The Year in Review: 2020

Well the year is officially over and it was a doozy! We all know the bad that happened this year, so in this post I am going to concentrate on the good. Despite feeling a little lost with all the canceled events and stay at home orders, we actually accomplished quite a bit this year!

J A N U A R Y

This year started off with a bang for us! In January, we road tripped from Seattle down to Ontario, California for our very first Road to California Quilt Show. It was an absolute blast and we can’t wait to go again sometime in the future. One of my favorite photos from the year was this snap we took at the Oregon/California border of the gorgeous Arcadia Avenue quilt made by Juli Kieny!

F E B R U A R Y

After an eventful ride home, I took a quick trip to NYC to meet a friend for some wedding dress shopping (hers of course!) and then we headed to Costa Rica for a little family getaway and my brother’s wedding! After our incredible trip, we had a booth at our favorite local show, Sew Expo in Puyallup at the end of February. This one is always over my birthday and so much fun to meet local makers.

M A R C H

We barely had time to unpack from Puyallup because we were headed to Miami to catch a cruise! We did our very first quilting cruise and had an absolute blast. Tula Pink was the headliner and we taught paper-piecing with our Arcadia Avenue quilt pattern. We had two back-to-back cruises scheduled, but on our last night of the first cruise, the second (along with all cruises) was canceled.

A P R I L

Once we got back and events started getting canceled, we found ourselves with more time to create and staring at a very messy and full studio! We decided to do a big fabric destash and started working on our new BOM book. Lots of mail and zoom calls!

M A Y

Now in the thick of our Stay at Home orders, we have settled into our new hobbies and schedules. Houseplant collecting, living room yoga and pasta from scratch seem to be the most noteworthy. Rebooting our YouTube Channel was a 2020 goal of ours, and we really worked hard on that this month! We launched our Quick Snappy Wallet pattern despite Quilt Market being canceled. We made lots and lots of samples, put together hardware installation videos and even kitted them with cork, vinyl, snaps and zippers.

J U N E

Sample yardage for my next fabric line with Windham, Favorite Things, arrived and we sewed up our Graphic Jam cover quilts. We photographed them and made a few behind the scenes videos.

J U L Y

As July rolled around the weather was amazing, so naturally we had a little Christmas in July celebration in between sunny kayak trips on Lake Washington with the pups. We made a couple Christmas themed projects for videos and did a few tutorials.

A U G U S T

August was a colorful month! We had a little photoshoot for the Favorite Things look book. Crosby was a fantastic little model! We also received the first strike-offs for a future batik line with Anthology Fabrics. Narrowing these down was the toughest project all summer!

S E P T E M B E R

This month was all about Graphic Jam. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into a book. Once the sewing is done, there is still lots to do - math, book layouts, graphics, editing, photography, pattern testing, etc. After the book is sent to the printers, the marketing strategies begin! (such a glamorous life we lead.)

O C T O B E R

With the second Quilt Market of the year canceled, we still released 3 new mini quilt patterns and one new BOM book this Fall! We introduced Mini Darby Road, Mini Wild Moose Chase, Mini Mapleton Avenue and Graphic Jam. In addition to all the new patterns, we made a video tutorial for a free Mini Patchwork Ghost quilt.

N O V E M B E R

Last month we were given the opportunity to snatch up the last bit of Foundation fabric and boy did we! We still have a few bundles available. We also updated our Diamond Alley pattern with a new cover and modified diagrams. The reaction to the quilt was so amazing, we decided to kit it up! Diamond Alley kits available here. We also dug up some of Kristy’s amazing old crafts.

D E C E M B E R

We always try to do a little bit of selfish sewing to finish up the year. I am working on some very late wedding and baby quilts and we sewed up new stockings using our mini quilt patterns! We love the cross-stitched ones my grandma made, but we have a new family member, so instead of making one new one, everyone got a new one!

Well if you made it all the way to the end, you must be as tired as little Elsie in her elf hat! We have lots of hope for 2021 and wish safety and happiness for you and your loved ones! Say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021! Happy New Year!