Welcome 2013 and Happy New Year to All!

The question of the month seems to be what will I work on next year.  The more I'm asked that the more I feel certain thoughts and quilt ideas coming into my mind.  So while my neighbors drive me batty with their cheap, smokey, loud, fireworks I'll go first and you can add your comments by either telling me what you think or tell me about your own plans are for the New Year.

Firstly, of course there is my Mandala Quilt.  DH has been sick so I haven't had his help, it's suddenly very clear that I need it.  I thought I found a place where I could print out the circle changes I needed, but the accuracy wasn't good enough to meet my standards, so instead I wrote down the circle sizes I need this evening and started making my cutting charts.  Do you do that?  Mine look something like this

Black 3.5" squares @ 257; which translates to cut 257 - 3.5" squares.  I bet you don't envy me my quilting concepts now do you?

Secondly, My Children of the Sea Quilt has been stirring my attention lately and I find I do not like the back I had made for it.  Regardless of your kind comments, it doesn't do the front justice after all the hard work I put into it, and just looks well thrown together to me.  So this evening I did a little digging and found a technique called tube piecing which I would like to try out and see if it is something that would work.  Sure would be nice if the video told me what size the block squares to, so that I could plug it into EQ!  Oh well surely this is simply a project I must demo first.  Another thought is perhaps a nice mariners compass in the middle?  A single simple aka complicated block floating in the center of the quilt?

Third, takes a little explaining and likely will take (shakes head) a lot of planning!  I saw this delightful table topper.  I actually thought it was a tree skirt, but it isn't.  Each block points outward in it's own point as it hangs down around the underside of the table.  Each block has one or another facet of Christmas, a tree, a snowman, etc. and from the tip of each corner is a little bell.  I didn't buy the pattern because I really wanted it to be a tree skirt instead.  Can't you envision how pretty such a quilted tree skirt would be with the points radiating outward with their little bells?  This is a case where I would likely begin selecting my themes and then picking the blocks.  Once selected I can make the blocks until I like the size and shape they layout in and then add some extra background fabric.  Oh it will be wonderful I just know it.  I haven't heard a peep out of Sue if there will be a Christmas Quilt-a-long again next year, but she had a rough Christmas so perhaps in time...  Either way, this would be my dedicated CQAL project should she do that, and if not you'll just have to stop by and see what progress I'm making.

Fourth, of course is my Lone Star Quilt.  My sister gave me a tip about getting the last of the dratted ink out of the pens, so I'll try that, but I think I need to order more.  I regularly go back and forth between sending it out to have it quilted or keeping it close.  Not clear on that.

Fifth, is actually not a quilt at all but a sundress.  My neighbor Linda gave me a lovely blue and green lightweight fabric that screams Summer Sundress.  I've selected what I think is the pattern I want to use, so I'm waiting for a pattern sale at Joann's to pick it up, I'll also need something to line the dress with.

As for my year in review, I made 62 dog dresses, 15 small projects including one art quilt, I started and finished 4 quilts (1 baby quilt, 2 lap quilts, and an over sized twin), and finished 2 long term Hawaii Applique quilts that I'd started prior to 2012.  The only thing I did not complete from my NewFO plans for the year were the napkins I thought I'd make, but the fabric turned out much better used to make the tree for the back of my Christmas Mystery Quilt anyway.

Looking forward I believe I will not be participating in the NewFO Project for a second year, as believe it or not I do not like having lots of things unfinished and I do not like feeling that I need to stop what I'm working on to make something new, and to be honest I felt like it was more of a monthly recap for you.  I are not so action packed around here that you need that.  Instead I think I may make a single monthly post of the best of the dog dresses and of course there will be regular postings of my quilts coming to life.  I'm looking forward to a nice big project I can sink my teeth into and chew on for a while, so for the first part of the New Year I don't plan to have any little fussy projects.  They aren't really me anyway.  Now what do you think?  Sound good to everyone?

I'd love to hear what you're up to so pop me a comment, and until next time
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!