July 2026 monthly recap.........................

 Two favorites were finished in July.  The "Other 16 Patch" was made with Marcia Derse fabrics, front, back, and binding.  On this one I staggered the blocks by using half blocks at top and bottom in every other column.  I think I like it better than the first few I made with the blocks in rows both horizontally and vertically.  This one is 61" x 79.5".

The floral stars was in a time out for a year and half and then I made final decisions to get the top sewn together.  A large percentage of the prints are from the 1990s and I have a huge collection of them in my stash.  This is the third quilt this year from that bin.  I even had a backing fabric from the same time period.  This quilt measures 66" x 78".  Both of these quilts were longarm quilted by Robin Diaz.

The Snail's Trail quilt top was fun to make.  It is an easy block, in this case cut with a GO die.  The blocks are 12" for a top that finished at 60" x 84".  I have a backing chosen so it will be next in line to be quilted.

On the right is my Trip Around the World top made with William Morris prints.  It is 63" x 77".  I have the backing chosen for this one too so it may get finished in August.

I was playing around a bit with my knitting.  I used lots of ends of balls of yarn for the 3 coaster size pieces.  I decided to use a straight knitting pattern for the pink one instead of the diagonal knit that I usually do.  That makes 30 regular size dishcloths for the year so far.

June 2026 Monthly recap...................

 Three finishes in June, the halfway point of the year.  This makes 14 finishes for the year so far so maybe I can finish just as many in the second half.  On the left is "Glow" made with Marcia Derse fabric and it is 45" x 62.5".  In the center the Single Irish Chain layout worked well with the Terrie Mangat fabrics.  It is 53.5" x 71".  I was happy to get a flannel quilt finished even though it is summertime.  I love the 16 patches.  It is 47" x 71".

The 1990s floral Sawtooth Star blocks waited a year and a half to finally get sewn into a top.  It is 67" x 79".  After 3 quilt tops with these fabrics, I still have 1-1/2 blanket size bins full.  

In the evenings I finished 4 dishcloths.  I think this Sugar 'n Cream yarn is being discontinued because I'm seeing less places carrying it and less variety available.  I think I have enough to last my lifetime so I'm not worried.

Tomorrow I'll show an update to the workbench organization and document how far I have gotten into other areas of the basement.  Since I don't have central air conditioning and my studio is at the farthest point from the window A/C units (and has west exposure with 2 windows!), I didn't do any evening sewing last night.  I'm planning on having a cutting marathon for a few days but maybe I'll find something to sew earlier in the day.  After this week of 90s and high humidity, next week looks like it will be in the low to mid 80s and things can get back to normal.  I watered my tomatoes and cucumbers late afternoon yesterday and then put a top dressing of fresh compost delivered by a friend on Sunday.

May 2026 monthly recap...........................

There was one finish early in the month of May.  I used strips that were cut many years ago to make the Double 4 Patch blocks and many orphan blocks in brown/beige/gold joined them for a nice throw quilt.  It is 63" x 70".

I completed 2 quilt tops in May.  The Kaffe Medallion has been a slow project for several months, and when I finally decided it didn't want any more borders, it was done.  It is a wall hanging and measures 48" x 53".  When I get to the edge finish, I'm planning on doing a facing instead of binding.  The small still life top is not in proportion to the Kaffe top.  It is only 1/4 as tall as the medallion top but I left it larger for this collage.  It's only 10" x 13".

So what else did I do in May?  I had company staying with me for 8 days and then planted my tomato plants, 3 to the raised bed and 5 in pots.

I also planted all of my new porch pots.  They are starting to fill out.  I think I lost at least one little Begonia on the bottom shelf so I might be out looking for a new one or two.

I also wrote a 4 part tutorial for Trip Around the World.  During the time I was composing that I got steroid shots in my SI joints and am finally getting relief from my pain that started 10 months ago.  I'm just hoping that the relief lasts a long time.

And lastly, I knitted three dishcloths, the best stress reliever, the most calming thing I do all month.

April 2026 Monthly recap................

There were 2 finishes in April.  The batik Double 4 Patch was nice mindless sewing with strips cut many years ago.  I had to cut a few new strips to get the number of blocks I wanted.  I had a favorite purple batik waiting to be a backing for the right quilt.  It is 55" x 78.5".  The Diamond quilt, made with Wishwell Weather Report fabric was just needing to have a few more rows added to create a 47" x 71" quilt and then it was off to my longarm quilter, Robin Diaz.

