Going into Christmas and the Holidays it feels like I always have so much to do. I used to plan to finish my work by mid December to have a little time to relax but not this year! I do get custom orders that will be Christmas gifts so I know I will get them done. Last week I made a list of what I need to accomplish which included at least six items! Did I mention I have a deadline for a book I am writing and that is mid January. Hopefully next year will be an easier year!

In celebration of the holidays, Cyber Monday and Black Friday I am currently offering my on-demand Love of Pets Fabric Collage workshop at 30% off. You just need to go to my Podia site at the link here and type HOLIDAYSALE into the promo code box to receive your discount. I have many customers who have enjoyed learning my process for making this type of custom quilt, at their own pace.

Also on my Podia site are two free downloadable fabric collage patterns; one the Big-eyed Chameleon and the other Bugs and Beetles. You can also purchase for $5 the Shy Sunflower pattern. All proceeds and a matching donation I give to the World Central Kitchen in support of Ukraine.

My latest quilt finish, another side distraction, I made as a gift for a much deserving 14 year old girl called Katie. Coming home from Quilt Festival in Houston I sat next to a young woman at the bar as we got something to eat. Whilst chatting over a huge plate of Tater-Tots I learned that as a mother of six one of her daughters was in the Children’s hospital in Houston waiting for a lung transplant. Just three weeks prior they had not even known she was sick. Her story really stuck with me and so I just wanted to give her a quilt. Following their story on Facebook Katie received her lung transplant 2 weeks ago and is making steady progress in her recovery. Her family are now adjusting to their new way of life. I know a quilt isn’t much when going through something like this but I hope it can be distraction.

As part of the book on collage that I am writing I hope to include a Student Gallery section and so I am looking for any past students of mine that have finished quilts. If you could send me a good quality photo of that quilt that I could include I would appreciate it. Message me if you have a suitable photo. I will also need a short description of how you felt about the process and making collage quilts this way. Thank you.

Finally I just want to share that I recently purchased from a guild member, who is moving, a Handiquilter Sweet Sixteen. I wasn’t looking to change the way I quilt my work but this machine came up. It fitted into my limited sewing space and thought it would make my process easier. So when I have more time I want to play some more!

Thanks for reading along I will post again in a few weeks with my yearly round-up from 2022.