It has been a rollercoaster of a year for me in so many ways.  Paul and I celebrated our 10th anniversary.

As my surprise gift, we went i-flying.

That was an exhilarating experience which I happily repeated.

Quilting wise, if there was an overall theme running through 2017, it had to be scrap vortex.  I completed four of them, including Happy and Lucky.

Lucky and Happy

The Honey Pot Bee blocks were a mixed bag.  Here are a couple of my favorites - the Stripey Stripe Block.

Stripey Stripe Block 

And this leaf block by Intrepid Thread is so striking, I am sure I will revisit and make a whole quilt out of it. 

Feather Leaf Block

I really enjoyed making some of the blocks. Others failed to excite me. It will be a long time before anything can become of those diverse blocks.

I dipped my toes into paper piecing. I definitely prefer the freezer paper method, which I used to make these mushroom blocks.

So cute

Magic Mushrooms

I met quilty buddies from Pennsylvania, Delaware and Germany!!!

with Sylvia in Pennsylvania

with Mari (at the Lancaster Quilt Show)

With Melanie (visiting from Germany)

And I met Bonnie Hunter.

Here are my top five quilt picks of the year.

The most popular quilt was My Twitter Feed.  If I had to describe it in one word it would be Joyful.

My Twitter Feed 

Joyful Birds

It received such rave reviews at the 2017 Quilt Show, I glow with joy every time I think about it.

My entry to the Moda Bake Shop was very well-received. Esmeralda is the most ambitious quilt, I have made so far.

Esmeralda - A queen-size princess of a quilt

A queen-size, kaleidoscope quilt with a thousand pieces, completed in one month (with the tutorial and pictures) is a major accomplishment.

Esmeralda - Close-up

Being published in the Moda Bake Shop was definitely something to dance about.


The Shadow of Light is a small quilt but it packs a punch. The inspiration came from the Honey Pot Bee - the Blended Scraps block. The process included many love hate moments.

Shadow of Light

In the end, I love it so much that I am sure that I will be revisiting this pattern.


The surprise pick of the year is the Playing Footsie Quilt. The quilt design is simple but it is the story of loving and longing that received such an extraordinary response from you.

Playing Footsie

If I had to describe it in one word it would be Soul-soothing or Comforting.


My Parikrama quilt is the last finish of the year. When I was piecing this quilt, it reminded me of spices, Bollywood dance/song numbers, or the hustle and bustle of a busy open air market.

Parikrama

The process was almost effortless, like I was being guided by an external force, where each step just came to me naturally. When it finished it was evocative of the Temple and the Goddess. It was Mystical.

For a year that had no plans, no goals and absolutely no to-do lists, it is remarkable that it brought me Joy, Accomplishment, Love, Comfort, and Mysticism.

Having no deadline/goals allowed me to make fun blocks like these bikini ladies from Sew Fresh Quilts.

Lorna's Lovely Ladies

Made these house blocks for the victims of the Quebec Mosque shooting, requested by the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild.

House Blocks for the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild

And these Doggone Cute blocks for KaHolly.

Love these puppies

I have plenty of deadlines at work, which I consistently meet or exceed every month. Therefore I am going to keep my creative pursuits free-flowing and spontaneous. It worked for 2017. Why not do the same for 2018?
What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I will be linking with Meadow Mist Designs Best of 2017 and all my favorite linky parties. See sidebar.

Snowmen Express

After Esmeralda, which was a herculean effort, I wanted to do as little as possible.
Time to reward myself :-D

Fabric Shopping!!! 

The Nursery Rhymes fabric will make the backing of my October OMG quilt.

Windham Fabrics Nursery Rhymes

I knew I had to have this orange striped fabric.

Balloon Stripe Michael Miller Fabrics

I will most probably use it as backing and will use the diagonal lines to quilt from the back.

Jumping and Munching Sheep

I also got these sheep and look at those plump farm animals.

Plump Animals

I fell for these snowmen and ordered immediately.

Instant Attraction

When I received the package, I realized that it was not quilting cotton but flannel. Could not use them for patchwork, but definitely backing.

Lovely Plaid Joann Fabrics

Also found this lovely plaid at my local Joann Fabrics.

Combine this plaid with that snowmen flannel and you have an instant quilt. Honestly, I have not made a quilt more rapidly than this one.

Finished!!!

Cuddly

I quilted it in the morning, before going to work.

Can you see the Quilting?

Finished the binding the same day, after returning from work.

Binding in process

Since it was so simple to put this together,  I decided to add faux piped binding (my first) to add a bit of pizzaz to it.

Faux Piped Binding

The turquoise blue of the binding matches the plaid. And goes well with he snowmen too :-)

Loving it

The finished quilt measures about 37" by 42".  I think Snowmen Express is a perfect name.

So cute!!!

Labelled and ready to go. Where is a baby when you need one?

Playing with Scraps

October OMG

Still working on my October OMG, using scraps from Esmeralda.

Border, Backing & Binding Scraps from Esmeralda

Remember me??? I heard the HSTs (left over from Clay's quilt) call out to me.

For Snowballing Corners

I had a few ideas.

Leftover HSTs

Looked at Pinterest. Too many ideas. Put these away for now. You little distracting things.

Another HST idea

Closed Pinterest.
Open Facebook.

Saw Janine's blocks for KaHolly. Oh no, time to get into action.

Making Doggone Cute Blocks for KaHolly
I chose Dog #5. This was the easiest block in my opinion.

Cutting/Piecing

I made two large blocks - one each in orange and turquoise.

Puppy Face

Moving one unit makes such a difference. And could be a mistake. See the puppy looks more like a lion when I moved that unit. 

No, no, no, get back to work.

Doesn't that look like a lion?

It is such a well-written pattern. Love the clear instructions, numbering of the pieces and all the little diagrams. Thank you, Lorna.

All done and ready to go!!!

Thank you, KaHolly, for this effort to bring some measure of comfort and healing to those affected by  the horrible storm.

I still have to complete my October OMG. How did a month of taking it easy turn into a month of frenzy? Does this ever happen to you?  I look forward to your thoughts.