Best of 2015

Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs is hosting a best of 2015 linky party where we show off our best posts of the year. 

Alex's Nail Polish Quilt 

This one, which still needs to be quilted, was my biggest and best project of the year. The bottle block is a free download from the Fat Quarter Shop, scaled down by Lori at Bee in My Bonnet.  She made six blocks for her version. I made....a lot more than that. If I didn't have to keep the thing to a reasonable size, I might still be pulling fabrics for more blocks! (If you want to see the motivation  for this project, check out Teenage Daughter's blog.

Let's Knit a Pair of Socks

Over the past few years, I've knit pair after pair after pair of socks. Forty-two adult pairs in the last two years alone. In response to the questions about what pattern I use for my basic socks, I wrote a tutorial on how to make your own socks, customized to your foot size and gauge.

My Own Old Fashioned Bed Turning

My mom unfolded all of the old family quilts onto a bed in her guest room and I took pictures, telling the story of each one. I never realized how many different women in the family made quilts. These days, it's just Mom and I, but Great-Grandma and her mother, and my Grandma's sister all made quilts that are still with us.

My New Sewing Machines

Three new sewing machines joined our household this year. A very kind blog reader gave one to my daughter for her dressmaking adventures, I bought home the Viking that had been Grandma's, and I found this pretty blue Singer 338 at the thrift shop for seven dollars and fifty cents.

The Durian

My husband and kids and I continued our tradition of daring each other to try new things. The youngest two are especially motivated to taste new foods when there are bragging rights involved. I knew we were going to wind up with a Durian sooner or later, so it seemed like a good idea to get it over with. The guy in the produce section told us that the flavor is like garlic powder and banana pudding had a baby. Hubby thinks it tastes more like natural gas. I can safely say that I'll never be eating this stuff again, but it wasn't as awful as I expected it to be.

I've got lots of plans for 2015 involving sock yarn and fabric and sewing machines (but no scary spiky fruit!)