Hello, Crobbies #99

Hello 2019!
We’re gearing up for a crafty new year and we’re glad to have you join us!

Katie’s Word for 2019

Dori’s Word for 2019

We’ve got a question for you: Is the blog going the way of the dodo bird? We’ve been using our blog less and less and we are debating whether it’s an efficient use of our social media time. Do you still blog? Are blogs still relevant? Let us know in the comments below!

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A Year In Review Episode #98

2018 is on its way out and we’re about to ring in 2019. Can you believe the year is over? It’s been a long and bumpy road but a crafty one, too! In this episode we review 2018 by our Instagram posts and share the big moments of each month.

We hope you enjoy this fun reflection podcast and if you can, check out our Instagram feed to follow along with the memories posted there. Have a great new year and see you all in 2019!!

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Top 5 Hobbies Up To Here Posts of 2018

Another year, another Top 5 list! We’re about to say goodbye to 2018 and ring in a new year. But that can’t happen until we look back and review what were our most popular posts and projects this past year! So let’s take a look at what we’ve accomplished in 2018!

Top Viewed Post for 2018

TGIFF: The Curved Log Cabin

Although this was a 2017 post, this finished quilt remains our most viewed post for 2018 with a total  of  612 views! Having used a Missouri Star Quilt Co pattern and tutorial, my mom gifted this lovely blue and yellow quilt to my sister, Jen. It’s definitely a stunner with the clean white framing and the beautiful blue and yellow flowers. We’d have to say we like this quilt too!

Most Comments AND Most Likes of 2018

TGIFF: The Beatles Quilt

This post took TWO of our top spots for 2018! And there is no questioning why. This quilt is amazing! From the detailed faces to the stark black and white mixed with the delicate, flowing feather quilting, this quilt is a real eye catcher. It received 16 comments and 10 likes! This quilt went to the OC Fair and made it up on the wall but sadly did not receive any awards due to a technicality. We know, deep in our hearts, that it was a winner, for sure!

Most Popular Youtube Video of 2018

Flosstube #1: Introductions

This year we ventured into new territory with our multiple hobbies. While we love to quilt, we also love to cross stitch! And through the power of the internet, my mom discovered Flosstube, a whole community of stitchers on Youtube sharing their WIPs and FFOs and hauls. We decided to take the plunge and make our own Youtube series about our stitching projects. Our first video was a hit with over 4,000 views, 194 thumbs up and 108 comments! Since then we’ve published 6 other videos and we’ve had a blast with each one!

Most Popular Podcast Episode of 2018

QuiltCon 2018 Episode #87

It was another QuiltCon year and another chance for us to meet up with our friends and follow quilters. And boy did we have a blast doing JUST THAT! This was our second year at QuiltCon and so far our best year. We enjoyed every waking moment walking the floors, chatting with friends, filming our experience and even taking a class with Libs Elliot, a favorite designer. This ended up being our most popular podcast episode this year!!

What a year! We’ve had many completed projects finally come off our design walls and we’ve started so many beautiful projects. The friends we’ve met up with this year have kept us motivated and laughing. It’s been a great year for Hobbies Up To Here and we hope make more memories in the new year!

We hope you enjoyed this review of our year and that you take a moment to reflect on what you accomplished! This post is brought to you by Cheryl over at Meadow Mist Designs, a great friend and follow quilter. We had the pleasure of not only joining her the past 3 years but also meeting her in person this year. If you enjoyed this, check out her linkup with other blogs reviewing their best of 2018.

And if you are curious how our past years have measured up, check out these former Top 5 posts.
Top 5 Hobbies Up To Here Posts of 2015
Top 5 Hobbies Up To Here Posts of 2016
Top 5 Hobbies Up to Here Posts of 2017

 

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TGIFF: Another Minky Baby Quilt Done!

What a joy it is to give the gift of a quilt! Even if it is 6 months late and to a little one who doesn’t quite understand that he’s getting a gift made with love and sweat and tears. Even with all of that, it’s still a wonderful moment to gift to someone a quilt you’ve made with them in mind.

I was blessed with two nephews in one year. They are two months apart and both are the sweetest things. I adore them both and enjoy being their Aunty Keki.

For their first birthdays I decided to make them a minky quilt each. For Logan, I made a grey and neutral colored quilt with zoo animals and it matched his crib and decor perfectly. After working with minky on that quilt, I grew more confident and knew that I could make Watson one, too!

And I got lucky! I found this great off-the-bolt fabric in colors that matches Watson’s nursery with nautical animals. He’s all about that narwhal.