I made 3 quilt tops.  I usually resize them to be the right proportion related to each other but the 2 little tops just wanted to be larger in this collage.  The top on the left is Kaleidoscope blocks made with Marcia Derse fabric and it is 51.5" x 72".  The 2 colorwash tops are just 12.25" square.  I had one more top made with Marcia Derse fabric close to the finish line so it will be a finish for next month.

I finished knitting 4 dishcloths.

I made a table runner top but it will wait for a finish to be show in the recap.
 

March 2026 monthly recap....................

Three quilts were finished in March.  On the left a flannel quilt, the top made 2 years ago.  It is 53" x 70".  In the center is Kaffe Strippy 2, the top was finished last December.  It is 47.5" x 71".  On the right is Floral Hourglasses, made with mostly 1990s floral fabrics in December 2024.  It is 53" x 64.5".  They were all quilted by Robin Diaz.

I worked on several quilt tops but only two made it to the finish line by the end of the month.  The top on the left is all Marcia Derse fabrics, 70 different prints.  It is the "other 16 patch" made with rectangles rather than squares.  It is 63.5" x 80".  On the right is a flannel quilt top.  Most of the 16 patch blocks were made over a year ago and the rectangles were all cut and in a project box.  It was a fast and easy top to make.  It is 47" x 71.5".

I made the top of this table runner many years ago and it hung on a hanger all those years waiting for me to finish it.  As usual it only took a couple hours for the finish.  It is 12" x 35.5".

Finished last night, table runner with Marcia Derse fabric.  I hand finished the binding, finishing at 10 p.m.  It is 13" x 42".

The back is one of Marcia Derse's large prints that accompany her lines most years. 

February 2026 monthly recap.................

Three finishes, one large, two small.  Purple Rosy joins Green Rosy on the finished quilts pile.  It is a Kaffe Fassett pattern in several of his books and I followed the pattern loosely, making my own version of it.  It is 65" x 82".  

The other two are baby quilts to add to my selection for parents and grandparents to choose from.  In the center is a quilt made from a pile of blocks using leftovers from another quilt and a large print.  It is 32" x 34.5", perfect for tummy time for a baby.  On the right is an original design quilt started in a workshop in 1991.  It is 29.5" x 37".

Two new tops were constructed.  On the left, Double 4 patch blocks made from batik strips that were cut many years ago paired with 16 patch blocks from the batik orphan block box.  It is 64" x 72".  On the right, the diamond quilt made from Wishwell Weather Report fabric was a smaller top that I increased by adding a column of blocks on each side and 2 rows across the top.  It's a much better size now at 48" x 72".

I didn't get any table runners made but did knit four dishcloths.  Two of them are smaller because there wasn't much yarn left on the balls.  I had to add a white corner to the blue variegated one because I misjudged when to start the decrease rows.  I can get 2 dishcloths from one ball of Sugar 'n Cream yarn most of the time, but even though they say they all have the same number of yards, some definitely have less yarn on them.

Now I need to add my stats for this quilt to my blog.  The colorful blocks are made from leftovers from another quilt, and they waited patiently in a drawer for many years.  I thought I was going to make them into mug rugs, but I didn't need any more of them, so the blocks waited.  The large print was an impulse buy on sale and it works so perfectly with these blocks.

The back is another impulse buy on sale and has always been a favorite but I never could figure out what to make with it.  I think it compliments the front of the quilt.  Black and white seemed the right choice for binding.  It is 32" x 34.5" and has Hobbs 80/20 batting in it.  I quilted it on my Pfaff 7570.

I decided I needed a photo of the full back of this quilt since it will leave my house and go to a baby at some point.
 

January 2026 monthly recap....................

I worked on several things in January and a few of them made it to the finish line.  The floral quilt is mostly fabrics from the 1990s.  It is 52.5" x 71" and the squares are 6".  The pink and gray baby quilt is made of flannel and is 32" x 40".  I'm going to concentrate on lots of baby quilts this year.

The 2 small tops were easy ones with the one on the right only needing its side borders.  I started it in 1991 in a workshop.  I think it will be a nice baby quilt at 30" x 38".  The one in the center was made from blocks that were remains of strata from some previous project paired with a large print of the same colors.  It is 32" x 36".  I have backs already chosen for these 2.  The large top was started on January 21 and finished yesterday.  It is 56" x 80".  Most of the strips were cut somewhere near 2009 when I was teaching a class with that pattern.  I have lots more strips so you will be seeing another Double 4 Patch in a different color range.

