A Year in Review: 2025

Hello Friends and Happy 2026!

With a few weeks of the new year now behind us, I've been wondering how many different projects I worked on last year in 2025?

I know there were a lot of different quilts in progress—some I've been working on for several years and others newly started—but I also worked on some other stitching and adjacent projects throughout the year!

I'm excited to look back and see just how much I was able to achieve, and perhaps even find some inspiration to take with me into the new year!

Starting with my oldest projects, let's take a look at what I got up to!

The Generations Quilt Project

I've been working on the Generations Quilt project since the Autumn of 2021, when I convinced my Mom and Grandma to help me make a series of quilts incorporating blocks left behind by my Great Grandmother, who passed away in the 1990s (I think 1995/96).

Over the past year, I've worked on assembling more Dresden Plate and Six Pointed Star blocks in my scrappy white and solid background colour scheme.

I really like this twist on the traditional colour scheme, which lets me show off my unique approach to fabric selection while keeping my blocks more cohesive with the more traditional approach of the rest of my family!

In addition to my own blocks, I worked on filling out Grandma's contribution by piecing blocks in her style, using her fabric!

I've finished piecing all the Dresden Plates, but still have a few Six Pointed Stars to finish. We want her style to be well represented in these quilts even though she isn't able to contribute as much stitching!

And finally, in October we were able to get together to start planning block layouts!

With that last bit of planning finished, I'm excited to start piecing some Generations Quilt tops in the new year! Look forward to more progress on this project soon!

The Generations Quilt project is based on the traditional Dresden Plate and Six Pointed Star blocks, using templates drafted from extant blocks by Valerie Anne.

Meadow Mystery Quilt

Another quilt I started in Autumn 2021 was Meadow Mystery, a free pattern by Cheryl Brickey that my guild ran as a quilt along challenge!

I finished piecing this quilt a few years ago, and have continued making slow progress on the quilting throughout the Summer of 2025!

I quilted and joined blocks along the far right side of the quilt, bringing it up to a five by five block square!

I still have another row around all four sides of the quilt that need to be quilted and joined, but they are not as large as the blocks in the quilt centre, so I'm hoping they will come together quickly!

My Meadow Mystery quilt is based on a design by Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Designs.

Quilt Labels

Another of my long running projects, one that I actually finished this year, was my quilt label stencils!

I've wanted to label my finished quilts since before I even finished a quilt, but I also wanted a way to personalize my labels. I started thinking more seriously about how to make labels in Spring 2023, and tried several different options over the following years.

Ultimately, I decided to make a custom stencil set that looked like my own handwriting!

The characters were drafted through Autumn 2024 and Winter 2025, and after a test cut and a little editing, my custom stencils were finished by the end of the Spring!

Later in the year, I even had the chance to try them out!

My custom stencil set was cut by Joanne Mudd of Muddaritaville Studio.

Indigo Way Mystery Quilt

Looking back, I learned that I worked on three different mystery quilts by Bonnie Hunter in the last year!

Indigo Way was the December 2023 mystery, which was mostly assembled at the start of this year, with all the full sized blocks completely pieced. That left me with just the partial blocks and borders to make in 2025!

After finishing those, I set all the blocks aside without assembling them into a quilt top. I haven't yet decided whether this will be quilted as a whole quilt or using the quilt as you go method, so leaving the blocks separated keeps both options available!

My Indigo Way quilt is based on a design by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.

Ice Cream Soda Quilt

The next quilt is one I started in Winter 2024, my bee themed Ice Cream Soda quilt!

I pieced through most of the blocks that first year, finishing about 60. In 2025, I worked on partial blocks, block layout, and quilt top assembly!

I was really excited to try a variegated block layout for this quilt, and think I was pretty successful in distributing my three colours across each of their parts of the quilt!

I also miscalculated the background fabric requirements for this quilt several times, but finally finished all of my boarders before the year ended!

I don't currently have plans for quilting Ice Cream Soda, so for now, it's been packed away. Let me know if you'd like to see it finished this year!

My Ice Cream Soda quilt is based on a design by Jodi Godfrey of Tales of Cloth.

Blackwork Roads Quilt Along

Another project started in 2024 was my Blackwork Roads quilt along!

I designed this pattern over Summer 2024, then released it as a free monthly quilt along from September 2024 through June 2025, many thanks to all of you who joined in with me!

Though I would love to have had the quilt finished and ready to show off when the quilt along began, I've yet to actually accomplish that. Instead, this quilt top was finished and revealed with the February chunk instructions!

