The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones - The Quilted Life - Life Built Around Art - The Studio Edit - Quilting Organization

Lessons From the 52 Quilts Challenge (So Far)

January 6, 2026

Three months in, a few quilts behind, and already more finished than the last three years. When I committed to the 52 Quilts Challenge, I had a simple hope: that consistency would help me spend more time doing what I love and have more finished quilts to show for it. I wanted quilting to be part of my regular life again, not something I squeezed in only when everything else was done. I did expect to get more done than I have so far. I’m technically behind. And yet, three months in, this challenge already feels like a win. Robbing…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

The Mostly Not-Blue Layer Cake Loop

January 3, 2026

A quilt for my best friend Do you have that friend – the one you love dearly. The one you want to share life with as long as there is life to be shared? Whether you’re miles apart or close by but so very busy, this is your person. The person that you just re-click with the moment you’re reunited. The person that knows your most humbling details and still, somehow, loves you all the same. The one you’d trust to clean out your drawers and closet should you die unexpectedly. (Since they probably already know much of what you…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

Leftovers Done Right: Quilted Casserole Hot Pad

December 28, 2025

Turning Fabric Scraps and Batting Leftovers into a Quick Holiday Finish I recently shared one of my favorite quilt reveals so far in this year’s 52 Quilts Challenge – a Mini Quilt Swap finish. For my swap partner, I made a sweet Christmas table runner using primarily fabrics from Tiny Christmas by Lizzy House for Moda, with a few additional prints to round out the palette. My swap partner loves Christmas trees, so I chose the Under the Pines pattern by Heather Peterson of Anka’s Treasures. The project challenged my precision cutting, quarter-inch seams, and machine quilting skills—but it turned…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

Join a Mini Quilt Swap

December 22, 2025

Adding a New Project Amid a Galaxy of UFOs (and Loving It) I’ve taken on a 52 Quilts Challenge to complete a galaxy worth of UFOs (unfinished objects that I’ve started and set aside over the years. How did I get here? As I mentioned in my Confessions of a Serial Quilt Starter – I love starting new projects! I love the thrill, the novelty, and the organization that comes with a fresh start! But…Somewhere along the way, I get sidetracked.Another idea pops up.Another project must be tried. Sometimes it happens while scrolling Pinterest or Instagram. Other times, I’m…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones - The Quilted Life - Life Built Around Art

Finally Finished: A Christmas Quilt

December 14, 2025

A BOM Years in the Making Week 9, Quilt 4 Do you have a UFO that you absolutely love but just… haven’t ever finished? I have so, so many. This week’s post in the 52 Quilts Challenge is all about my Christmas BOM from wayyyyy back. I love a good sew-along. I love mystery quilts. And I love Block of the Month (BOM) patterns. They give me the same feeling as walking into an office supply store — neatly organized, full of potential and possibility, everything clean and ready to be used.Weird? Probably. But also… deeply satisfying. This particular BOM…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones - The Quilted Life - Life Built Around Art

A Cozy Fall Framed Windows Quilt Finish

December 7, 2025

Week 8, Quilt 3 of the 52 Quilts Challenge Well… if you’re keeping track, this is Week 8 of the 52 Quilts Challenge… and I’m finally posting Quilt 3: my Fall Framed Windows quilt. I could sugarcoat it, but honestly? Let’s just “eat crow” as we say… 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ It got a little hairy there for a minute! Quilting this Fall Framed Windows quilt took SO. MUCH. LONGER than I had anticipated. Add that to a very busy couple of weeks at work and with family, I was only able to work on it here and there. But hey, it’s finished…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

A Halloween Finish: Quilted Bats Take Flight

October 24, 2025

From UFO to WIP to Finish – Week 2 of the 52 Quilts Challenge Some projects never really leave you — they just wait quietly in drawers until you’re ready to return. This week’s quilt finish waited patiently in a Ziploc bag with the pattern teasingly on top. That is, until the 52 Quilts Challenge gave me the perfect reason to finally finish it. Originally, I planned to finish a witch’s-brew wall hanging for Week 2, but I couldn’t find it anywhere – probably buried in my UFO galaxy somewhere in the studio. Sigh… another Halloween I suppose… Plan…

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

The 52 Quilts Challenge Headquarters

October 22, 2025

Colorful quilt fabric collage representing the 52 Quilts Challenge weekly finishes.

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones

Week 1: Gia’s Color Wash Baby Quilt – Disappearing 9-Patch

October 17, 2025

Week 1 of the 52 Quilts Challenge: From fabric squares to finished quilt — a glimpse of Gia’s Color Wash Disappearing 9-Patch journey, stitched one block for a sweet friend and sweet baby.

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The Big Reveal - Finished Quilts & Creative Milestones - The Quilted Life - Life Built Around Art

Go Big or Go Home

August 16, 2025

Welcome back to Hoops & Hoots! As I rebuild and relaunch this blog, I’ve been digging through the archives — and I realized I couldn’t just jump in without sharing where it all began. This post, Go Big or Go Home, was my first brave (and maybe a little reckless) step into the quilting blog world. It’s part enthusiasm, part confession, and all heart outlining my first launch of the “52 Quilts in 52 Weeks” Challenge. Before I repost it, I’ve added a little “Today’s Note” so you’ll know what’s changed (spoiler: poodles and babies!). Think of this as me…

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