Maybe I need to give up quilting. I had one planned for my step dad, fabrics bought, just trying to get better at quilting and figure out how to do his (scared of screwing it up). He died. My dad: an even more ambitious quilt in mind, I really didn’t know quite how but was getting it figured out… he died before I could start. Had a start of fabrics for mom’s quilt - stalled bcuz I couldn’t locate fabrics to match my vision. She almost died - i told her she was getting a cr*ppy quilt from me and she’d better love it. Tossed my original idea and finally got hers finished in time for chemo (used main orig fabric as backing. She loves the back haha).
I’ve had a quilt in mind for one of my best friends for a few years, have the main fabrics, just need to figure out coordinating fabrics, design, and DO IT (it’s been on my UFO list all of 2025). She’s fighting chemo, had complications, got influenza A from the care facility she was briefly in. It turned to pneumonia. Hospital, heart attack/coded, she’s stable, unconscious, kidneys not doing good. She WANTED a quilt from me. Hinted a few times. Our other friends thought she was just joking, but she was serious. Anyhow… now I just feel so guilty having not gotten it made for her.
I just left a quilting bee (nobody showed up) so quilting is especially on my mind.
That’s all so heavy for you to be carrying around, I’m sorry your crafting hobby is emotionally tied up with all these hard situations. It’s hard to enjoy something that feels rooted in painful memories and feelings. I am sending good thoughts for your friend and more on to you.
3 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
203
I, AIMR, submit the on-time February 2026 QBOM. I will be using this 6x6 block to make another project using it with the backdrop fabric .
I’m so sorry you’ve been through all of that and now your friend is critically ill. And I’m sorry that nobody showed up for your quilting bee, I imagine that doesn’t help when you’re already feeling bad.
1 Like
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
206
I am going to guess that just because you didn’t make something for them, you were there for them in person, which is way better than a “thing”. You really can’t dwell on the “shoulda’s” of the past. Enjoy quilting and if your quilts happen to find a happy home with someone, enjoy that as well. We are not expected to make things for others just because we can.
Well, i can honestly laugh at the quilting bee part. I just took on the quilting bee chairperson role, and had to scramble to get a spot, and one of the normal attendees told me how small the site I found actually was. So I briefly mentioned it to the guild but didn’t promote in any way, so people forgot and/or figured it would be too crowded. Next one will go better. And I had quiet time to get my own small project done.
I’ve actually been thinking this past year, instead of designing and making the perfect quilt for (insert person here) I’ll just… make quilt tops. Then have a “pick one you love” event. The whole perfect idea, perfect fabrics, design to match image in head, DO it process (on top of everyday life) just takes too long. Plus I don’t really have a dedicated sewing area so things get moved around and misplaced sometimes (re: almost always. I’m trying to work on that too)
Sorry for dumping yesterday, and thank you for “listening”. And kind comments.
5 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
209
I bought one of those cloth type hampers off Amazon for cheap and have stored a bunch of quilt tops and other sewn but not not finished items into it. It helps not to have a bunch of unfinished projects staring at me but I also remind myself that I enjoyed the process and not everything is going to turn into a quilt. It is hard to be kind to oneself. This community helps to remind us that we are all here to do the best we can to support and help each other! HUGS
I had a stretch of time where I did finish quilts for people, who then broke up with me/ghosted me as a friend. It happened at least 3 times in a row. So when I met Jim during my first week of grad school (which I had decided I would not date during), I decided to make a quilt for Christmas, to see if he’d break up with me. I figured it would be best to get it over with sooner rather than later. (We have now been married 19 years.) Obviously, this wasn’t as heart wrenching for me, as losing people in your life has been. My only point is that things are bound to get better. Don’t let it take your joy of creation.
My mom asked for a lap quilt in May of 2022. She wanted it a certain size, no batting and hand tied. I had a lot of donated florals (bot my kinda print) and I made a few blocks a month intending to quilt it up in Sept and send it to her. I lived half way cross the country.
She died suddenly in early August of 2022 at 93. She never got the quilt.
I finished it up and gifted it to my sister. She lived closer to my mom and was her main visiter and very close to her, a good friend and daughter.
I wished I could have handed it to my mom myself, but giving it to my sister helped both of us so much.
The Great WIP Completion contest kicked off yesterday and will run for three months, up until May 31st! For every WIP you complete during the contest period, you will get an entry into a raffle for a $50 gift card of your choice!! Please review the link above for all the information regarding the contest, including how to submit entries.
Blazing Star Quilt Block (pic 1 - paper pieced version) - nominated by @marionberries Blazing Star Quilt Block (pic 2 - strip pieced version)
Please note that if you do the version in pic 2, @AIMR has noted an error in the instructions: The Blazing Star Quilt block has an error on the very first line…“Sew blue print strip and yellow print strip to form a band A” - It should be “sew a blue print strip to a GREEN print strip” the illustration is correct. There is only ONE yellow strip so be careful!
Quarter 1 Challenge
(January 1 - March 31) Roy G. Biv - Quilt the rainbow
Use at least 5 different colors of the color spectrum in your project. They don’t have to be specifically Roy G. Biv* colors, they can be variations of the colors (ie. pink, peach, teal, etc.).
*Roy G. Biv - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
Goal List:
It’s the last month of the quarter! Time to get going on those goals (this may be more of a pep talk for myself rather than anyone else ). Remember, you can add to your goal list at any time.
4 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
213
The Blazing Star Quilt block has an error on the very first line…
“Sew blue print strip and yellow print strip to form a band A”
It should be “sew a blue print strip to a GREEN print strip” the illustration is correct. There is only ONE yellow strip so be careful!
Kidlet is ready to learn to sew! (Me too, I guess! Lol) so wish us luck! We’re attempting a small 9 patch as is mentioned in Little House in the Big Woods.
Welcome Kidlet to the Quiltalong!! She picked some great fabrics.
I made my very first quilt around that age and because of that book. I still have it. I hope she will enjoy learning to sew, it’s a great skill to have.
We had to say goodbye to our beloved pup on Saturday. I refused to leave the house Thursday or Friday, so I could be home with her for every possible minute (meanwhile Ada had a stomach bug and was vomiting, so staying home was the safe bet). I decided to spend Friday afternoon doing my absolute favorite thing; quilting in my studio while Astrid snoozed under my desk, one last time. Since I would also have to be watching Ada, I knew I had to go with something super simple, and luckily I had just the thing. A Wonder Woman strip quilt I cut the pieces for a few weeks ago. The Wonder Woman fabric was gifted to me in the Use It or Lose It Thread, by the very generous @Smmarrt, they yellow was from @sheepBlue, and the cobalt blue was stash. As predicted, Ada didn’t let me get much done, so I had the first half of the strips stitched on Friday. While Ada was at preschool today, I managed to finish the rest of the seams, press, and trim the quilt top.
The fabrics were generous gifts; Wonder Woman stands for Love, and it will be donated to Quilts for Kids, to help a sick kid with a very tough battle. I think Astrid would have approved, if she had any idea what mom’s noisy machine does while she naps.
). Remember, you can add to your goal list at any time.
