This December my family was busy making gifts and keeping secrets, which made gift-giving extra fun. Today I’m sharing a few photos of those gifts and my top five blog posts for 2018.

Barn Quilt for Mom

My brother, his sons, my husband, and I made a Farmer’s Daughter barn quilt for my mom. My role was small: choosing paint and drawing the grid. The guys did all the painting and installed the 8-foot square on the back of the barn, where Mom can admire it from her home.

Barn Door Memories for Me

Surprisingly, a barn theme popped up in two more gifts. My husband made two photo displays from the old milkhouse barn door panels: one for my brother and one for me. He also rescued the keyhole escutcheon and asked my talented neighbor, Janet of Sistas With Bad Habits, to craft a piece of jewelry for me. Isn’t this necklace a fabulous keepsake?!

Flannel Quilts for the Big Kids

My mom made five flannel quilts for her grown-up children, and we were thrilled. This is the third time she made quilts for each of us, and the original flannel quilts have been loved to pieces. (My youngest sister missed out on the photo shoot.)

Tokens of My Love

I made Mini Scrap Patch Bags for my mom, sisters, and nieces. The free pattern, available from the Fat Quarter Shop, is the perfect size to hold a pack of tissues, chapstick, and hand lotion—the winter essentials.

Best of 2018

For inspiration on a grand scale, visit Meadow Mist Designs’ Best of 2018 Linky Party. Here are my own top five blog posts for 2018, based on the number of views. During January I shared my Double Nine Patch Quilt with a novelty Christmas print on the back. (I quilted the orange peel design with my walking foot.)

Another popular January finish was my Jelly Roll Twist Quilt that I gave to my nephew.

The Pinwheel Pals quilt for Jack’s Basket is a free pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting.

I made this flannel Simple Diamonds quilt for my son. It’s probably my favorite finish of the year because the fabrics are so sumptuous.

I participated in Christa Watson’s Squiggles quilt along and created the Jeep Off-Road Adventure Quilt in honor of my Jeep-loving husband.

My most popular post of all is actually a 2017 finish, but it’s worth including because it’s also my most pinned image on Pinterest: Lady of the Lake for my daughter.