New Year....Old Project

Oh my goodness!  Have you seen all of the wonderful Quiltalongs, challenges, swaps and projects that are out in blogland for 2012?  How does one ever decide which projects they want to start first?  If I could only work it so that I didn't ever sleep I might be able to do a few.  LOL

I always start out the year with the best of intentions to finish up some of the UFOs sitting in my closet.  The new year seems like such a fresh slate to start working on them.  Then someone comes out with an amazing quilt that I can't wait to start.  Then there are the quiltalongs where it is so much fun to see what fabrics and colors others are using.  Oh....did I mention all the swaps too?  Oh my!!!!  One could really be in over their head - quickly.

Several years ago Melissa had a signature swap.  I was new to the blogging world and thought it would be fun.  It really was, but my wonderful blocks have sat in a box for all this time.  2012 was my year to get those out and put them together.  Ta da......

To this....

I added a little of this.....

to create these........

Quilted the sandwich and

Even added a label!  Yeah, a UFO finished!!!!

It was fun reading the names and seeing how many of these quilters I now follow.  I'll be linking this finish up with Thearica and A Stitch in Time.

From there I went to my yellow and blue blocks that Emily and I swapped last year.  I added a few more blocks to make it a little larger and will add a scrappy border on it to finish it off.

Each year we attend a Valentine's dinner dance with an auction.  I have started a heart quilt to donate for the auction.  This is an easy Moda Bake Shop pattern. 

I managed to finish up the last of my Civil War blocks.  The year is now finished and I can start to put those together.  I think this will be a really nice finish.  I love the colors.

A lesson that I learned while sewing this week......NEVER leave your camera on your cutting table!!!!  Live and learn, as they say.

I received a wonderful package of hand dyed fabrics from Deborah in the UK.  This was a win from the Sew Mama Sew giveaway.  The fabrics are absolutely gorgeous and are so soft.  They will be so much fun to sew and I know they will work up beautifully.  Deborah does some amazing work and you should check it out. 

Like many of you, we have been having some gorgeous weather lately.  I had a yellow cymbidium orchid that was blooming in the yard and brought it inside to enjoy it even more.   There are six stalks of flowers on this plant and these are the first two to bloom.

That was my first week in 2012.  I hope that I can continue to finish off some of the other UFOs I have sitting around AND work on some new ones.

How Does Your Garden Grow

For so long I have been seeing the hexagon "One Flower Wednesday" sew alongs on various blogs.  The flowers always look so pretty.  Someday I will definitely make a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, but I have decided to join Thearica for her "How Does Your Garden Grow" quilt along.  You can make any kind of flower and I have decided to go with yo yo flowers.  I have an idea where I will go with it and I hope it works out.  Check out the link and join in with us.  These are my first three flowers.  I worked on them while riding in the car - a great takealong project.

My real flowers are doing pretty well too.  This is an area of the patio where the plumerias are blooming.  The smell is just heavenly.

Thanks to our generous neighbors who were gone for the weekend, we had some extra fun in store for the children.  It was quite refreshing.



"jump, jump...we'll catch you"



The latest two blocks of my Civil War quilt along are finished........

as is the July Birdie Stitches block. 

I can't believe it is already August.  School will soon be starting and it will be Christmas again before we know it.  The years are going much too quickly.