There were a few small items.  The table runner is made of Marcia Derse scraps and it is 14.75" x 40".  The back is the same fabric as the binding, the same print as the white borders in the black/gray version of it.  The 2 small mats are close to 8.5" x 11".  They were both already quilted and just needed the stitching around the edges to finish them.  They have a layer of stiff interfacing in them so they lay nice and flat.

I decided I'll show the dishcloths for the month instead of daily when I finish them.  I got 6 done.  Three of them have another yarn added on the corner.  The green tweed one has red tweed added and then I needed a little more so I used the leftover red from the red/green ball.  It looks like I dipped the corner in cranberry juice.

It's hard to get a photo with all three of the blooms in it so this is the best one I got.

There is another flower stalk growing so I have hopes of more blooms later in the month.

The sky was clear last night and the moon was beautiful.  My calendar says the full moon is today and maybe that meant early this morning.

Monthly recap for December 2025......................

December had 8 finishes.  I really wanted a lot of the baby quilts finished in 2025.  Top left Game Board, 39" square made with Kaffe collective fabrics, next, flannel tumblers baby quilt, 39" square.  Next is flannel Bullseye pattern baby quilt, 30" x 39.25" (gifted to my 2 year old great-grandson).  Last in the top row, Pinwheels baby quilt, 33.5" square.  Bottom row: Blue batik Interweave, 54.25" x 74.25", next Rectangles and Squares, made with Kaffe collective fabrics, 52.5" x 74".  Next in line is yarn dyed woven plaids and stripes in a 16 Patch baby quilt, 39" x 47", and last, the Medallion made of Kaffe collective fabrics is 59.5" x 80".  The 3 larger ones were quilted by Robin Diaz, the 5 small ones I quilted on my Pfaff 7570.

I completed only one quilt top, made of flannel fabric, and it is 32" x 40".  It will probably be my first finish in 2026.

I was hoping to finish another table runner, but ended the month with just one finish.  It is Christmas fabrics and is 14.75" x 34.5".

Now for my own records I need to post the stats on this last finish of 2025.  A stack of 13 pinwheel blocks made several years ago were the starting point for this top.  I decided on point would make the quilt larger and also use all 13 blocks.  It is 33.5" square, a nice small baby quilt.

I chose the black background zebra fabric for the back and a white with black irregular stripe for the binding.  The batting is white Quilter's Dream. 

  

November 2025 monthly recap..................

November had just one finish.  It was a special one for me because it is made of all Nancy Crow designer fabric.  I started collecting the fabric in the mid 1990s and had only used a few pieces of it in quilts over the years since then.  It's my favorite pattern to make, 16 patch with a patchwork print cut into 8" blocks placed in with the pieced blocks.  It is 62" x 78.5".

I finished 3 quilt tops.  The Purple Rosy (Kaffe design) quilt top took up most of the creative time in the month.  The original pattern has just one row of squares around the perimeter and I did 2 rows.  All of the fabrics are Kaffe collective, and it surprised me that there was a good variety in purple.  This top measures 66.5" x 84".

The Kaffe Strippy 2 top was an experiment which turned out rather nicely.  It is 49.5" x 71".

The little flannel quilt top will be keeping some baby warm when I finish it this month.  The top is 30" x 40".  It was made from pieces in 2 project boxes so it was a quick one.

I made several small table pieces early in Nov.  Some are mug rugs, one table runner, and a table mat.  All but the 4 piece mug rugs have been gifted already.

It was a good month and now I have to get serious about finishes again.  I am at 24 finishes and 23 quilt tops and I was hoping for a larger margin of finishes at the end of the year.

October 2025 Monthly Recap........................

 October was a good month with 4 finishes.  Top left with 3 sizes of 16 patch blocks and a paper pieced star was started in 2017, the star pieced in 2008, and finally a finish.  It is 38.5" x 51".  Bottom left was started in 2011, the border added in 2022, and finally finished last month.  I cut pieces with my new Bear Paw die and played with them for this layout.  It is 47.5" x 58.5".  In the center is a quilt that surprised me.  It is simple piecing with 2 sizes of strips of Kaffe collective fabrics.  I love how it turned out.  The top was finished in February this year and it is finished at 47" x 67".  At the right, the last finish for the month is the green, black and white zig zag.  It was an attempt to use up leftover green triangles from a previous quilt.  The top was finished last month and it is 53" x 67.5".  All of these were quilted by my longarm friend, Robin.

