HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Out with the old, in with the new. Or, in my case, celebrate finishing this OLD quilt top I began designing almost 30 years ago, so OLD but now it feels really NEW:

Star of Texas, about 72" square

This has been on my bucket list for all these years. Read more about it here:  Star of Texas

Here are my two Game On! quilts, both through month 7, now all I have to do is write the blogs for each month. It is not too late for you to start--this is SO MUCH FUN:

                                                        

Now that I am pretty far along on Game On! I can concentrate on a few more projects I really want to complete this year.

My Old Italian Block Lifetime Quilt is the next top to make:

All 290 of the 3" blocks are done--now it's on to the design wall this week

Quilting needs to be done on Diamond Jubilee:

And soon I will start two online courses on ruler quilting with these two quilts:

panel for Angela Walters class on Arcs and Curves

Quilt of Valor to use for Natalia Bonner's class on 99 strip designs

There is always more to create and I have to come up with my NEXT Lifetime/Leader-Ender quilt project. I have a few ideas. Stay tuned.

Since I am home until mid-March I am determined to get as much done as possible. 

My words for 2026 are "RENEW" and "REBUILD". I don't usually pick a word but was challenged to do so by a friend. These seemed to ring true for 2026.

Do you pick a "word of the year"? 

What do you plan to achieve in 2026? Just keep going, that's my plan.

Happy New Year to all!

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.