Year in Review: 2025

I did a lot in 2025! It’s easier to get a lot done when you work a lot…and I really worked a lot in the last year. 2025 marks my second year in Portland, and a much more stable time. I moved to a better house, made some solid friends, hustled a lot. Work hard, play hard kinda year. Thanks for being here with me~

Taught

I did so much teaching this year!

At Modern Domestic:

  • Sky Cabin Quilt (3 times!)

  • Adventure Star Quilt (3 times!)

  • Looperette Quilt

  • Visible Mending (5 times!)

  • Hexie Pillow

  • Kids Monster Stuffie (2 times!)

  • Kids Lunch Bag (2 times!)

At MakeWith:

  • Overdyeing clothes

  • Darning

Elsewhere:

  • A series of classes at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in WA (my second year, and I’ll be back this coming year too)

  • Shibori Tie-Dye at Camp Craftaway in WA (back for summer 2026 too!)

  • An Art Quilt Workshop at the Sitka Center on the Oregon coast (an absolute highlight for sure)

  • Visible mending at the Canby Library

Vending

Just 2 markets! Portland Pride + Reclaim It’s Holiday Market

Freelance and sewing projects

I don’t keep track of my freelance sewing gigs very well, but I do a medium amount of this. I made a cast iron skillet carrier for my sister (that she has mostly ended up using as a knitting bag!), a quilted vest for her, a lettuce pillow for my SIL. Some sun hats. A hand-dyed and designed silk shirt for my mom. Patches onto a friend’s pants. Custom hats for a friend’s coworker. A bucket hat for my dad. A good amount of alterations on my own clothes. Etc etc etc

Art

I did an artist residency making kites with my friend Iris at Souwester Arts week, and made a collaborative art piece with my friend Daren for his birthday art show! I got a grant from the city to grow a dye garden! I made a concerted but failed effort to finish a quilt I’ve been working on since 2018. It’s very very close now, but not quite done yet. 2026 already has fun in store - Iris and I are now working on an installation for the Portland Winter Light Festival, and I’m preparing to go to a residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center in Nebraska!

Applications

My favorite spreadsheet, that I’ve been using since 2014! Red=rejected, yellow=applied but didn’t hear back, green=accepted. I use this for all things I apply to - artist residencies, grants, craft fairs, jobs. I had 11 things accepted, and rejected 22. This was a rough year for rejections, I would say. But some of the things I got accepted to were bigger and more exciting than I have had before, so I can celebrate that.


Looking ahead

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End of Fall 2025 Update