• Layer cake loop quilt displayed on a sofa, showing patchwork layout
    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…

  • Quilted log cabin casserole hot pad in teal and green fabrics holding a covered casserole dish on a light kitchen counter.
    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…

  • Cotton, 80/20 blend, and polyester quilt batting samples arranged on a light work surface in a quilting workspace.
    The Quilting Basics

    Choosing Quilt Batting (Without Overthinking It)

    December 23, 2025

    If batting feels confusing, you’re not doing anything wrong.  The 52 Quilts Challenge has forced me to confront many things. Before the 52 Quilts Challenge, I made far more quilt tops than finished quilts, so my batting preferences have developed quite slowly over time. What I’ve learned over time isn’t a list of rules.  It’s a set of preferences shaped by actual use.  I’ve liked something about every type of batting I’ve tried.  I’ve also been mildly annoyed by every type of batting I’ve tried.  None of them have ruined a project.  Some have surprised me.  A few have taught…

  • Fall Framed Windows quilt photographed at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia
    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…