12/31/25

2025: Year in Review

Good morning, my friends. I’m writing before we leave the RV park this morning, so I’ll have to tell you about today’s drive in tomorrow’s post. When I left you yesterday, we were preparing to head over to a nearby Mexican restaurant for margaritas and dinner. As it turned out, the restaurant was a sort of a fast food place with drive-thru service only. We weren’t up for that, and so we went to a different place across the street called “Wood Almond.” It turned out to be a good choice with some unusual items on the menu. Mike ordered a “brisket melt” with some macaroni and cheese on the side.


My sandwich was a veggie sandwich made with roasted eggplant. I had mine with fried brussels sprouts. I absolutely love brussels sprouts, but Mike really doesn’t. I almost never make them, and so I have them every chance I get.


My sandwich was good. It had roasted egg plant and bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and some other stuff. Served on foccacia bread, it was everything I hoped it would be.


So, that’s all that’s new since my last post. New Year’s Eve is the day I reserve to mark the quilts that were finished in a single year. I started the year with 23 quilts in progress. The math doesn’t quite work out with this, but I managed to finish 28 quilts this year, and I currently have 26 projects I’m still working on. Yeah…I actually started and finished a few in the same year. So, I ended the year with more projects than when I started, but it seems like it evens out if the number of finishes is higher than both of the other numbers, right? Yeah. I’m going with that.

So let’s just take a look at this year’s finishes. It was a rare winter at home in January, and I was excited to be able to participate in Season 16 of Project Quilting. I made a few of the prompts, but not all of them. The first was this one:


 Bigfoot Crossing
made for Project Quilting Season 16
"Mythical Creatures"
hand embroidery and traditional piecing
Created 1/6-7/25
16 x 16 inches
~~~


 Bear Necessities
39 x 45 inches
started and finished  1/5-9/25
A gift for the first grandchild of a friend

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 Ombre Sunset
for Project Quilting "Ombre" prompt
created 1/19-21/25
25 x 25

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 Domestic Affairs
"Gentle Domesticity" BOM by Jennifer Reynolds
started 8/25/21 and finished 1/25/25
43 x 53 inches
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 Joy in the Ordinary
started 1/1/24 and finished 1/29/25
34 x 42

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 Vintage Linen
A crazy quilt made from vintage linens
Hand embroidered or crocheted by
 my maternal grandmother, Bertha Wise Maust
64 x 64 inches
Started 8/26/21 and finished 2/20/25

~~~


"Circus"
a Challenge quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group
started 2/16/25 and finished 2/23/25
19 x 25 inches
reveal will be 5/1/25

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 Snow Happens
started 11/16/24 and finished 3/1/25
30 x 17

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Catmint
pattern from Crabapple Hill Studios
12 x 12 inches
started 1/15/25 and finished 3/3/25
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Easter Egg Table Runner
designed by Corinne Sovey
50 x 14 inches
started 3/16/25 and finished 3/23/25
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Jericho Walls
Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt 2022
needs binding
started 3/11/22 and finished 4/11/25
73 x 89 inches
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 Blue Blazes
a mini quilt from the book "Teeny, Tiny Quilts"
started 12/5/24 and finished 4/17/25
16 x 16 inches

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 Kitchen Herbs
pattern from Country Garden Stitchery
started 3/13/25 and finished 5/15/25
22 x 24 inches

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 A Joyful Journey
46 x 65 inches
started 6/11/22 and finished 5/19/25

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 Spring Flowers
pattern from Wandering Threads
11-1/2 x 13 inches
started 4/21/25 and finished 5/24/25

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 Kitty Lover's Redwork
9-1/2 x 11 inches
started 5/18/25 and finished 5/26/2025

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 Stitchin’ Wisdom
41 x 51 inches
Started 8/21/22 and finished 8/29/25

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 Sweet Dreams
41 x 50 inches
started 4/28/25 and finished 9/3/25

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 "Mermie's Cabin"
an art quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group "Sashiko" prompt
rendering a piece of family art into floss and fabric
15 x 17.5 inches
started 8/9/25 and finished 10/5/25

~~~


 Barnyard
Block patterns from Moda and Aurifil
68 x 54 inches
started 11/20/22 and finished 10/11/25

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 It Takes a Village
started 2/3/23 and finished 10/30/25
51 x 51

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 Autumn's Harvest Pumpkin
pattern by Meg Hawkey, Crabapple Hill Studios
started 9/17/25 and finished 10/30/25
20 x 23 inches

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 "Motion"
an art quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group
started and finished 11/11-13/25
reveal will be 2/1/26
just a peek for now