And though that quilt along has ended, Blackwork Roads has not yet been quilted, so we'll be visiting this quilt again in the future!

Blackwork Roads is an original design by Valerie Anne of the Fibre Arts blog.

Old Town Mystery Quilt

Finally, I get to share a quilt that I started piecing in 2025!

Though I chose the fabric for Old Town late in 2024, I waited until I'd finished my Indigo Way blocks before starting the next Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. It was around March 2025 by the time I started piecing!

I pieced the blocks through the Spring and Summer months, and started the sashing strips late in the Autumn.

With everything pieced, I laid out my blocks and sashing in December!

I did a lot of arranging and rearranging of my blocks before I finally reached a layout I was happy with!

Now that I've figured that out, I've been able to label the rows and the quilt top is ready to be assembled in 2026!

My Old Town quilt is based on a design by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.

Potato Chip Challenge Quilt

Next up is the only quilt that was both started and finished in 2025, Potato Chip!

In April, I learned that one of my guilds was running a challenge using a free block pattern by Brenda Logan. As part of the rules, was not allowed to share my progress until the challenge concluded in September, and guild members had had a chance to vote on their favourite quilt.

As it turned out, I didn't end up finishing even the quilt top in time to share at that meeting since I got wrapped up in packing up the sewing room to stage our house for sale.

And though I couldn't keep all my sewing supplies, I was able to work on a few projects, including Potato Chip, while we've been showing the house!

I finished piecing the top, selected a backing fabric, and quilted this quilt over just a few months!

On top of all that, I got to use my stencils to print the label!

Of all my projects, I think finishing this quilt may have been the highlight of my year! It's the first time I've finished a quilt in such a short time, and I got to use my stencils to make a proper custom label!

After finishing Potato Chip, I'm more excited than ever to finish more quilts in the new year!

My Potato Chip quilt is based on a design by Brenda Logan of Conquering Mount Scrapmore.

Pajama Pants

In addition to working on quilt projects, I occasionally branch out into garment sewing, and in May, I made a few new pairs of pajama pants for my husband!

Though he is an adult, my husband has learned that the best and most exciting prints come from the children's section, so he picked out a dino print for one pair, and I found a fox print that reminded me of an old pair of pajamas that he had recently worn out.

More recently, he pointed out that his sloth printed pants have also started wearing out, so I might have a few new pairs of pajama pants in my future!

The pajama pants pattern was drafted from an extant garment by Valerie Anne.

Midnight Circus Quilt Along

With the Blackwork Roads quilt along coming to an end in June, I spent the Summer of 2025 designing and piecing my ongoing quilt along project, Midnight Circus!

This free quilt along began in September 2025 and will run into Spring 2026.

I pieced all of the blocks and sashing strips for this quilt before the pattern release, then basted them together to create the illusion of a finished quilt top to show at my September quilt guild meeting.

But I ended up taking the quilt apart to use the quilt as you go method for final assembly.

At this point, the central diagonal row is completely pieced and quilted, and I've added another row to one side that I'll be quilting soon! I'm looking forward to having the entire quilt finished before the quilt along ends!

Midnight Circus is an original design by Valerie Anne of the Fibre Arts blog.

Lupine and Laughter Mystery Quilt

The final project of 2025 is the most recent Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, Lupine and Laughter!

And though I had hoped to start piecing it before the new year, I'm still working on Old Town, so Lupine and Laughter is still just a fabric pull.

But since the quilt along has just come to an end, I now know exactly how the pattern looks which gives me the opportunity to do some creative reinterpretation! I can't wait to share my ideas!

And if you haven't already downloaded all of the instructions for this project, remember that they're only free for a limited time. Check them out by visiting Bonnie Hunter's website at the link below!

My Lupine and Laughter quilt is based on a design by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.

With that Friends, we've finally arrived in 2026!

Over the last year, I've worked on so many different projects, most of them quilts or quilting related, but occasionally veering back into garment construction.

It's been so many months that I'd forgotten I'd worked on some of these projects this year, Indigo Way especially surprised me! And I also have some projects that are still underway that I'm looking forward to continuing!

Now, I would love to hear about some of your favourite projects from 2025! Please leave me stories in the comments below, by sending me an email, or by tagging me on Instagram! I can't wait to hear what you've been up to and what you're looking forward to in 2026!

Until Next Time Friends, Keep Creating!

~VA