2025 Review/2026 Beginnings

Moving right along into 2026, I've gotten a little bit of sewing mojo back, most likely prompted by the fact that later this month I'm giving the Sarasota MQG chapter a program about scraps. The name of my presentation is Scarping Your Scraps. 

To explain Scarping... in 2023, a virtual friend, Char at Cloth Stitched, used the term "scarps" in a blog post title. I picked up on the typo, kidding her about it, and saying how I too liked to scarp my scraps. The rest is history, as I've continued to try to scarp all my print scraps. I've set a goal to use them all by 2033. 

This is my 2025 total fabric used - incoming, outgoing, and the net used. More used than came in. 

While 49 yards of fabric used-up in 2025 is good, compared to using 88.88 yards in 2024, it's not so good. I'm giving myself grace due to the difficult months of October, November, and December, spent visiting Dad, attending his funeral service, and grieving. 

Besides... this is too true.

Other 2025 numbers:

• 255.84 miles walked, in 86 walks, according to Map My Walk app
• 115 audiobooks read, 13 more than in 2024 (Click "Books Read" tab on my home page to reference the list in score order.)
• 70 blog posts published, only 1 less than in 2024
• 7,268 people viewed my September 11 blog post "I've Been Sewing"
• 5,611 people viewed my September 18 blog post "Thread Giveaway" of Scanfil thread
• 4,589 people viewed my September 6 blog post "Away to Georgia and Ohio"
• only 1,628 views of my October 29 Filmstrip Quilt Tutorial with 18 comments 
• the most blog comments - 34 - were received September 18 on "Thread Giveaway"
• 7 large quilts made, 5 fewer than in 2024 (Click "2025 Quilts" tab on my home page.)
• 3 quilts entered into 2026 QuiltCon Raleigh; 2 quilts accepted

In previous years I've also tallied how many quilt guild meetings I attended; how many times and hours I spent line dancing; how many hours I spent in bible study; and such, but not this year. Those numbers don't mean much, other than to say that I've filled my days with activities that have been beneficial for my mental, physical and spiritual health. We all strive for these things, right? 

Now that we're fully into 2026, these are a few of my sewing room WIPs. 

Related to the Scarping Your Scraps presentation, I've determined that my Sunny Lanes quilt needs to be finished. Tutorial for this block on my blog. The top had been in limbo at 53" X 69½", but after holding it again, I decided, "It's heavy!"

Made with thousands of 1" finished squares - actually 1,968! - those seams make it weighty. I'd thought to use a single layer of flannel for backing (without batting), but couldn't find enough of anything in my stash. 

So, I pieced a backing, and will be sandwiching it with Quilter's Dream Request batting. Basting and quilting will be soon. Coming up with enough stash for binding will be another challenge. Scrappy binding might be the solution.

A bit of between-holidays reorganization of my sewing room found me pulling out UFOs and WIPs to put in some semblance of order. Satisfyingly, they're now labeled, and sorted in the closet. 

What I determined to do something with is this bin full of leftover garment sewing fabrics, several sheets and pillow cases, many worn-out t-shirts, a few men's dress shirts, and a tablecloth. I determined it was time to start another braid-in rug. 

In 2020, during a series of virtual workshops, I learned no-sew rug-braiding from Ilka White who lives in Australia. She is the best instructor I've ever learned from. 

Starting with four strands here are progress photos.

At this point I was braiding with 10 strands.

Here I'm up to 12 strands.

Still braiding 12 strands, as of today the rug is 27" X 39". With many materials still unused, I plan to keep going until... who knows? I'm thoroughly lovin' working on this!

Unhappily, I found a mistake made, several rows back, in the baby afghan I've been knitting. The vertical cable is meant to be continuous. Darn me. I'll be carefully unknitting to fix my error. 

All's not wrong in the world, though. This morning's super-moon, as it was competing with our sunrise, reminds me of what's more valuable than a mistake in a baby afghan. God's creation shines.

