Getting Organized...again

A new year is approaching and I'm trying to get my ducks in a row.  At the very least, getting my projects lined up for the coming year.  I do this every year, going through the quilting magazines and marking patterns with sticky notes.  Since I started blogging, I've made some new blogging friends and linked up with Barbara at http://catpatches.blogspot.com.  She came up with a FO Challenge for 2012 that will keep everyone busy.  For those of you uninitiated in quilting jargon,  UFOs are Unfinished Objects, or, unfinished quilting projects.  But, this FO Challenge is just the opposite.  It's a way to build up your supply of UFOs and an excuse to buy more fabric and start more projects.   Start a new project every month and not finish it.   Music to my ears.  For all the details of this crazy challenge, click on the New FO Challenge button on the right side. 

I hope everyone had a good Christmas with their families and friends.  I know I did and my friends gave me some very thoughtful gifts.  I got this wonderful Thimbleberries Quilt Journal from my friend Sandy.

Room for 48 4x6 quilt photos with an adjacent journal page.  It also has plastic zipper pouches to save fabric swatches.  I have it filled already.  I will hunt for additional pages to add since it is a refillable ring binder.  She also included a cotton hand crocheted dish cloth.   Thank you, Sandy.

My friend Pat went to San Diego to attend her grandson's graduation from Marine training camp and took a day to visit Rosie's Quilt Shop.  She said she never saw such a huge quilt shop in her life.  Over 18,000 bolts of fabric...yes, 18,000.  There was a room devoted to every color.  She came back with some delicious fabric for me.  This is called Dark Chocolate and Lilac by Sara Morgan.

There was a pattern on the Blue Hills Fabrics website using this fabric.  I will add this to my UF Challenge project basket.  Thank you, Pat.  Sometimes your friends know you better than your family when it comes to gift giving, although, my niece gave me a gift card from Hobby Lobby which I'm going to use up in no time buying   scrap booking/card making supplies.

I'm determined to clean out my scrap bins and I'll share that project another time.   One more thing, if you want to hone your free-motion quilting skills, or just want to ease your anxiety, click on the Free Motion Quilting Challenge button to the right.

Merry Christmas to All

Just had to take time out from the pie baking to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  We have no snow for Christmas  in Minnesota, which is a first in..oh, I don't know 10 years? More?  It makes travel a whole lot easier.  Peace and love to all of you.

And the Winner Is.....

Me.  Yup, I won one of the drawings in last week's blog hop.  There were about 240 blogs participating in the Quilter's Blog Hop Party hosted by Michele at the Quilting Gallery.  Participating bloggers had a give away opportunity.  By leaving a comment and/or becoming a follower you had a chance to have your name drawn for the blogs give away at the end of the week.  I hunkered down and visited all 240 blogs.  I have to tell you there are some wonderful quilting blogs out there.  And they all offered some great prizes.  Everything from fat quarters, patterns, notions, kits, completed projects, books, magazines, gift certificates, bags, totes, the list goes on.  I gained a great deal of knowledge and made some new friends hopping around the world.  Never mind that my fingers are blistered, it was worth it.

Now, I bet you're wondering what I won.  I won a Melly & Me sewing pattern compliments of Craft Cafe in the U.K.    I think this one is called Buzzby & Bee.  I'm not familiar with this designer but it looks like a darling little pattern which will be cute for one of those little girls in my life.

 When I finish it I'll post the results.  It might take a while as it's coming all the way from the U.K. 

The family Christmas party went off without a hitch yesterday.  The food was perfect, everyone showed up and on time and the little kids had a ball running around and playing.  We rented the local 4-H Building for the gathering so everybody had room  and we all could sit down and eat at the same time.  My house just can't handle 20 adults and 6 children under the age of 5.  Too many pins and needles.  The rest of the week should be pretty calm as far as I'm concerned.  We're invited out for supper after church on Christmas Eve and to my nieces on Christmas day.  My turn to sit back and relax.   I hope you all have a good Christmas with your friends and family.  I may be back before the week is over but in case I'm not

                       MERRY CHRISTMAS