Last post for 2016

This past year has been filled with all kinds of happenings - good, bad and otherwise...  I've managed to accomplish a number of projects, and, as always, I have a pile of other ones to finish.  Well, I have to have something to look forward to next year, right?!
One of the biggest projects I worked on in 2016 was the Quilty 365 project - making a small quilt block for each day of the year.  I wasn't sure that I'd make it through the whole way, but I'm happy to say that I now have 366 little Dancing Plus blocks to assemble into at least 2 quilts!  I'll work on putting them together sometime in January.  These are the last 31 blocks, with a special festive red and gold "fireworks" block to celebrate the coming new year (or the end of this project!) - you can decide which version you prefer...

I also finished, and sent off, 4 "hot and cold corner" blocks to Kat's "Covered in Love" quilt block drive.  

 

I also made 6 blocks for the Canadian Quilting Association's Big Quilt Bee - they will be joined together with blocks from other quilters across Canada, to benefit 1,000 kids at Ronald McDonald houses.  It's a special project to commemorate Canada's 150th birthday / anniversary.  Each block was to be made slab-style, using fabrics from specific fabric lines.  My blocks were made using the Stonehenge "Oh Canada" line.  They were also mailed out a few days ago.

And, we can't forget Christmas!  I made a few gifts for my very special soon-to-be-2 year-old grandson.  He knows that cars drive on roads, and what sounds they make, so I thought he should have his own set of roads and a few cars to play with.  This mat is made with a panel from Northcott; it's one of a collection that can be sewn together to make an entire town.  I just needed one section for now.  The ends have compartments for his cars to be stored in (I bought a few little cars to add to his selection).  

My daughter has also mentioned that she wants us to take our grandson fishing when he gets a bit older, so I was excited to see this cute fishing "game" on a site a few weeks ago.  You sew a washer into each fish's mouth - the fishing "pole" has a worm on it, with a magnet sewn into it.  Bring the "worm" near the "fish" and click! the magnet connects to at least one "fish".  Our grandson was thrilled with both of these gifts!

So, that's the end of a few projects - and there will be new things to take their place.  I just heard about another Canada 150 project - a Calgary quilter has researched 150 Canadian women, and has matched each of them up with a 6.5" quilt block.  I've already started that (3 blocks are released every week), and I'll be sharing them here starting next week.  It will make a queen-sized red and white quilt, that I'm going to make for myself.  This project runs into next summer, I believe;  making just 3 small blocks a week is do-able, so piecing the top should go fairly quickly.

I'm hoping for lots of good days in 2017 - and hope that each day of the new year is special for each of you!  Thanks for reading my blog!

Linking up to Quilty Folk; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; and Quilting is more fun than housework