Keep on sewing, keep on sewing...

I'm plugging away at my three Starbursts - I hope to be done today (phew, that would be fantastic) with this week's assignment, but I have been having a great time watching the photos come into flickr.

I finished my pouch for the Sweet Pouch Swap.  It might be hard to package this one up, since I'm so pleased with the way it turned out!  Now I just need to gather up some sweets and possibly sew up a little extra something to stuff into the pouch as well.  I'll make sure to take lots of pictures so I can post once my recipient has received it.

As a result, I'm contemplating a little "non-Starburst"sewing, and think that I'll probably join in the Triple Zip Along.

It would be fun to make a pouch for me!

I complete my January block for the Sugar Block Club, and am so pleased with the results! I handed a stack of fat quarters to my husband and asked him to pick 4, and to tell me where they went.  This is a project for the family, after all!  My plan is to do two blocks a month, but that is put on hold until the Starbursts are done...  until then, I just want to get my monthly assignment done.

Ah... Fabric.

So - fabric.  Every quilter's favorite thing.

Here's the fabrics I've chosen for the Starburst Quilt-A-Long:

I've never done an all-solids quilt...  So exciting!! There's three browns, a gray, three blues, two greens and three purples.  I had "peacock" and "under the sea" in my head when I was pulling colors.  I shouldn't have put the darkest two colors on the outside of the pile - you can barely see them!  That's one reason I'm doing this blog; I'm learning so much with every post!  I'm practically a professional blog-reader, but definitely an amateur post-er.

Here's my fabric for the Sugar Block Club:

And ugh - that is the worst picture ever!  I tried a few times, but the colors are just completely wrong.  Hopefully when I take pictures of the blocks, there will be a clearer sense of the colors.  The fabrics are gorgeous - limiting myself every month to just a couple fabrics is going to be hard!

I've also signed up for the Sweet Pouch Swap, and received my assignment.  I'm totally intimidated!  Sewing for a "self professed perfectionist" is difficult, but I have some gorgeous fabrics pulled, and I'm going to try doing some new things for me...  I might be intimidated, but I fully intend on rising to the challenge!  Watch here for some sneak peeks coming up...

A New Year, A New Start

Okay. It's 2013. To be more precise, it's 1-3-13. Time to set some new goals, resolutions and start afresh... My craft room is stocked, organized and calling out to me to go spend some quality time with it, but instead I'm going to tackle an aspect of quilting that I'm rather pathetic at: documentation. I would love to have a record of all my quilts, especially as I have a tendency to give them away without taking pictures of them! I will never have a perfect record, but if I can take steps now to make it easier, I will do so. It's also time to step back and make some 2013 quilting goals and resolutions. Here we go!

1. Step out of my comfort zone and be consistent with the Sugar Block Club - my first BOM. I will tackle new and intimidating techniques, using peer pressure to help me power through. Seriously, though, I want a beautiful quilt for my living room at the end of the year, made carefully throughout the year. I am aiming for more precision than I typically achieve, and a sampler quilt is a great chance to stretch my comfort zone. Remember this contest? Well, I won it, and that bundle has been sitting in my craft room waiting for the perfect opportunity. I supplemented it with some additional fabrics (can't wait for them to arrive!) and will take a picture of all the fabrics when I have a complete set.

2. Achieve a better "scant 1/4 inch" seam. I think I sew a bit too big... the Sugar Block Club will help me with that, since I've never really made traditional blocks before.

3. Other than the Sugar Block Club quilt, only have one project going at a time. I was really good about this last year, and while I stalled for a while in the middle of the year (ahem, pregnancy!), I don't have a pile of WIPs. I know myself, and once I break that rule, I will have a giant pile of WIPs overtaking my space. Must. Maintain. Discipline.

4. Spend more time sewing than on Pinterest. What good does it do to pin hundreds of possible quilts and projects, and then never actually go sew? Blogging and keeping track of my quilts is fine... because that's not creating a giant wish list that will never actually come to fruition!

4b. Sew for at least 15 minutes a week. I know that for some of you, that would read "do something other than sewing for 15 minutes a week," but I have a tendency to get sucked into the computer and never make it downstairs to the craft room when I have a chance.

I think that's enough... If I can keep those 5 resolutions all year, I'll be thrilled!