It’s kinda fun once a year to reflect on what’s been happening in the sewing room. In 2024, I attended a quilt retreat and was given a quilting journal (thank you Janet). It allowed me to keep track of the finished chaos that can sometimes be quilting/sewing projects. I don’t blog about all my projects, so the journal was a great reminder.

In 2024, I completed 8 quilts (one of them a Quilt of Valor), embellished two jean jackets (so much fun), created one new collage “cake” pdf pattern (which included two prototype quilts), honored a couple of “cutter” antique quilts, a block was created/submitted/and accepted for the 2024 Texas Agriculture Matters quilt for the Texas Department of Agriculture, made three burrito-style dinosaur pillow cases with French seams for the Michigan grands, made a Christmas pillow for a good friend, and four piped-edge pillows (piping on pillows is not easy; just saying) with canal house fabric purchased in Amsterdam last year. 2024 was all about the journey!

I remember purchasing this amazing fabric while visiting Amsterdam in 2023. I couldn’t tell you how much I purchased. They don’t sell fabric in yards (maybe meters?) in Europe. The fabric is tightly packed with adorable navy blue canal houses. After a year patiently waiting on the shelf, I got this idea to make pillows as Christmas presents for my family. I wanted to pipe the edges and had Erica at A Needle and Thread teach me. I’ve had Erica previously make a University of Alabama pillow with piped edges. But did I want to have her put together four pillows? It’s the old story of what do you want to do … give a man a fish … or teach a man to fish! I came prepared to her sewing lounge with yards of bias binding and cording and nearly had a entire pillow finished by the end of our teaching session. I could do this! Each completed pillow looked better than the previous one. I had learned to fish!

I had the most fun embellishing a couple of blue jeans jackets. At Houston’s 2024 International Quilt Festival, it clearly was one of the trends. I was stopped a couple of times at the festival by quilters asking to take a photo of my jacket. It was super easy (the zipper foot was my best friend) and I’m not finished adding to the Texas or Christmas jackets. Someone asked me if I was going to bedazzle it. Seriously, that kinda scares me!

One of my favorite 2024 quilts was “Elephants on Parade.” It is a Laundry Basket Quilt pattern and easy breezy to make with the elephant template. The last quilt I made from LBQ was similar in appearance but with multiple butterfly blocks. Sewing the elephant quilt, I perfected my button hole machine applique. I finished the last block while on a quilt retreat. While laying the blocks on the design wall, someone suggested I should make one of the elephants face the other way. I loved that idea!

My friend, Cynthia, came across a press release requesting quilt blocks for the Texas Department of Agriculture. Every two years, they request quilters make a 10-1/2 inch block for a themed quilt. A few pieces of fabric are supplied which must be included in the block. Creating a block about Texas agriculture was a challenge. I know nothing about the subject! Although they did not settle in Texas, my mother’s side of the family were dairy farmers. I decided to create a block honoring my heritage. Accompanying the finished block to the agriculture department, I wrote the following: “My mother and her family left Holland after WWII for the United States. My grandfather and uncles were dairy farmers and continued until retirement. In 2022, Texas was fourth in U.S. milk production. The Holstein cow is the top dairy breed. It produces 9 gallons of milk per day per cow. The churn dash red and white block is often associated with butter churning, a milk product.”

Big shout out to my friend, Sally, for making my quilt labels for over 10 years. She continues to wow me with her designs. Each quilt label is my favorite! And then there are the longarm ladies that continue to amaze: Lisa and Val. All these ladies make my quilts look so much nicer!