~~~


 Tea Time
adapted from a pattern by Jenny of Elefantz
hand and machine stitching
started and finished 11/4-14/25
5 x 7 inches
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 The Sewing Room
needs binding
12 x 47 inches
started 1/2/25 and finished 11/19/25

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 My Whimsical Quilt Garden
Pattern from Becky Goldsmith & Linda Jenkins
62 x 74 inches
started 11/26/22 and finished 11/23/25

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 "S" is for Sew
Embroidery deigns from Wooden Spool Designs
27 inches square
started 2/16/25 and finished 12/19/25

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 My Embroidered Garden
pattern from Meg Hawkey, Crabapple Hill Studios
11 x 13 inches
started 11/5/25 and finished 12/21/25
~~~
So you can see there were a lot of small quilts and art quilts, but a good number or larger quilts too. For the most part, 2025 was a good year sewing-wise.

Okay, so it’s New Year’s Eve. If you’re like me, you’ll be in bed well before midnight. That’s my kinda new year celebration. But if you’re more adventurous, stay safe and make good decisions. We’ll have more driving to do on New Year’s Day. How are you going to enjoy the scenery if you’re in bed sleeping it off. Behave yourselves, my friends. 

15 comments:

Kate said...

So many fun finishes this year! It's hard to pick a favorite, but It Takes a Village and My Whimsical Quilt Garden are my favorites. Now to plan what you'll finish for next year.

Julierose said...

Thanks so much for sharing all your lovely 2025 (1st quarter century gone in a flash!!) quilts with us, Barbara--so many lovely ones...You had a fun year making all of these lovelies...and we so enjoyed watching them come to fruition;)))
Hugs for a Happy New Year ["...on the road again.." --file under songs for all occasions hahaha ] Julierose

dgs said...

Lovely finishes. I feel like I just attended an almost private showing of your work. Gorgeous. I love the sentiment "On Christmas day at half past three.... I'll think of you You think of me." Looks like it has a pocket with a bag of treats inside. Wonderful gift idea.

MissPat said...

Wow, so many finishes. I know some of these were given away, but what do you do with all of these? Your house doesn't have enough walls to hang everything up.
I'll be in bed well before midnight. Snowing again here. It's been quite a winter so far. I'm having cataract surgery this winter, so I can't make my annual trip to FL. I figure it's going to be the coldest and snowiest winter here in decades.
Pat

Sandra Richardson said...

Thank you for showing us all of your finished quilts/projects for 2025! That is quite an accomplishment, I would say! I don't know how you manage to get so much done but I really admire you for your work..Happy New Year!!

Leigh said...

Wow such a beautiful art show. You inspire me! Happy New Year, may you continue to bless us with visions of your creativity!

Jenny said...

Lots of lovely finishes here and your love of embroidery shines through. I was in bed by 11.00pm, awake and reading my book at midnight when I heard some fireworks being set off. Happy New Year to you both, have a wonderful trip.

Emma's Daughter said...

Love seeing all of your finishes. You had quite a productive year. Happy new year and safe travels.

crazy quilter said...

You were extremely productive in 2025. I love all of these. My New Year’s Eve is being spent at a quilting retreat with a few friends. No late sewing for me since I woke way before dawn. Enjoy your New Years Eve, and safe travels for New Year’s Day.

crazy quilter said...

Well I entered a comment but it doesn’t seem to be showing. Anyway happy new Year

crazy quilter said...

Well this is m 3rs try to post a comment in your very productive year I love all of your finishes. I am spending New Year’s Eve at a quilting retreat retreat with a few friends. Happy new Year and safe travels tomorrow.

Lyndsey said...

What a lovely lot of quilty finishes last year. I like the combination of hand stitching and quilting in so many of them. I must make more time for hand stitching this year as it really is relaxing.

karen said...

Thank you for the lovely quilt show. I remember most of them and was happy to see them again. As always, you have been very busy.
Happy New year to you and Mike. Give Smitty and Sadie hugs.
Enjoying this trip (it's much warmer there). Enjoying the history lessons.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

What fun to revisit all your finishes for the year! I went back and forth trying to pick a favourite and finally settled on Whimsical Garden.

piecefulwendy said...

You have had a good year of quilting!