Cross-Stitch Heart

Welcome to another TGIFF party! It's time to celebrate our finishes and this time I have a finish that has been waiting a long time for its turn to come. The actual making didn't take long, but I've been thinking about making this new version of Cross-Stitch Heart for years.

I first made Cross-Stitch Heart for Make Modern magazine back in 2018. When I designed it, I was on a bit of an asymmetry kick, so this is how that original version looked. I gave this quilt to my Nanny for her 80th birthday, and it came back to me this spring after she passed away.

Almost immediately after making that version for Make Modern, I wanted to make another version using a different fabric for each block to emphasize the X shape that gives the quilt its name. Using different pinks makes it look so much more like a heart made of cross stitches.

Then, about a year ago, I decided that when the time came to make a new version, I wanted the heart centered and more prominent. And then a few months ago I realized that a scrappy version would fit perfectly as a Stash Artists pattern, so it made its way into the line of quilts to be made. Now it has finally been made!

In this version, the blocks are bigger, the heart is centered, and the quilt is a 72" square. I enjoyed going through my stash of pink fabrics to select the ones that would become part of the heart. 

I pieced together many pieces of my scraps of Warm and Natural for the batting, using fusible batting tape for the joins for the first time. While the batting tape was easier than zig zag stitching, it was also more expensive, so I'll probably stick with stitching the pieces together in the future.

As you've probably noticed in the pictures already, I quilted it with a loop and heart meander, which is the same motif I used for the first Cross-Stitch Heart quilt. I love having that extra layer of echo between the two quilts. I debated between a teal thread that almost matched the background or a pale pink that would stand out more (both were Aurifil 50 wt). I asked for votes on social media, where the results were as split as my own thoughts. I was going to play it safe with the teal, but at the last moment I switched to the pink. It stands out a bit and I love it!

The back is a solid bright pink, so the pale pink thread stands out on that side, too.

I went with a scrappy pink binding to finish it off.

Cross-Stitch Heart is the new Stash Artists pattern for July, so members can login to their account to access the pattern. If you love stash-friendly and scrappy patterns, too, get on the waitlist to be notified when the Stash Artists doors are open again.

That's my most recent finish, what is yours? Link it up below and be sure to visit some of the other links to celebrate their finishes, too.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

2025 Mid-Year Review

We're halfway through 2025, which means it's time to do a mid-year review to see how I'm doing with my goals so far. 

One thing I've noticed this year is that it's hard to spend time sitting at my computer to write blog posts after spending my mornings sitting at my computer for my work as a virtual assistant. Plus there's all the other computer time that goes into running a small business - pattern writing, writing Etsy listings, social media stuff, email, etc. I have lots of ideas for blog posts, so I'm working on ways to get back into the routine of writing again. It helps to have a deadline for a post, like linking up with Yvonne's Quarter 2 Check-in.

So, how am I doing on my 2025 goals so far?

1. Keep making small quilts

So far this year I've made two small quilts (I count anything baby quilt size or smaller). I made the baby size of Spin & Sparkle.

And this mini quilt for a friend diagnosed with breast cancer (she's doing great now!).

I'm currently working on another baby quilt, with a mini quilt and a couple more baby quilts waiting in the wings. 

2. A Roman Adventure

Yes! It was great to share another QAL and Devotional Journey, this time focusing on the book of Romans while we made our The Fountain quilts (or quilt top, in my case 😆)

What I didn't anticipate at the beginning of the year is that I would decide to stop writing devotions in May. While I enjoyed writing the devotions, especially for the annual QAL and Devotional Journey, they started to be a struggle and I'm now enjoying the break. I still occasionally find myself pondering some verse I read and thinking about how I might write about it, but for the most part I like being able to just think about the verses for my own benefit and not worry about making my thoughts coherent enough for anyone else.

3. WIPS-B-GONE 2025

Not yet, but I've been thinking about it! This annual challenge starts in October, but I start planning it well before then. I've been making notes to myself the past few days as my mind starts working on it while I'm doing other things. If you have WIPs lying around waiting to be finished, sign up for The Bulletin so you won't miss when the WIP busting challenge starts!

4. Quilt the cover quilt for These Three and release the pattern

Haven't gotten to this yet.

5. Make my Night Court wall hanging

Haven't gotten to this, either. I can't wait to have it hanging on my sewing room wall, so I better get at it!

