ARE YOU BUSY?

 

Such a silly question, isn't everyone busy this time of year?

For Christmas I still have a few more gifts to figure out and buy. More cookies to bake. The usual things in the days before Christmas. 

In my Quilt Life, I am having SO MUCH FUN making two versions of Game On!--the 2026 BOM for The Quilt Show designed by Becky Goldsmith exclusively for THE QUILT SHOW. The patterns are FREE for Star Members, only $49 for a year membership gives you so much bang for your buck. 

My PRINTS VERSION, and I am making my borders on this one symmetrical, this has me through month 7:

My SOLIDS VERSION, I created a different left border--for Month 4: 

Both of them on the design wall. The SOLIDS version has the border for Month 5 made and waiting to be added:

The great thing about this design is how easy it is to make it your own. Not crazy about one particular border? Change it--I will show you how. Want to play with colors--so easy, I'll help you.

Becky's show premiers Sunday December 28, 2025, it's FREE FOR ALL to see.  Watch Becky show you how she will walk you through the year. And today you can see an interview with Becky and Alex Anderson in which Becky explains how she was inspired to create this design after seeing a museum exhibit of antique game boards--watch now: BECKY AND ALEX She discusses the exhibit starting at about 10 minutes in. 

I will be LIVE Monday December 29, 2025, noon Central time, to help get you started, with tips and tricks, and "what could possibly go wrong?" suggestions. I hope you'll join thousands of us as we get our "Game On!". 

Since I am home until mid-March 2026 I decided to take two online classes in January to improve my ruler work longarm quilting skills. 99 Strip+ Strip Designs by Natalia Bonner is a FREE class. My project is a Quilt of Valor I am making specifically for someone and the strips are just the right size to learn those designs:

Angela Walters has a new class coming in January: FREE MOTION CHALLENGE QUILT ALONG, featuring Arcs, Curves and Points with Rulers. I ordered both the large and small printed top, making it easy to be ready for the first class mid-January--I am doing the SMALL version:

42" x 56"--I just need to put it together with batting and a back

I will also have a little time to teach TWO LOCAL CLASSES: 

THE VILLAGE, January 23, 2026:

and CHARMING SAMPLER, March 5, 2026:

"Kaffe Charming"

Reproduction fabrics

Each teaches a lot and if you are local and ever want to take a class with me, now is your chance. Register online at SOUTHERN CHARM QUILTING

I do plan to submit proposals to teach at International Quilt Festival in Houston November 10-14, 2026. They will decide which classes of mine, if any, they want to offer. Let me know if there is one you really want to take so I can propose it. ALL my WORKSHOPS/CLASSES are listed in the tab above: WORKSHOPS. 

It is a good idea to offer at least one handwork class. I have a new one in mind--/big Hexagons for English Paper Piecing, 3 hours, with a Kit that includes everything except your fabric. This sample is still a "work in progress"--just enough to teach the basics. What is started in class can become a larger quilt or a single placemat. Sometimes that is big enough to teach you all you want to know about a technique. 

I always have a hand piecing project available and EPP is good for this purpose. The papers are still in this, I am not finished yet. I will finish off the edges the easy way--by appliqueing the piece to a background--no fussy edge treatment necessary:

I won't know until late February or so if I will be teaching there but I will let you know as soon as I get the word.

The other long-term project I am working on is my SECOND LIFETIME QUILT--the Old Italian Block, 3" size, that has been my "Leader/Ender" project this year. I provided lots of information on this as my SUMMER SEW A LONG 2025. 

I have 270 of the 289 blocks needed done so I am starting to think about layout and design. I'm not sure I want to do such careful color placement but it might be more fun than strictly random. Time will tell:

Well, I better get back to that Christmas shopping and baking. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa or simply peace and happiness now and in the future.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

LAST CHANCE FOR EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINARS 2026

Registration for Empty Spools Seminars at the beautiful Asilomar Conference Center near Monterey, CA closes January 9, 2026. There are still a few spots left in my class OH MY STARS! 

    

My quilt

Detail of the quilting by Patty Wilson

Detail of the back showing the quilting

Quilt on cover of the pattern

This quilt has a LOT to teach: precision piecing, color/fabric selection, how to have points that match perfectly, more than one way to make many small stars for the sashing, and so much more. All skills that will enhance ALL your quiltmaking going forward.

Having the opportunity to work on one project for 5 days with one teacher is such an incredible experience.  Find registration information for Session 5 here:

SESSION 5 EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINARS 2026

And I can't say enough expressive, exuberant words about the location: Asilomar Conference Center. I describe it as a "Magical Place".  For so much more information about what you can expect as a student, see these previous posts:

My Trip 2025

My Trip 2024

If you are flying, you may rent a sewing machine for your use in class. A few of those are still available today, be sure you reserve one when you register.

Personally, I cannot WAIT to get back there, it is the highlight of my year. I hope you will invest in yourself as a quiltmaker/creator and join me!

I will end with a few special photos of the place:

Let's quilt.

Barbara

WHAT AM I DOING?

By the end of Thanksgiving day I had come down with a big head cold that kept me in my easy chair for 3 days, reading, sleeping and eating. No exercise, no energy, just sneeze, cough and repeat. All better now and ready to get back to several ongoing projects.

Here is what I am working on:

TEXAS STAR: begun more than 25 years ago, this BUCKET LIST QUILT has come back out to play. More borders are yet to come, one from the 2026 Block of the Month quilt Game On!  To read more about this quilt see this post: TEXAS STAR

Texas Star, more borders to come, currently about 65" square

Speaking of GAME ON! the 2026 Block of the Month quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith exclusively for THE QUILT SHOW, I am having SO MUCH FUN! This quilt will teach you a lot and it's fun too. The Solids version is the Kit available, if any are left, from The Quilt Show Shop:                            

In progress, more tweaking needed then a trim and double borders are added

This Prints version is from my stash. It is fun to select fabrics, everything goes, and a few of my most favorites get featured. The top half needs the large circles appliqued in place, then the Medallion center block can be completed. 

These take extra time because I make notes and take photos as I go for the Blogs to come and the LIVE broadcasts I do each month: 

I always have a LEADER/ENDER project going. Old Italian Blocks are one of my most favorite. 

Currently this is my Summer Sew-a-Long 2025--find all the details with several size options here: SUMMER SEW A ALONG 2025

230 done so far, bagged in color families--I have a layout plan that uses color as a feature

Leader/Ender blocks laid out beside my machine, these are 3" finished

When I want a break from piecing I work on machine quilting my DIAMOND JUBILEE quilt, started 13 years ago. The end is near...

Read more about this quilt here:  DIAMOND JUBILEE:

Deciding WHAT to quilt is always the most challenging for me. After a few failed attempts that involved lots of time with my stitch ripper, I figured out what I wanted in the stars. 

The wide outer border has yet to be decided on though I have a few ideas. The paisley fabric is so busy no intricate designs will be noticeable. And I will draw the ideas out on plexiglass first, BEFORE stitching them, to be sure I like the designs, lesson learned: 

Detail of the quilting designs

When I am not at my sewing machines, I am on my computer, writing blogs, booking future airplane trips and hotel reservations, etc. It's also holiday season so I do have to decorate a bit before the Sunday Sew and Sews Christmas potluck party here. And buy a few gifts, and bake cookies. And so on and so forth...

My LIVE broadcasts are always available here: The Quilt Show channel on YouTube. This month I am doing two: Friday December 5 we wrap up Laurel Ridge and get very excited for Game On!  Monday December 29 is the kickoff for Game On! I have tips and tricks to help you be successful with a variety of foundation paper piecing skills.