2018 – Year in Review

Hi, friends!

I’m excited about this post!  I’ve been waiting to do it and I want to do it right.  I’m going to go through each month and have a look at what I was doing, what I made and all the goings on.  At the very end there is a list of all the books I read (this was requested).  We will do goals in January.  Things are too swamped right now to even write those down.

I do want to take a minute and tell you, my lovely readers, how much you mean to me, how much I adore you, and thank you from the deep depths of my heart.

 


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January

Looks like in January I only finished one quilt, this Tiny Patch memory quilt made with clothing of somebody’s loved one.  Here’s the post about it.

I was still working on the Bari J quilt along at this time and loving it.  We were about to make ALL THOSE DRESDENS.  I also wrote a post about quilt police which even to this day, as in just yesterday, I’ve had a run in with.  We were also gearing up to begin the Morning Song quilt along.

On a personal note, I was still dealing with the death of my grandmother.

 

February

Looks like I finished two quilts in February:  my first Good Girl quilt and a Twirling Maple quilt.  We talked about WIPS, quilty hashtags, favorite batting, and how to sew up quilt labels.  I also began the Modern Sewcialites BOM, a quilt I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t able to keep up with, even though I was ridiculously obsessed with my very first block of it.

 

 

On a personal note, my husband and I took a trip to Biloxi.

 



 

March

In March, looks like I just completed a Dresden quilt, my fifth version.  I remember it vividly, all bright and bold colors.

I also chatted about chain piecing, hand stitching, hand applique, and shopping my stash.

I completed my Anthologie quilt as well, but don’t get around to showing you that until April.  I also released my Good Girl quilt pattern.

We went to South Carolina to help my step daughter out while she had eye surgery and I also met one of my quilty besties, Lara.  We took pictures of our Anthologie quilts together.

 

 


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April

I discussed my Anthologie quilt here.  I also chatted about my Indigo + Aster quilt, my second Little Miss Sawtooth quilt, and my first Coin quilt and my second.

 

May

In May I worked on Rescue quilts and finished one old and remade it into my Landslide quilt.  This is a quilt I gifted my son who also graduated high school during this month.

I chatted about the Kingfisher Stitch along, threads, and fabric flowers.  I also finished my second Good Girl quilt that was gifted to a nephew and bride of my husband.

 

 


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June

In June I finished my second Landslide quilt and released the pattern for it.  I finished my seventh Hand Cut Heart quilt, talked more about hand sewing threads, released a photography guide, did a tutorial on squaring up blocks, finished another Rescue quilt, released my big thread article that opened many doors for me, and announced the I am Enough quilt along.  I also did a yarn tying tutorial video.

Pretty full month in June!

I remember also being quite obsessed making hexie flowers and learning the ins and outs of all things EPP.

 

 



 

July

At the end of July I announced my collaboration with Coats and Clark in our Star Dance quilt along.  This was a pretty fun month with all this going on behind the scenes!

I was also my turn on the Kingfisher blog hop, I rounded up my favorite CreativeBug classes, was sent fabric from THE Sharon Holland, finished a Hexagon quilt, finished another rescue quilt this time my great grandmother’s, and chatted to you my thoughts on needles.

My husband went to Las Vegas with my sister in law (his favorite place on earth), where I got to go to the spa and drink Rose’ all the live long day.

 

 

August

August was all about the Star Dance quilt along for me.  It was definitely too much fun and I made so many new friends because of it.  I also became obsessed with Quilt+ thread for quilting and now use it religiously.  Here’s the post of the finished quilt.

I also made my third Little Miss Sawtooth quilt, and spent all my free time getting all the I am Enough quilt along patterns ready.  My friend, Kathy, helping constantly!

We traveled to Scotland towards the end of the month and I went on my dream vacation that I have wanted for a very, very long time.

 

 


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September

In September, I finished the Morning Song quilt along, and released it’s pattern.  I made a third Good Girl quilt, made my own starch, talked endlessly about embroidery, finished my first Carolina Mingle quilt, and started the I am Enough quilt along.

We returned from Scotland in the first few days of this month and I remember feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation.

 

 

October

I worked on my sixth Dresden plate quilt during October.  I also finished a Basketweave quilt, chatting about stash storage, finished my fourth Little Miss quilt, did a post for Coats about their new embroidery kits, finished my Marcelle Medallion, and chatted about why you should be on Instagram.

I also released my Carolina Mingle quilt pattern.

We also helped my step daughter move in her new apartment and bought my daughter a new car since someone had hit her and totalled her old one.

 

 


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November

In November I finished my second Carolina Mingle quilt and gifted it to my mother for Christmas.  I also asked you, my readers, for help gathering blocks for someone in need, chatted about Craftsy classes, showed you my finished sixth Dresden quilt while talking about raw edge applique, and then taught you my new method just for that.

 

 

For the first time in my life there was no Grandma to go visit on Thanksgiving.  Instead, I had Thanksgiving dinner at home with my own little family and played a game called Speak Out or something like that.  It was not a flattering to look at game, but we had a good time.

 

December

This month I updated you on the charity quilt that you helped me with here.  I should be receiving it back any day now and I’m excited for that.

I finished my seventh Dresden plate quilt and finished a Trip Around the World quilt.  I also finished another Little Miss quilt, but haven’t gotten to show you that yet.  Next month, I promise.

It’s been a busy month and I’m anxious to take things a bit slower in January.

 

Books Read in 2018

If you haven’t had a look at my list of books I’d like to get and books I’m willing to trade, please have a look here, you can view the list in my HIGHlights.  I’ll keep this updated.

 

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9 Comments

  1. I’m an avid reader, and each year I give myself a reading challenge. 2018 was female authors only. This challenge opened doors to numerous new authors, and I read 75 books of various genres. I appreciate your book reviews. I have not yet decided my exact challenge for 2019 – thinking an assorted challenge: a biography per month, a book that is set in the month or season, a classic a quarter, and a new-to-me author each month. Do you do challenges? Should be a fun year. Happy New Year

  2. Melanie, Thank you for your bright vision of quiltmaking. You are one of my favorite bloggers and I follow a lot of quilt bloggers! Your colors and fabric choices make me happy and this will be the year that I will attempt a Dresden plate quilt because of your inspiration. I admire your interpretations of traditional patterns and how you make them look modern. I just wanted to say thank you and to remind you that there are many, many people like me who quietly read what you write and admire your creative spirit.
    Happy New Year!
    Barbie

  3. Happy New Year! I love your round-up post! So fun to look back on the year and reflect about makes and things that happened. I’m looking forward to making and finishing some interesting quilts this year. I’ll sit down and do some goal setting early this month.

  4. I wish we were neighbors. There, I said it. I’ve been following your blog for nearly a year now and am in love with all the things you make. I found you via Pinterest- where I saw (and became instantly and completely obsessed with) your Anthologie Quilt. I was late to the quilt-a-long but have since finished my very own version of the Anthologie Quilt- it is hanging on my design wall waiting for my attention- but it’s just so pretty I like it where it is! Your videos led me through my first real quilt “piecing”- I’d made quilts before, just nothing like the pieces in the Anthologie Quilt. So through your videos we became fast friends, even if you were unaware of it! 😉 Thank you for this blog- I’m the same kind of fabric oogling person as you, I pet it, I lay it out on the table just to look at and gush over, and I know no other person in my world that likes to do that. Except you, that is. 🙂 I hope someday our paths will cross and we meet. Until then, Happy 2019 and a huge Thank You for sharing all you share.

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