My Favorite 2016 Posts!

Today I'm linking up with Meadow Mist Designs BEST of 2016 Linky.

It was fun to go through all my 2016 posts and pick five for  GOLD STARS.

First, thank you for visiting if this is your first encounter with me and thank you for "following" my blog if you are a regular visitor.  I enjoy the preparation and writing of the blog but there would be no point to doing it without your interest!!  So I'm grateful for your interest!!

One of my work goals in 2016 was to finish a UFQ each month.  Since the majority of those are quilt tops, I've been doing lots of machine quilting and sharing my solutions for quilting my stack of tops.  The main reason I quilt my own work is because as a teacher I find it's hard to help students figure out how to quilt something unless I'm quilting some things as well. 

Experience seems important to me!

 My favorite post about one of those journeys is from August and shares some of the motifs I used to quilt my version of Lucy Carson Kingwell's Smitten.  You can explore my designs up close HERE.
(It will open in a new window, so you won't have any trouble finishing reading this post!)

I also enjoyed sharing some of the big stitch hand quilting HERE that I did on my round robin quilt, The Bug Hut.  I love the look and enjoy the process of big stitch hand quilting more with every quilt on which I use it!

Without a doubt, the most viewed and complimented post this year was when I shared how I set together a group of wonky pieced bird blocks HERE from the 2015 Stash Bee.  The quilt is now finished and everyone loves it -- you can also read about the quilting process HERE!!

A post I wrote in October about working through speed bumps and around road blocks came out of my lecture, UFQ Assault Tactics which was very popular with guilds this year.  My biggest roadblock for many years has been the quilting of a top and I hope sharing my strategies for overcoming that inspired some others to tackle their personal road blocks thoughtfully.  I was glad to reread it HERE last week as I did my preparation for this post and you might enjoy reading it, too.

Like many of you, I also garden and I think the post I wrote at the beginning of May about my spring flowers was the prettiest post I wrote this year -- especially since I'm looking out the office window at a brown garden (the lovely snow melted over the weekend)!  You can enjoy it HERE!

 Later this week, I'll be reflecting on the goal successes I've had in 2016 and thinking about the direction I'd like to take with my quilt making in 2017!  I hope you take time to reflect on your accomplishments and to set goals for your continuing enjoyment of quilting.  Since I've started to reflect and set goals, I've found a new stimulus for my work and greater enjoyment!!

Check out the rest of the linky party HERE.

Happy New Year!!

Mary