There were also 4 new quilt tops in October.  Three of them were either cut, pieced blocks, or just needing a border.  The fourth one was started and finished in October.  Top left, Pinwheels was made from blocks made several years ago and it will make a nice baby quilt.  It is 34" square.  Bottom left, the flannel tumblers were cut last year so I just needed to come up with a layout for them and sew the top.  It is 40" square and will also be a baby quilt.  In the center, the medallion center was made a few years ago and I just needed to make a decision on borders to make it rectangular.  I kept thinking they needed to be pieced borders, but simple strips added looks great.  It is 61" x 81" now.  On the right, a 16 patch quilt made from fabric designed by Nancy Crow.  There are 2 blocks of each combination of fabrics.  It is 64" x 80".  It has been quilted and is waiting to be trimmed and bound for a first finish this month.

Now, for my own records, here are the official photos and stats on this quilt.  I made this quilt top in September 2025, in an attempt to use a lot of leftover Kaffe collective green triangles.  I am happy I added the black and green plaid to the mix.  The binding is the same dotted fabric that is in the top.

The back is made from long lengthwise grain strips that are cutoffs from other backings, all Kaffe collective prints.  I was fortunate to find 4 that look good with the front of the quilt and with each other.  I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and it was quilted by Robin Diaz.  It ended up at 53" x 67.5".

I had a lot of small pieces ready to finish but just couldn't make myself work on them.  There should be a bunch of them finished this month, along with a couple baby quilts.  I have the purple Rosy quilt top in progress as well as a small medallion quilt so there is plenty to do.

September 2025 Monthly recap....................

Big and small, but 2 finishes anyway.  The 16 patch on the left is all Marcia Derse fabric, both front and back.  It is 78" x 95".  On the right, a double 4 patch, is Kaffe collective and Martha Negley fabric and is 40" x 59.5".

I only completed one top, and that's fine with me.  I'm gaining on finished vs. started.

This one is all Kaffe collective fabric.  I was trying to use up some green triangles which I had overcut for a previous project.  It was fun adding the Brandon Mably plaid in this one.  It is 54" x 69".

I finished one small project, a batik 16 patch table runner.  These were all orphan blocks, leftovers from previous projects.

It was a good productive month since I also made decisions on some other projects, hopefully finishes for October.

Now, for my own records I need to post the stats of this recent finish.

The new bride and groom (my grandson) stopped by yesterday and got this big quilt up on my design walls so I could take the photos.  It is prettier than this photo since the camera has given it a blue/green tone.  It has 80/20 Hobbs batting in it and was quilted by Robin Diaz.

I cut up an allover print by Marcia Derse for some alternate blocks to mix in with the 16 patches.  

The back is another allover print by Marcia.  Both sides of this quilt are interesting.

August 2025 monthly recap.........

The finishes for August seem like so long ago because they were both at the beginning of the month.  The border barely shows on the quilt on the left against a white design wall.  It was made from 7 Martha Negley fabrics and I used my die cutter for all of the pieces.  It is 67" x 83.5". 

On the right is Australian Bars, all Australian/Aboriginal fabrics.  It is 50" x 71".

It was a big month for quilt tops, more than I thought I would finish.  On the left is a 16 patch made with many lines of Marcia Derse fabrics.  I will estimate that there are at least 55 different fabrics in it.  It's a big one, 80" x 96".  Center top is 6" squares of approximately 40 different floral fabrics, mostly from the 1990 - 2000 time period.  I die cut the squares last November.  It is 54" x 72".  Center bottom is all plaids, a 16 patch that will be finished as a baby quilt with tractors on the back.  It is 40" x 48".  The plaid squares were cut many years ago.  At the right is a quilt made with all Kaffe collective fabrics.  I cut lots of scraps into 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles and paired them with 2 different black and white fabric squares.  It is 54" x 75".

I also had a good month making table top pieces, 4 table runners and 2 mats.  All of the table runners are 12" wide and lengths varied from 24" to 36".

These 2 were finished last night.  The top one is 12" x 24" and the other one is 12" square.  I finished the binding by machine on these 2.  It was a month that started out with nice weather, then an almost unbearable high heat, high humidity middle of month, ending with a beautiful week of cool, low humidity weather.  I certainly have more energy in the cooler weather and was happy to get all of these table top pieces done at the end of the month.