Linda

End of December

December was a less-than-satisfactory fabric-using month. Not feeling like quiltmaking or sewing contributed greatly to the problem. 

The not-quite 5 yards of fabric used were for:

1. a back and binding on Posh Penelope (see previous post)
2. a sleeve on Infrastructure, a quilt that has arrived in Austin for QuiltCon judging, and
3. bias edges on two vinyl zipper pouches 

My only other December accomplishment was to listen to a lot of books! Twelve of them in December.

Book Recommendations

Though to make it clear, several of the Andy Carpenter books by David Rosenfelt, are only six to seven hours long. As you can see below, I listened to seven of them, which are available to me on both my public library platforms - Hoopla and Cloudi.

I'm hooked on the Andy Carpenter series because of the stories, but also because of the great narrator, Grover Gardner, who reads funny lines in a well-delivered deadpan voice. 

I've gotta ask... have you ever read a book where you found a mistake? A spot in a story that jumped out as wrong? 

I've found two of them in David Rosenfelt books.

1. The first was in the book Sudden Death, when the body of a shooting victim is found in a closet. Early-on, it's determined that the victim was shot in the head. Later, as the investigation is unfolding, it's mentioned that he was shot in the chest. At first I thought, "Ah ha! That's a clue to who did it!" I even rewound the book to confirm I'd heard two different statements. These contradictory factors never reappeared in the story, so I concluded that the book editor never picked up on the mistake. 
2. The second time I found an error was in New Tricks. I stopped the book and played the part for hubs. He agreed that it was incorrect. Laurie, Andy's girlfriend, is shot in her "carotid artery" which is located in her leg. Oops. Everyone's carotid artery is found in the neck.

But I'm forgiving when it comes to this stuff. A good story, especially those with details about things I don't know about, override mistakes. In fact, they're sort of fun to find... like catching spelling or grammatical errors. (I know. I'm weird like that.)

These are my book scores, with 5.0 being the highest possible score.

• 4.4 - Bury the Lead, #3 Andy Carpenter Series, David Rosenfelt
• 4.4 - Sudden Death, #4 Andy Carpenter Series, David Rosenfelt
• 4.4 - Dead Center, #5 Andy Carpenter Series, David Rosenfelt
• 4.4 - Play Dead, #6 Andy Carpenter series, David Rosenfelt
• 4.4 - New Tricks, #7 Andy Carpenter Series, David Rosenfelt
• 4.4 - Dog Tags, #8 Andy Carpenter Series, David Rosenfelt
• 4.4 - One Dog Night, #9 Andy Carpenter Series, David Rosenfelt

• 4.4 - Don't Open Your Eyes,  Liv Constantine
• 4.3 - Forget Me Not, Stacy Willingham
• 4.3 - Before the King: Joanna's Story, Heather Kaufman
• 4.2 - The Correspondent, Virginia Evans
• 4.2 - What Lies in the Woods,  Kate Alice Marshall

The other, non-Andy Carpenter books were fairly good.

I enjoyed the psychological thriller Don't Open Your Eyes, about a wife and mother, Annabelle, whose dreams often predict what will happen in the future. While I don't believe that's possible, the story makes her condition very convincing. The book takes an unexpected turn at the end.

Forget Me Not is another psychological thriller that tells the story of Claire Campbell whose older sister Natalie went missing two decades before. The last Claire knew, Natalie was spending time at a remote island farm and vineyard in South Carolina. On a whim Claire visits that place, and ends up taking a summer job picking grapes. The longer she stays, the more sure she is that people are hiding something about Natalie. 

Before the King is a fictional story about Joanna of the Bible who meets Jesus, questions what He's teaching, and becomes a believer. She financially supports his ministry and becomes an integral part of His story on resurrection day. The author gives Joanna a sister with epilepsy, and how that condition is hidden and denied. 

