About an hour to go until the west coast of the US steps into 2023. Farewell 2022! Good riddance! Welcome 2023, full of possibilities and promise.
Took Rico for his weekly sheep herding lesson this morning and was horrified to realize that I had left my rubber boots in my utility room. Dammit! I was afraid that I wouldn’t get to do a lesson after driving all the way to Battle Ground, WA. Poor Rico would have been distraught if that had happened. He definitely knows where we are and what we’re going to do when we make that drive. He starts screaming the minute we take the freeway exit ramp!
But we were able to work on some closer in maneuvers and my feet stayed almost mud free. And Rico was such a good boy. We both did some really difficult work. Our brains were very tired at the end of our lesson.
After our lesson I stopped at a big field on the Washington State University campus and let the dogs have a good run. I’m so glad we did this! It was good for me to get out and stretch, and they had a blast!
Here’s our last dog photos of 2022.
Running, running, running.
You can’t see me!
After we got home I had lunch, did a little bit of work to see how our last day of fundraising was going, and then I went through my finished quilt tops. A friend of mine used to do long arm quilting as her business. She doesn’t do it any more, but still quilts. She offered to trade me quilting for finished quilt tops. So I picked out the ones I was willing to trade and shared them with her. Here’s the four I’ll be trading for her quilting skills.
this sort of improv batik number with the indigo sashing.
This Lucky Stars quilt made from KFC fabrics and a really cool batik background.
This blue Algorithm quilt. It’s the first Algorithm quilt I ever made.
This scrappy batik 16 patch. I think this was the second 16 patch I made. it was made from left over 2.5 inch strips that I had cut from scraps.
I have four quilts I’m going to have her quilt for me. click on each one to see photos.
The red KFC Fractured quilt my friend helped me make this fall.
My Ice Storm quilt with the Octopus backing.
My orange, pink and purple Another 16 Patch.
My red Algorithm quilt that I love!
After I got all those quilt tops organized we took a nice three mile walk as the sun set this afternoon.
It was a good walk.
My boss delivered a fantastic dinner of tamales with all the fixings just after we got home from our walk.
It’s become a bit of a tradition. I look forward to delicious tamales every New Years Eve.
We took another walk after dinner. I was very aware that there might be drunks out on the roads so was very careful. We saw two cars. One was definitely celebrating New Years a little early. I had to jump off to the side as he gunned his car and didn’t move over at all. I’m glad I was paying attention. I’m guessing he thought it was funny. No wonder car insurance for young men is so expensive.
And now we’re home and snuggled in. We just watched a nice and sweet movie and the dogs are out cold.
I’m going to play pickleball in the morning. I haven’t played for five weeks! It will be a really good way to start the new year!
Happy New Year! Health, happiness, creativity and inspiration to you all!
agilejack 
Thank you for the well wishes and the same to you! I have so enjoyed your posts…just read one that you had done from September I think. Beautiful Oregon pictures. I miss it so much up there. All of it! I had family in Reedsport for many years. Went every year to Winchester Bay, Bandon — our favorite for crabbing & fishing — and Gold Beach & up 8 miles to Kimble Creek Bend. Beautiful. Then on up to Mosier where family grew the grapes.
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Oregon is a beautiful place. When I first moved here from the high desert I couldn’t believe all the green. I was in heaven because green in my favorite color! I’m in the right place!
Thanks for reading!
Anne
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Happy New Year! Recently found your blog and I am enjoying your creativity and your dogs. I have a border collie mix that reminds me of both your dogs in his younger years. Bold and fearless but also timid at times. Hope the new year is filled with fun and joy for you all. Becky
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Bender is bold and fearless. Rico is sensitive and sweet. They are as different as night and day, except that they both have great enthusiasm and are always ready to GO!
thanks for reading!
Anne
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Happy New Year to you, Ann! I am so glad I joined up, Your quilts are beautiful, so colorful and your doggies are so sweet. I have a wire haired dachshund named Rex, they are very popular here in Norway.
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Oh! I LOVE wire haired dachshunds! I would love to have a miniature wire haired. they are spit fires! So cute!
Thanks for reading!
Anne
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Happy New Years! I enjoy your blog very much, hopefully you will do this for a long time!
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thanks for reading! I’ll keep posting as long as I have something to say!
Anne
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Happy New Year to you and the boys. What a gorgeous bunch of quilts! Let me understand you…. you’re giving away those quilts in trade for longarming? Wow. Lucky her I think.
Careful on the court today. Here’s to another year of exciting projects!
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Yup. Trading completed tops for long arm services. I think it’s a great way to get some quilting done! We’ll both win in this relationship!
had a great time playing pickleball. the sun even came out! A great way to start a new year!
Anne
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Happy New Year! Your quilts are wonderful. You are so inspiring.
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Thank you! Happy New Year!
Anne
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Happy new year. Thanks for the reminder of some of our favorite quilts. Wishing you all good things in the year to come
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It was fun to dig into my closet and pull those quilts out. It’s funny how you can almost completely forget about something that you poured so many hours into.
happy new year!
Anne
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Happy New Year to you and your wonderful dogs!
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed today’s blog, it is a pleasure to read and follow your daily experiences. Thank you for sharing your life with many of us. One of these days I will make a bag and maybe one of your zippered pouches. I have started collecting KF fabrics and building a collection. It is neat fabric. Happy New Year Doreen Sherk
Sent from my iPad
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You should plan to make a quilt from KFC fabrics. It’s such a joy to make a project with all that gorgeousness!
Anne
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Happy New Year!
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Happy New year!