6. All the Stash Artists things

I love everything about this membership! So far this year the Stash Artists patterns have been Inner Beauty (below), Summer Dreamin' (which hasn't made it to the blog yet), and Spin & Sparkle. The next one releases on Monday!

Our monthly Sew Together Sessions are always fun. We usually end up talking about books and maybe travel plans, family news, and who knows what else, along with talking about the projects we're actually working on 😊 

7. Go to Quilt Market

Quilt Market is in October, so obviously this hasn't happened yet. It's a possibility, or I may make the choice to go to the H+H Americas show in May instead. 

8. Keep working on the Hexie Rainbow

I've worked on this during all the Stash Artists Sew Together Sessions so far this year! I've worked on it other times, too, but those 2 hour Zoom sessions always see me making good progress. When I posted my goals for the year, I had finished quilting the red ring. Now I'm working on the first line around the yellow ring. Each black ring gets two lines of quilting, on the inside and outside edge of the hexies, and each coloured ring gets four lines of quilting since there are two rows of the coloured hexies. And, of course, each ring is larger than the one before it, so as I work my way out each line of quilting takes longer. Yes, this will probably be on my 2026 goals list, too!

9. Keep doing the strength workouts and get that step count a bit higher

I have consistently done strength workouts from the Nourish Move Love (NML) Youtube channel every Monday-Friday since last September. I started out using 3lb and 5lb dumbbells. Gradually I added in 10lb ones and stopped using the 3lb. Just last month, I started using 15lb dumbbells for some exercises and I rarely use the 5lb ones anymore. It's amazing how good it feels to need to use heavier weights! 

If you're worried about losing strength and mobility as you age, I highly recommend trying the NML workouts. Some of her programs are only 20 minutes long, so they feel much less intimidating than the thought of spending hours at the gym, she's very encouraging, and there are always options to modify the exercises to make them easier. Plus, they're free!

As for getting my step count higher...nope. My daily average for 2024 was about 8,300. So far in 2025 it has been about 7,000. Whomp, whomp, whomp. Sitting at my computer for work has really taken a toll on my movement. It doesn't help that quilting and running a quilt pattern business are both sedentary activities, too. Oh, and so is reading, which is another passion of mine.

I've been trying to ease back into running, which will help. I'm (sort of) following a Couch to 5K program from Runner's World. I say 'sort of' because the program is supposed to take 6 weeks and I've been at it for 7 months and I'm halfway through 😂 You're supposed to run 3 times a week, but I only want to run once a week, so that extended it right there. Then I've had to repeat most of the runs multiple times before I could actually do them. The worst one was when the program jumped from 'run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, three times' to 'run 7 minutes, walk 2 minutes, three times.' That was a big increase in running time, with a drop in walking time, and it took me 9 tries before I could check it off! I did accomplish it, though, which felt great. Maybe by the end of 2025 I'll have finished this 6 week program!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with what I've done on my goals so far. And, as always, I have plenty to do to keep me from being bored through the rest of 2025. If you set goals for this year, how are you doing with them?

Quilt The North

Note, this post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. This will not affect the price you pay.

I love when my quilty friends do exciting things! I love it even more when I get to be part of the exciting thing, like I do this time. My friend Monika is the designer behind Penny Spool Quilts and today she is launching a subscription box called Quilt The North.

Quilt The North is a quarterly subscription box that will showcase Canadian pattern designers and the region they call home. Each box will include an exclusive pattern from the featured designer for a small project (think mini quilt, cushion, bag, etc), plus all the fabric needed to make it. There will also be a block pattern themed around the designer's region (collect them all to make a Canadian sampler quilt!), plus goodies from the region, from local artists or small businesses.

I'm honoured that Monika has invited me to be the featured designer for this first box and I can't wait to show you the mini quilt pattern that will be in the box! That's a quilty secret I have to keep for a little while yet, though, so the contents of the box will be a surprise when you receive it. My fabric arrived yesterday and now it's calling my name as it waits impatiently for its turn. I have to say, it's a really pretty bundle of fabric!

Pre-sales for Quilt The North box are open today and the first box will ship September 1st. Sign up before July 13th to save 10% off your first payment and get a Maple Leaf block pattern to kickstart your Canada sampler quilt.

You don't have to be Canadian to subscribe to the Quilt The North box and you don't have to live in Canada, either! Quilt The North is for anyone who wants to get to know Canadian pattern designers and learn more about this beautiful country 🍁