We rang in the New Year at my parents house in Charlotte, which was fun despite some truly frigid temperatures. I shared a free barn quilt-inspired quilt block pattern, and set my first group of quarterly crafty goals. We had an ice storm that shut the city down for a day, and a short-lived government shutdown as well. (Too bad the current one isn’t as short.)
February was a month of quilting goodness as I took a longarm orientation class, made a cute mini mini quilt for Jose, completed a mini for the MQG swap, and went to LA for QuiltCon! We also had fun decorating Valentines cookies and getting the girls back into swimming lessons.
March is always one of my favorite months and was particularly notable this year because I turned 40! I was also a finalist for the Craftsy Quilt Designers Fellowship, which was exciting even if I didn’t win. We took a family trip to San Antonio over Emma’s spring break and of course spent a day at the rodeo. I ran a quarter marathon (i.e. a bit more than a 10K), longarm quilted my first quilt ever, and my Vector block was featured by the Modern Quilt Guild.
In April, Jose and I enjoyed opening day with the Astros and then took the girls to another game later in the month. I showed off my Flame Seeker mini quilt (made for a swap), set another group of quarterly sewing goals, and started my second year of the 100 day project. And Jose and I saw Hamilton!
In May I got to share my Pathfinder quilt, which had been a secret sewing project until then, and my Geometry of Circles quilt. I also finished the commissioned onesie quilt and shared some overall thoughts on taking commissions. I started experimenting with slow, slow running, Charlotte went on her first field trip, and Emma finished kindergarten. We spent Memorial Day weekend in Corpus Christi. And Jose and I celebrated 9 years of marriage!
In June I ran a 10K and had gum surgery (joy). In sewing stuff, I finished two semi-wearable shirts and my Barn Quilt BOM quilt top. We took the girls to Palm Beach and had a blast.
We kicked off a July with haircuts for both girls (Charlotte’s first!) and salvaged a bit of fun out of an otherwise rainy Independence Day. I finished the 100 day project, started another one (#100days100blocks), and set another round of quarterly sewing goals. I finished the Space Cornerstone quilt and shipped that off, and dived into my Pollinate quilt, which continues as a long-term hand-sewing project. We beat the summer heat with trips to the pool and to the natural science museum.
August was busy as usual with a visit from my parents, Emma’s birthday and the beginning of a new school year. I hit a work milestone with 20 years of government service. I made a birthday dress for each kid, found out that Geometry of Circles was juried into the International Quilt Festival, and shared a new Christmas tree skirt pattern that I wrote for Craftsy.
Charlotte turned 3 in September, and we celebrated accordingly. We started work on the GCMQG charity quilt and I took a quick trip to Cleveland for work. We ended the month with the first of four fall trips to Corpus Christi, this one to celebrate both girls’ birthdays with Jose’s side of the family.
October featured plenty of fall fun in the form of the pumpkin patch, Froberg’s fall festival, and of course Halloween itself. We went to Corpus for my nephew’s 1st birthday. Emma learned to ride her bike without training wheels. I taught my first quilting class. The Astros played in the postseason and I turned their logo into a quilt block. I set my final 2018 quarterly sewing goals. And I was crazy busy at work after a launch to the space station was aborted.
The first part of November was filled with quilting — first Quilt Market and then Quilt Festival. I went to both, and even took the girls at the very end to see my quilt on display. We enjoyed the Armand Bayou Farm Festival, always a favorite, and I led a group sewing day to work on our GCMQG charity quilt. We spent Thanksgiving with Jose’s family in Corpus, and I finished up my Spring Training quilt just in time to submit for QuiltCon.
And that brings us to December! I successfully managed to blog every day, so hey self, pat on the back for that. There were multiple Santa encounters at the library, the park, school, and even HEB. We finished our GCMQG charity quilt top and I made some cute hexie coasters for a holiday gift exchange. I was also super happy to be diaper-free at last. We made our final trip to Corpus for the year to celebrate Emily’s quinceanera and got to have fun staying in a hotel. The government shut down again (and remains shut down more than a week later). We had a very nice a Christmas at home, and then flew to Charlotte to visit my parents and brothers. I wrapped up some of my favorite makes from this year, and set some creative goals for 2019.It has truly been a good, fun, full year. Here’s to more in 2019!
(Previous year-in-reviews: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013)
p.s. I’m doing a 31 day blog writing challenge!