Anne
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I adore the batik stripes.
Happy New Year to you and your sweet boys.
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I kind of like that quilt, but it didn’t fulfill the vision I had for it. I might try making it again some day but would change a few things.
Anne
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Sounds like a great day all around! My goodness, those are fat tamales 🫔! Very nice of the boss. There are women who sell homemade tamales out here that are so much better than canned ones or frozen. They are usually thin and about 6” long. Give me homemade tacos 🌮 anytime! I’m making some today for New Year’s meal. That’s a good trade off for quilting your quilts, beautiful tops. Our first New Year’s at this house and it was so noisy. Gunfire started before dark and then intermittent firecrackers and fireworks. Emily 🐈⬛ Was not impressed. Love the boys pictures and what a sweet closeup of Bender ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Happy New Year 🎆
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I have a friend who used to buy the best tamales from a woman who sold them out of the trunk of her car! they were so good! And tacos… I LOVE TACOS!!! Especially fish tacos. I have a restaurant near me who had really good fish tacos that I eat a little too often!
Our poor dogs when the fireworks fly. My poor Rico doesn’t like them. He doesn’t freak out, he just gets very sad. We’re always so glad when they finally stop. Luckily, they weren’t very bad last night.
Anne
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You had a great New Year’s Eve. 2022 was an exhausting quilt making year for me. Finished piecing the last of the “Jimmy” quilts, quilts made with pieces from my brothers’ jeans. This included my first paper pieced quilt called “String Me Along”. It was an emotional experience to make those six quilts for Jimmys’ family. On a happier note I got to make “Kaffe Kats” for our new (first) grandchild, Felix.
Your boys are so cute! Pets always enrich our lives. Thank you for sharing, Love the tamale dinner, yum! Happy 2023!
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*Happy New Year* Wishing you & your boys all the best in 2023. I am a new follower of your blog & I am thoroughly enjoying. I love your quilts & intend on making one of your bags in the new year. I too donated 5 quilt tops to our local club to be quilted > then back to me for binding > then off to the recipient in appreciation for years of volunteering. As well to those with wellness issues. I look forward to a year of following along in your adventures.
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I would cry if I had five quilts that I had to do the bindings on. I do NOT like doing bindings. I love a hand sewn bindings but do not want to do them myself. I’m lucky to have a long armer who does them for a reasonable price and does a nice job.
But I’m really glad there are people out there who DO like to do bindings!
Anne
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Happy New Year! Thank you so much for sharing!
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thanks for reading!
Anne
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Hi and Happy New Year.
Enjoy to read and see the pictures in your blog which I recently found.
Was looking around for the algorithm quilt block pattern. Googled and seen different places on the fabric where it was cut. Yours looked the best to me. Are there patterns like yours or did you figure it out yourself to where you wanted the cut to be? Hopefully you don’t mind my asking. diane in MN
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the Algorithm quilt pattern is in a book called Stripology Squared by GE designs. Mine varies a little with the pattern in the book. If you get the pattern let me know and I’ll share how mine varies from the pattern.
Anne
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Ordered the book. Arriving the middle of the month. Will be in touch.
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Got the book and didn’t quite understand if I wasn’t using the center piece. Sure would appreciate how your’s varies. Thanks
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email me at anne@agilejack1.com and I’ll send you my notes.
Anne
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Happy New Year to you and your dogs. Thank you for all the information and inspiration during the past year. I so love to hear from you.
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thank you! And thanks for reading! I’ve gotten so much from connecting with so many people from all over the world!
Anne
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I started following your blog because I fell in love with the way you use such vivid colors in your quilts. You have such an artistic eye for combining bright colors. That being said, I am surprised that my favorite quilt of all the ones you have shown on your blog is the Ice Storm quilt. It is brilliant.
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Haha! I love that quilt too! It’s so NOT my typical color approach. There’s just something about it that’s very comforting and lovely. I’m glad you like it too!
Anne
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For a few years in the 1990s I traded tops for quilting too. My shoulder was really bothering me and I just couldn’t quilt the big ones. I made lots of queen size quilts back then. I’m glad your friend offered that opportunity to you.
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Oh my… how I dislike making queen size quilts! throw size are much better for me.
I would love to have a long arm machine, but I’d have to buy a new house to accommodate one. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to have one once I retire.
I think trading quilt tops for quilting will work well. I’m not terribly bonded with some of the quilts I’ve made. Some I really love and don’t want to part with… or only want to part with if I’m gifting them to someone special. So some are perfect for a transaction!
Happy new year!
Anne
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Happy New Year to you and the boys! It sounds like you enjoyed a lovely New Years Eve.
I love reading your stories and seeing all you creative endeavors! Looking forward to a new year filled with wonderful creativity.
Wishing you a very happy, fulfilling year ahead.
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It was a quiet NYE, which is just fine with me. It makes Rico happy to since he does NOT like fireworks.
here’s to a good year with lots of color!
Anne
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Very Happy New Year to you Anne. Yes, Good riddance to 2022. It was a tough one for my husband and myself. You introduced me to Kaffe fabrics. I have completed 3 Frankenbags so far and I love your zipper placket tutorial for the bag. I am slowly adding to my KFC fabrics before I start on my algorithm quilt which is one of my favorites. I just fell in love with the bright beautiful vivid colors and the magical way you pull together those prints and colors. Looking forward to more quilting fun in 2023.
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My algorithm quilts are among my favorite. It’s a fun pattern and pretty easy to execute. It’s great for vibrant and colorful fabrics.
thanks for reading! happy 2023!~
Anne
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