Project Update: 09.06.2026

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!

I had so much fun visiting with family last week, but after all that traveling around, it's nice to be able to sit and relax in my own home again!

Though the week was pretty busy compared to my usual schedule, I did make plans to do some sewing with Mom, and to sit and visit with Grandma and my sister, so I made some progress on some of my ongoing projects while I was away!

Let's take a look!

Crochet Afghan

I've continued to crochet more squares, working on secondary versions of each pattern and redoing some of my first attempts that came out way too small.

In addition to the three patterns I shared last time, I've now got two each of Ianthe, Arafura, Crop Circles, and Clover in the top row, as well as Corona, Dahlia, Sharing, Cirque, and Florence in the bottom row!

I've also added a new pattern into the mix, the traditional Granny Square!

I made two different versions of that traditional square; one where the colours change every row, and one where they change every other row!

With all those squares completed, I've now made and duplicated 13 patterns! I still have a bunch more squares to review and duplicate, but since I'm over half way through, I thought it was time to learn a new part of the crochet process; blocking!

Blocking is used to make all of squares in a crochet or knitting project the same size and shape so they will stitch together nicely into a finished product. It's sort of similar to squaring off quilt blocks!

My sister has been knitting for most of her life, so while I was visiting her over the weekend, I asked her to show me how to block my crochet squares, and now I know how to do it on my own!

These are the three blocks I took to practice with:

Blocking is most effective on natural fibre yarns, like cotton or wool, so my acrylic squares won't end up perfectly square and uniform, but it does help to define the stitches and spaces in the pattern, helping each square to look its best!

My squares are based on a variety of patterns from Granny Square Flair by Shelley Husband.

Meara's Mending

After deciding on a block and colour scheme for the patch I need for the back of Meara's blanket, I cut enough pieces for 12 more blocks to work on while I was away!

I stitched my Mistletoe blocks while Mom worked on her version of Midnight Circus, and by the end of the week, I had finished and joined all 13 of my blocks!

This has made a pretty big patch, but I think I might need a few more blocks still. I'm hoping it will cover the two biggest holes in Meara's blanket, which happen to be right beside each other. But since her blanket is in the wash right now, I'll have to check the size another time!

For now, I've started working on another patch for the front of the blanket, covering an area featuring a purple and green plaid motif!

Since I was having so much fun revisiting the Hexie Harvest blocks on the back of the quilt, I decided to use another one to make this patch; Cedar!

Mistletoe and Cedar are patterns from the Hexie Handbook by Jodi Godfrey of Tales of Cloth.

Donation Blocks

In addition to the hand stitching I brought with me, I also worked on some donation blocks for the quilt guild while I was visiting Mom!

The patterns and fabric for each of these were provided by the outreach program of my Mom's guild for members to stitch together. Once finished, the blocks will be returned to the guild, stitched into quilts, and donated to people and organizations in the community!

The first pattern is one I've made before; Potato Chip by Brenda Logan of Conquering Mount Scrapmore!

The second one was new to me, and unfortunately, I didn't think to check the pattern for the name of the block or designer before returning home. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know!

It's a really simple, beginner friendly block, and a great way to show off the lavender print! I am a little annoyed that one of the pieces was cut sideways though, oh well!

Both patterns were quick and easy to put together, and it was kind of refreshing to be able to sew blocks together without doing all of the colour planning and fabric selection myself!

Block Exchange

In addition to what I worked on more recently, I'm excited to share a crazy quilt block that I made for a friend!

I actually pieced it about a month ago, but wanted to keep it secret until the block had been gifted!

The prompt I was given was to choose bright colours, pieced in a crazy quilt style, with the option of adding additional embellishments!

I decided to use white ribbon as a neutral accent to go with all the brightly coloured fabrics, and tried doing a little embroidery as well!

Though it's not my style of quilt block, it was a lot of fun experimenting with something a little more improvisational! I hope my friend likes how it turned out!

My crazy quilt block is based on the Modern Crazy Quilt pattern by Mollie Johanson of Wild Olive, which was posted on The Spruce Crafts.

To be honest Friends, I didn't think I would have this much progress to share, so I'm pleasantly surprised at what I've found when looking back at the past few weeks!

If you've tried any of the patterns I've been working on, I would love to see how your version turned out! Or if you have a creative project in progress, please tell me how it's going!

You can share your thoughts, projects, and stories in the comments below, by sending me an email, or by reaching out on Instagram!

In the meantime, I'm excited to get back to my own stitching!

Until Next Time Friends, Keep Creating!

~VA