Resolutions? Uh, no....

I don't make New Year's Resolutions - mainly because I know I will fail!  A resolution usually requires a huge behavioral change, and I know that's something I am not good at.  However, I do have a goal for this year.  We recently had a conversation on the About.com quilt forum about those special fabrics that we've had for a long time and just cannot bring ourselves to cut into.  I have only one of those, and it's a beaut!



I have two yards of it, and best I can recall - I bought it in either 2009 or 2010.  I've initially chosen it for a mystery quilt a couple of times, but I have always chickened out at the last minute and went a different direction...So my goal for 2013 is to find a pattern for this beautiful piece of fabric.  Wish me luck!

Back to the things I worked on during the Christmas holiday...I have some pictures...

I finished the leaves quilt.  If you recall, all I had left to do was put the binding on.  And YAY!  It's done.  I machine stitched to the front and hand sewed to the back.  I had been machine stitching to the back the last few, but I wasn't really happy with the way they were turning out.  This took quite a bit longer and made my hands hurt for a little while, but I think it was well worth the effort.



I made a few heart blocks from 30s fabrics for a friend who has been sick.  Another friend is putting all of the heart blocks together that she has gathered from several to make her a quilt.  Such a lovely thing to do...



Just in time for the next row of the Bee in my Bonnet row along, I got the mittens row completed.  It went together quicker than I had anticipated.  Wonder what will be next - next clue comes out this Wednesday.  Not too late to join in....



One more picture...This is a small quilt I put together for another friend who is not feeling well.  She is going to get showered with mini quilts over the next few weeks.  I can only imagine how that would make a quilter feel --- to get quilts from friends all over the country when things are looking bleak.  I really hope it brightens her day.



I had made these little 3" blocks in December 2011 when the Temecula Quilt Company hosted a block a day - 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'.  The block for Day 1 had one piece, the block for Day 2 had two pieces, etc.  I had also framed them back then to make them 5" so they went together very quickly.  Used a fat quarter for the backing, used scraps to make a scrappy binding, and just a few hours later - a mini quilt was born! 

I am not only proud of the quilt, but the fact I was able to put it together so quickly with things that were already made.  That is my goal as a quilter - to be able to put something together to brighten someone's day without a lot of fuss.  Now I know why I do all of these block of the day, block of the month, etc.  It's not only the camaraderie of doing something with a group, but it's also having a variety of things on hand that can be tossed together quickly.

Have a good week!  I have a few more pictures for next week.

Bri