Best of 2017
Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful, warm time with loved ones and opened up some coveted goodies under the tree. Alex totally blew me away this year-he's a big computer geek and I've had my laptop/his computer for when I wanted to edit photos and write blog posts and patterns, but I always felt bad kicking him off his to do it. So, he surprised me with a cute little computer and an office-buddy proposal, plus EQ8! I'm having a huge blast learning how to play with it, and have already come up with a few pattern ideas. I'll write a whole post on it another day, but I'm having so much fun figuring it out!
I've loved seeing everybody's 2017 best nines and FO round-up posts, but I had to wait until after Christmas because I knew I would be adding two more throws to the pile! It's been a big year, and I thought it would be fun to do a round-up of everything that's happened. Keep scrolling if you just want to jump right to the pretty pictures :)
Blog!!
I didn't start a blog this year, but I did make a pretty big move from Weebly to Squarespace, and officially acquired my own domain. It's a much cleaner look, and I think has really helped display my work in a searchable, clean, and straightforward way.
Shop!!
In addition to new blog digs, I started an etsy store! I'm not committing to the full-time quilt hustle in the slightest, but it's a great outlet for making things that I don't then have to make work or find space for in my own house. Plus, not only did I start it, but I've made FOUR sales! It doesn't sound like much, but I'm so happy to be on the road to funding this little hobby of mine, plus it's really validating to know that someone else out there likes what you make enough to want it in their home. If you're interested in starting your own Etsy shop, use this link and we'll BOTH get 40 free listings, which normally cost twenty cents a piece. Opening an etsy store is not as scary as it sounds, or as I thought it was when I did it, and it's a great way to publish patterns and share things you've made with other people who will love them.
Show!!
This was super fun- I had my first quilt show this year! One of my oldest friends is a fabulous artist and does art programming for a local park system. She needed an old-fashioned textile art, and happened to have a quilter in her contacts! I even sold a couple little guys here, and talking to people about my quilts gave me the courage to start up my etsy store!
Patterns!
I released my first pattern this fall! It was for my star snack mat (RIP Holiday Hexie), which is a great trivet, oversized mug rug, or even cute little wall hanging. Brooke over at OhSewBrooke did an amazing last-minute lightning-speed test on it, and I've actually had four or five people pick it up off etsy and craftsy. I'm dedicating 2018 to clearing out my queue of patterns in various shades of complete, and I'm sure the list will only grow as I figure out EQ8!
Testing!
And finally, I started quilt testing this year! You can see the products sprinkled in the first few rows below, but I was so excited to test for my friend Shannon over at Shannon Fraser Designs on her new Springtime is in the Air (if only that were true now!) baby quilt in May. It looks like she will have some more cool stuff coming out in 2018. And, I joined a few of my friends on the Suze Crews, testing for Suzy Quilts. This has been so helpful in my own pattern designing, and who else doesn't need an excuse to make her amazing patterns!? I'm not sure if I'll expand my testing beyond Suzy Q this year, but who ever knows what to expect!?
And to all of you guys, thank you. I've been so grateful to have you along for the ride, and I draw so much inspiration from all of you. Happy 2018!
