Looking Forward...Looking Back

Is it 2012 already?  I swear 2011 just started a minute ago!  Where does the time go?  The RA (resident assistant) of my dorm my freshman year of college (back in 1992...yikes!  Was it that long ago?) said that the years just keep getting faster the older you get.  I kind of didn't believe her - she was probably a junior...what did she know?  But, she was wise beyond her years because she was exactly right.  Every year seems to go by faster than the last.  I wish I could figure out a way to slow things down!

I'd tinkered around my sewing space for a couple of years, but 2011 was the year I fell in love...with quilting!  I love everything about it and my head always seems to be full of ideas for the next 100 projects.  I feel like I learned A LOT this year.  I finished my first quilt, which seemed like such a huge undertaking.  And, don't get me wrong, it was...but now it doesn't seem so daunting now that I have one under my belt.  In fact, I have 2 more in progress right now.  And I'm not just talking about all of the random blocks I have in my UFO bin.  I'm talking about 2 real-life, bonafide quilts.  I'll share more of those in the coming days.

I'm going to copy a lot of my bloggy comrades and post a "year in review" mosaic...mine isn't super-impressive compared to some, but I'm uber-proud of all of the things I accomplished.  I won't bore you with every single block I made, so here are some of the highlights:

And, what would a New Year's Day post be without resolutions?  Well, let's call them goals.  Resolutions seems so official and permanent...like if you don't keep them you've FAILED.  I feel like if I call them "goals" it's something to strive for, with room for tweaking if necessary.  I'm going to keep this fairly short and broad, so that I can hopefully acheive most of this by the end of the year.  So, without further ado, my sewing/quilting goals for 2012:

1. Make 4 (or more!) quilts for charity.  This has become my passion of late and I want to continue to do this in the new year.  I will still keep making blocks for various charity opportinuties this year, but I want to commit to complete 4 quilts on my own for charity organizations.

2.  Learn to FMQ.  I love straight-line quilting.  I love the way it looks.  But, I think I need to broaden my horizons and get some new techniques under my belt.  I'm a disaster when it comes to FMQ so I want to dedicate some time to figuring it out.

3.  Make more "stuff".  I made a lot of blocks last year.  A LOT.  I did several swaps (which I LOVE) so I have a lot of blocks that are sitting in a drawer with no real plan.  I also did a lot of practice blocks for fun when I was just starting to quilt.  Not only do I want to make all of those into something (or several things), I want to complete more projects for my family and home.  At the top of the list are pillows for our living room, a tree skirt for next Xmas, a purse (for me) and a half apron (for me).

4.  Go to the Sewing Summit.  I have no idea if this will/can happen.  But, I have 9 months to figure it out, right?  It looked like so much fun and I really, really want to go.  Anyone want to be roomies?

5.  Just be more grateful, thankful, and helpful in my life.  In my "sewing life" I want to share posts about people and companies that I adore, showcase projects and tutorials that I love, and maybe even post a tutorial or two of my own.

I think that's it.  That's enough, don't you think?  I could go on all day, but I'll pipe down so that I don't bite off more than I can chew.  Here's to a wonderful, happy, and productive 2012!  Happy New Year!!