 

What Lies in The Woods is about lies, lies, and more lies. I was shocked when I learned who was lying about the body that's secretly been lying in the woods for years. Who knew what... who found it... who put it there. This is one of those stories that makes you wonder how the author's mind worked out such a series of events. Does she write from the ending backward?

I don't understand the rave reviews The Correspondent has received. It's a story about a woman, Sybil, who pens letters every day, and the people she encounters and gets to know better through correspondence. Sybil is a very opinionated, somewhat unloveable character who didn't earn my respect or sympathy. But the interwoven stories of the people she corresponds with are interesting.

As I look to Thursday and the start of a new year, I am grateful for the past year of being able to indulge in my favorite activities. I'm also sad about the experiences 2025 brought, specifically, the death of my Dad. I know I'm not the only person to have had a rough 2025. Several friends (two of them are bloggers) have also lost someone dear. Other friends (one is a blogger) have experienced severe health concerns.

All these things remind me to appreciate how good I have it - how God doesn't give me more than I can handle, and if He does, He helps ensure I can handle it. Linda

Posh Penelope Finish

No doubt, Posh Penelope will be my last finish for 2025.

Making this one was a long slog. It's a quilt that 'bout did me in because I quickly learned that the eleventy-billion steps needed to make one block involved more focused attention than I was willing to give. It was definitely not suitable for working on while on a quilt retreat. 

Setting a goal of making eight blocks a month was the only way to make myself reach the finish line. 

I recommend this Posh Penelope Sew Kind of Wonderful pattern only to makers who are strongly self-motivated and committed to a finish.

Posh Penelope, 69" X 81½"

It's certainly pretty. I captured this picture when the quilt top was on the ironing table, and daylight was shining through it. Misaligned seams don't even show!

My go-to method of basting is still with 1" safety pins. Though I occasionally use homemade basting spray (recipe on this blog's home page), I don't like having to put old sheets on the floor around the basting table, to protect the floor from overspray. 

My go-to batting remains Quilter's Dream 100% Cotton Request (lowest loft). 

I find it's the least weighty batting for me handle when a large quilt needs to be shoved around under my sewing machine needle. 

Wanting to get the quilting done, I walking foot quilted the whole thing. Down and dirty! The top thread is pale green Wonderfil Konfetti (50-weight), and Wonderfil DecoBob is on the bottom. On my Bernina 770QE I adjusted the tension to 4.0. 

All of the walking foot quilting is on the diagonal. None of the walking foot quilting is near a seam. 

I was desperate to find a piece of fabric for binding that had the right colors and was large enough to cut 230 linear inches at 2¼" wide. (Except for solids, my print stash is getting that low.) I used-up nearly all of this black and white, with aqua, pink and green stripe. My binding method is No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine, that's a tutorial here on my blog. 

Backing fabric is a wide back, intentionally purchased for Posh Penelope in July from KC Maker Studio (Kansas City). It's a fabulous quilt shop to visit, if you're ever in Kansas City. In fact, they've expanded since I was there!

I like sitting down with a quilt for a couple of evenings, hand stitching binding.

I can't tell you what a relief it is to have this quilt done and dusted.

 

Special thanks to my DH quilt holder.  😀

Linda

Through the Season

I'm going through an Advent Bible study that's keeping me focused on remembering the arrival of Jesus this Christmas, but also not feeling the holiday spirit. My Dad's death knocked me off-kilter, and I've discovered that I'm completely susceptible and empathetic to the emotional challenges others are facing. Friends who have recently lost someone (two people), or received unexpected and difficult health news (three people), or who are coping with a difficult situation weigh heavily on my heart, thereby impacting my desire to sew. Add to the emotional weight, the physical discomfort of an out-of-nowhere flu (cold?) that left me achey, shivery, and listless... it's been a low period. 

Still, my sewing room and stack of WIPs and UFOs beckon.

My Posh Penelope quilt top is finished and has been pin-basted. 