With minky and fabric in hand, I put together this little baby quilt but ran into some technical problems. My machine was struggling with the minky this time around, something it didn’t do with the first minky quilt. I ended up taking it in to be services and that slightly solved the problems.

In the end, I got through it with a simple wavy line quilting pattern and I ended with some hand binding. I do like to attach the minky binding to the back and hand stitch to the front because it gives it a nice, cozy edge to the whole thing. And for a little guy I wants as much cozy as possible!

Well, it finally happened (6 months late…) The quilt is finished and Watson now has his own Aunty Keki quilt of his own.

Even though quilting on minky is kind of a pain in the tush, it looks great and just blends in nicely. And I love that minky binding. It may seem crazy to bind in such a thick fabric but it looks great when finished.

And the little man loved it too!

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What’s New, Hobbyists? Episode #97

It’s official! We can begin to celebrate the holidays!
And a hobbyists, we celebrate the holidays with new projects. Whether for gifts or for fun, we’re always up for a new adventure!

Show Notes
Crafty Gemini Tips for Sewing Clear Vinyl 
Calico Project Bag Tutorial
G and Sheri and their Wombmate Creations
Frances O’Roark Dowell and her Friendship Album 1933 Quilt Fiction 
Marie Boswick’s The Second Sister is going to be a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie
Piecemakers Craft Festival is happening December 1st in Costa Mesa, CA

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DIY All Up In Here Episode #96

Does autumn make you wanna get crafty? It sure does for us! In this episode we’ll give you some updates on what’s happening and then share a few of our current DIY projects that we’re loving.

Mentioned in this episode:

Maymay Made It

Stephanie Socha Designs Make and Decorate Podcast

Lisa Robertson

The Witchy Stitcher (Meg)

Real Housewives of Stitching 

Bendy Stitchy (Michelle)

Check out our Flosstube video #5! We have our first giveaway! If you’d like to be entered to win a goody bag full of stitchy goodness (yes it’s cross stitch!) leave a comment and tell us about your retreat experience or if you’d like to go on a retreat!

I’ve also got a DIY Needle Minder tutorial available on our YouTube channel. If you want hints or tips on making your own needle minders, then click here!

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When Life Happens Episode #95

We’re back…. AGAIN! Yes it’s been a few months since we’ve recorded a podcast and we’ve missed chatting together about everything crafty. But life happens! And one thing we can do when life happens is to learn from it. This episode we update you on what’s been happening the last two months and then sharing how we’re scheduling our crafty time.

Check out Sarah from Stitchin’ Mommy. She was the fellow Flosstuber that gave us so many great suggestions about how to schedule our time to find balance between projects.

And don’t forget to check out our guest appearance on Stephanie Socha Design’s podcast Make and Decorate! You can find episode 5 on her website or on iTunes.

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Traveling Episode #94

We’re home from our travels and we want to share some of our adventures with you! Check out this newest episode! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review for us on iTunes!

We are now affiliates with Amazon so if you see a * next to a link, that will take you to Amazon. If a purchase is made, a small portion of the sale will go towards Hobbies Up To Here. Every little bit helps and it is all so appreciated! xoxo

Check out our good friend Stephanie Socha’s new podcast, Make and Decorate!

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TGIFF: My Circa Quilt

This past week and I was able to sit down and wrap up another quilt! My Circa quilt was started in May of 2015. I used a Missouri Star Quilt Co. tutorial on their YouTube channel called the Double Sliced Layer Cake. It was a really simple pattern and made for a really dynamic top.

The Circa layer cake has a really vintage feel to it with the muted colors and the pops of red. So I chose to frame this top with off-white and black to give it a clean finish.

I’m super excited about this quilt because it’s MINE! The first one I’ve made just for me. It’s what I would look like if I was a quilt!

I used an Aurifil red thread* to quilt the top in a geometric pattern of boxes. It’s a very tightly quilted top so when washed, it scrunches up really nicely.

I matched the red in the quilt with a red backing framed again by black. Right before I started binding, I did run a quick black straight stitch throughout the border to tack it down.

Now it’s been washed and dried and has the cozy, cuddly look. I still have some threads to bury (as is evidence in the above photo). This quilting pattern took A LOT of thread so there was a lot of stopping and starting. I need to get out my Sench needles to finish up that last step for this beauty.

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*any links with a star were created through the Amazon Associates program.

 

Mid-Year Check Up Episode #93

We’re back with episode 93! Today we sat down and did a mid-year check in with the words we each chose for ourselves the year.

My mom picked challenge and is working on challenging herself to find balance between all her crafty activities and to push herself beyond her comfort zone.

I picked progress to encourage myself just to take small steps and not focus so much on the end result.

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