Holiday Sewing

This was the second holiday season I have been making things with fabric. Both years I decided to make handmade gifts. Of course, this meant I was madly dashing to get things done. I never have enough time! I always think I can manage what I have planned and it never seems to be the case. I still have a pile of UFOs from this year and last year! One last unfinished placemat and all these half-made bowl cozys! 

Thankfully I did finish a few of the Bowl Cozys and people seemed to be happy to receive them! It is difficult to know if they "mean it" or are just being nice, but I think most people like the concept so I hope they are enjoyed by the recipients! I had wanted to make two or three for each person but that definitely did not happen. I probably could have finished up a few more on Christmas Eve, but I decided to prioritize going sledding with my family instead. This was no doubt the right choice, we had a blast and made memories together.

I added some Fruit Spread made by my friend at Mt. Hope Farms. I haven't tried it myself (not on my food plan!) but everyone I have talked to that has raves about it. Check out their Facebook page she is doing some great videos with fun and unique recipe ideas. 

I am off work this week and really need to spend most of the week cleaning the house. But I will probably spend much of it sewing of course. I've got a few bee blocks to make and am so close to being done with my Wayward Transparency Quilt (just need to add the corners!). I'm debating about joining the Elizabeth Hartman All the Animals Sew Along hosted by Gnome Angel but I also have a few other quilts on my mind that might take priority. My Garden Snails Quilt is needing finished, and my Sew All the Curves Quilt is calling me still. And I want to finish quilting my #100blocks100days2017 quilt. I love it, but quilting it on my tiny little machine is so much work!!! 

Wish me luck on my cleaning!

2018 Planning Party!!!

Obviously I could use a good excuse to write a blog post, it has been awhile! So I'm joining the #2018PlanningParty hosted by Quilting Jetgirl.

As we near the end of 2017 I'm proud of my quilty accomplishments. I'm an "all or nothing" kind of person so during the first part of the year I overcommitted with the 52 Weeks with the Quilter's Planner SAL, the Garden Snails Quilt SAL, the Long Time Gone SAL, and my second go at 100 Days 100 Blocks. These were the major projects, but you can see a few other random makes scattered through my Instagram Feed. I'm really happy with everything I worked on, but it took a lot of time and as a result other things were neglected.

In fall I did start a few other SALs and projects but I really needed to find more balance and not let them take over. I needed to prioritize making lunch for my kids and being a swim Mom. This left little time for sewing and that is okay. I'm back at it a bit more, and excited that I'm almost finished with my Wayward Transparancy Quilt (blog post to come!).

As I near the end of my second year as a piecer/quilter I have been reflecting on how my work has evolved and where I'm at now. Through practice I feel like it is inevitable to become more skilled in the technical and creative aspects of piecing/quilting. I do feel more confident in selecting fabric and putting it together. Or at least more confident in what I like and what I want to create. I can only see this evolution continuing. When I started I was all prints, no solids. I couldn't envision having any desire to work with solids. Now that is where I am drawn. I never imagined working without a pattern created by someone else. And while I still primarily working with the guidance of patterns by others, I have more of my own ideas and feel like I am able to bring my own spin to things just a little more than before. I want to see where 2018 takes me creatively and how I continue to evolve as a maker and creator.

So what are my plans an resolutions for 2018? Really just continuing to strive for balance and keep growing. I do have a wild idea for a very small niche business that would use my sewing skills. I'm not sure if I will actually keep going with the idea, but it is fun to consider. I've been cross stitching when I'm places that I can't sew and I'd like to keep doing that and maybe get back to knitting a bit. And I'd really like to be better at blogging. I always had the dream of participating in the New Quilt Bloggers Hop but I'm never able to meet the minimum post requirements (I'd rather be sewing!). Maybe I can step up my game for 2018.... We'll see!

I am so grateful to Yvonne AKA Quilting Jetgirl for giving me the push to write a new post and for the nudge to really reflect on this past year and what is ahead for 2018! Looking forward to seeing the other #2018PlanningParty posts!!!