Goodbye 2025, Hello 2026

As I say goodbye to 2025, I'm taking a moment to reflect on a year of creative growth - patterns, videos, quilting adventures, and lessons learned about slowing down and enjoying the process. 

2025! What a year it has been.

It felt both long and short at the same time. Throughout the year, I often caught myself thinking that I should be making more—that I wasn’t producing enough. But as I scrolled through photos of all the projects I worked on, I realized something important: despite many commitments on the non-business side of life, it was actually a very creative and productive year.

I remember when my kids were young, how grateful I felt just to find a small block of uninterrupted time to work on a project—finishing it felt like a luxury. That memory feels especially relevant now. Creative processes take time. Learning new techniques takes time. It’s okay not to work fast or produce endlessly.

A lesson learned in 2025, and one I'm carrying into 2026: "Slow making is still meaningful making. Making takes time - and that's not something to fight against." 

2025 Recap

Patterns

In 2025, I released two patterns—the Lila Pouch which replaces the Mara Pouch, and the Nanna Pouch, a fresh update with new sizes. It felt good to refresh and refine something familiar. 

Videos 

This year, I launched three YouTube videos, along with a handful of Shorts. I’m still very new to video-making, so working with simple projects like the Lila Pouch helped me learn my editing program without becoming overwhelmed.

I also created a Tassel Tutorial, Lila Pouch Sew-Along, and some Shorts, and—finally—the long-awaited Gus Bag Sew-Along. This one had been on my to-do list for so long and was one of the most requested videos from customers, so it felt especially satisfying to check it off.

Publication

One of the highlights of the year was having my mini quilt projects published twice in Art Quilting Studio Magazine. It's a beautiful publication so please check them out. Somewhere along the way, I went down a bit of a quilting rabbit hole—and I loved it. Quilting became one of the reasons I spent less time developing patterns this year, but it brought so much joy and creative energy that it felt entirely worthwhile.

Looking Back at 2024

I don’t have a blog post dedicated to 2024, but I wanted to create a placeholder here because the last two years marked a real shift in my creative development.

2024 was very much a year of patchwork and embroidery. I explored colors beyond my usual go-to blues and even experimented with wall art. It was a year of exploration—one that quietly helped shape where I am now, even if it didn’t result in as many finished patterns.

Over the past two years, I’ve spent a lot of time learning rather than focusing solely on producing patterns. I truly believe all that learning will lead me back to creating more fun, meaningful projects to share—and that feels exciting.

Over the holidays, I’ve been doing a lot of hand stitching, and I can already see it becoming a bigger part of my future work. With so many commitments pulling us in different directions, I’ve found that small projects are often the best way to quench that creative thirst and keep us feeling grounded and happy.

Here’s what’s on the horizon:

Patterns

I have several patterns in progress—now it’s just a matter of focusing and finishing them one at a time.

Curated Collections

I’m trying something new by offering curated collections of my favouite makes and troves instead of selling everything individually. This idea came from my love of packaging—if for nothing else—but also from a desire to present things more intentionally.

Quilt Pattern

I have a quilt pattern coming up! I completed a sample, then came up with a different variation that I liked even more. Now I need to decide which version to launch… or perhaps include both in one pattern.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darae