It's awaiting quilting inspiration.

A two-day spurt of energy had me sewing two garments. This is a Ceilo top made with "Eye Candy" fabric by Rashida Coleman for Ruby Star Society. 

This plaid linen sewed nicely into McCall's M7831 jumper pattern. I lined it with white muslin, and added side seam pockets. I've found it useful to have side pockets for a cell phone and iPods.  

Diamond painting dabbling continues. No doubt you're tired of seeing this one, and wondering if I'll ever finish.  

Round loom knitting - well, any form of knitting, really - has been most appealing. I am still enamored of Tiny Dolls, and though I always give them away (the local police department will take them in their squad cars, in case kids need comforting), I like making them so I can enjoy them first. The one on the loom will wear an orange cap. 

And I always continue to knit dishcloths - see the yellow-orange square at the top. A small pile of dish cloths is at the ready when I need a thank-you, or to send an "I'm thinking of you." 

Tuesday, while at Big Cypress Quilters for "open sew," a friend, Sandy, brought me a few skeins of donated yarn, and got me started knitting a child-sized afghan. Happily, among my Mother's crochet hooks and knitting needles, I found the size 13 circular needles called for in the pattern. Interestingly, I learned that I knit "continental style," throwing the yarn from my left hand (I'm right-handed). Since my friend knits "American style," we had to watch a YouTube video to see how to purl stitch in the continental style!

Our days haven't been typical for December, as we're seeing progress on having our previously screen-in lanai, enclosed. Last week a young man spent an entire day grinding the lanai's concrete floor to remove paint we'd had put on a dozen years ago. The paint needed to be removed so tile can be installed next week. 

Yesterday, windows that had been ordered seven weeks ago were installed. Progress. We still have a paint contractor to come in, and then have blinds installed. 

Around town, it's looking like Christmas with frequent sitings of UPS delivery vehicles. It always make me smile to see a person dressed in the brown UPS uniform, driving a golf cart with a wagon full of parcels in the back.

I pulled up in my golf cart behind this one. Seems to me it would sort of be a fun job in this temperate climate.

Likewise, all the rec centers are decked out. I thought Big Cypress was looking especially pretty when I walked in on Tuesday. 

Gorgeous flower beds for December, wouldn't you agree? 

Whether you're celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, or in some other way, it's a special time of year, and I hope you're finding it meaningful and enjoyable. Linda

Round Loom Knitting

Since learning how to round loom knit in April, I haven't had an empty loom. Whether it's a 24- or 36-peg round loom, or a long loom, I've enjoyed making items that I can give away. Most hats and dolls have gone to charities, but every now and then I find a child with whom I'm acquainted, to gift them to. 

As when making quilts and giving them away, nothing beats seeing a picture of a recipient to whom knitted items have been given. Lately I've received several pictures that simply warm my heart. 

My friend Jody recently visited her grandchildren in Wisconsin, and then sent pictures of her two grandchildren with the dolls I'd sent along with her. 

This young fella named his Comfort Doll "Hen." 

And this young lady named her Cupcake Doll, "Cupcake." 😁 Both dolls were knit on a 24-peg loom.

Then, what really touched me, was the lovely thank-you notes I received from each of them. These warmed my Nana-heart, and makes me miss having young grandchildren. Mine are now ages 11 through 16.

A hat I round loom knit with scarlet and gray yarn was destined for my cousin's granddaughter in Ohio. While an Ohio State University football game was on TV, I received this photo of her. Too darned cute!

This sort of feedback is all it takes to keep me going, making more round loom knitted items to give away. 

The latest is a hat seen in a Herrschner's catalog - a two-color design I'd never seen. I wondered if I could create it by round loom knitting. 

I think I did okay.  My new pom-pom maker was fun to use, to make the top pom. 

The scarf is one I knit on a long, rectangular-shaped loom, and together, they make a nice combo. 

I only wish I had a reason to wear these myself. Linda