Wednesday, January 14, 2015

New year, new patterns!

2014 flew by and left me in its dust!  I think it was one of my busiest years ever, and I spent almost zero time in my sewing and crafting room, except for a last-minute, harried rush of small Christmas gifts.  I often give lip service to the idea of needing to take time for oneself, but I ran myself ragged and the way I felt was a real kick in the pants.

Now I finally have three in school and some time to myself, so I have dubbed this the "Year of Me."  We have just found out we are moving to Germany this summer, so I don't need to worry about finding a job until we move.  With that in mind, I've spent a lot of my newfound spare time taking care of myself physically and spiritually, which is having a tremendous positive impact on my life.  I have been making medical appointments that are a decade overdue, spending time doing the things I love, organizing the house, volunteering for causes that move me, and more.  Still busy, but it is a much more healing energy.

So what does this mean for the blog?  It means there's lots of good stuff coming up!  Here's  a quick look ahead:

Right off the bat, I have some patterns that have been tested and are ready for release in the next couple of weeks.  They include the Grinch, a wire hair fox terrier, and a miniature schnauzer.  At this point I am not planning on doing more dog breeds (I made mini quilts for family members who owned these breeds), but if you have a specific request, please let me know and I can whip one up!


Grinch quilt block
The Grinch has been tested and will be released on FiS soon!  You can find his pattern on Friday on Craftsy and the blog.  Hopefully I can get a tester for Cindy Lou Who and Max soon so that they can join him.


Miniature schnauzer quilt block
"Freddie," the miniature schnauzer, is awaiting release on Craftsy.


Wire hair fox terrier quilt block
"Willie," the wire hair fox terrier, has also been tested and will be on Craftsy soon.


I will also be releasing weekly test results for blocks from the Game of Thrones quilt that I designed for my husband.  I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the books or show, simply because I have never gotten around to diving in to them, but I am super excited to do this for him.  At this point the plan is to release a block each week, but if any blocks need to be reworked once I start on them it may take an extra week to fix the pattern.  If you are interested in testing this along with me, I can email you the pattern files.  I just ask that you allow me to share your finished design on the blog.



Game of Thrones quilt
Hopefully, this will be the finished project!

Throughout the year, I'll be sharing my blocks from the 2015 Project of Doom quilt-along hosted by Jennifer Ofenstein over at Fandom in Stitches.  I'm going to try to learn how to use an embroidery machine to do my book titles, so you can share in my (mis)adventures there.  :)

Finally, I will be without a sewing room for a good portion of the fall, due to our move.  Therefore, I have set up a BOW quilt-along featuring the 12 days of Christmas that will be released in the late summer and early fall.  That should give everyone ample time to quilt and bind their quilts before the Christmas season.  I, for one, could definitely use less stuff on my to-do-list during the actual holidays.  This will be a buy-in BOW project, with each pattern costing only 2$.  The patterns will be available through Craftsy.

Christmas quilt-along



12 Days of Christmas quilt
This will be the finished 12 Days of Christmas quilt.

Whew!  I think that's about it for now.  I will also be trying to finish some UFOs, and may share some other blocks as they are tested, but I don't expect to be doing a lot beyond these items this year.  Stay tuned, and as always, I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions!

8 comments:

  1. Cant wait till Friday. This is the cutest pattern. You do such a great job. Thank you. Hope you enjoy your "me time" Also hope your move to Germany goes smoothly and is fun for the whole family.

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    1. Thank you so much! I was sad I didn't have time to test the Grinch myself, but my pattern tester did a fantastic job. The whole "me time" concept is relatively new to me, but it's a luxury I am definitely enjoying. :D We are sad to be moving away from home, but this chance to see other parts of the world is really amazing, and hopefully it inspires some amazing quilts!

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  2. Is Freddie the Mini Schnauzer available anywhere yet? I've owned minis all my life and would LOVE this pattern!!

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  3. I love Freddie I'd like to get the photo . How can I do please? Thanks a lot.
    Maric

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  4. Where can I find the pattern for the grinch?
    Thanks Sherri

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  5. Do you still sell the Grinch paper piece pattern?

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  6. WHERE CAN I FIND THE GRINCH? SHARI

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  7. Would love the Grinch pattern!

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I welcome your comments and feedback! I will try to get back to you shortly.