Tuesday, January 2, 2007

First Blogging Anniversary, 200th Post, New Year's Resolutions, and Progress on Projects


Today is the anniversary of my arrival to the world of blogging. One year ago today, I wrote my first post. Today--1 year later--I find myself writing my 200th post!

Linda J. and I have challenged ourselves to finish some of our UFOs this year. I guess you could call our challenge a New Year's resolution. Linda has already made her list of top 10 projects that she wants to finish this year and she has added them to the side bar of her blog. I have made a list of my 12 projects -- one project for each month--but I have not yet made my list public as each time I read it I make further changes. I will work on narrowing down my choices and then I will follow Linda's lead and add my list to the side bar of my blog.
I started two projects in December after commitments to customer quilts were out of the way. The first project was inspired by Finn in a post that she wrote in December. This pattern is called Patience Corners and following Finn's lead is made from nickel squares of Christmas fabrics that were in my stash. My plan is to make this quilt lap size - approximately 4 ft. x 6 ft. This is the progress that I have made on my Christmas Nickel quilt so far.

When I was cleaning up the cuttings on the flor of my studio after the making of my Christmas projects, I cut up the scrap pieces into nickels ans strips. I used the leftover bits that were not suitable for either of these two categories to make Christmas crumb blocks. When I was looking for a setting for these blocks I came across a piture of Jeanne's quilt that was pasted into my inspiration notebook. My crumb blocks were 8" square--the perfect size for the center of the blocks in Jeanne's gratitute quilt. So, the second project I started was inspired by Jeanne's quilt. This quilt was later featured on Judy L.'s blog as her gift to us in the November Hour-A-Day Quilt project. This is the progress that I have made on my Gratitude quilt so far.


I attended a sale at our local quilt shop during Boxing week. There were so many fabulous Christmas quilting fabrics on half price. I exercised discipline and did not purchase any--not even a single fat quarter! When I came home and took a look at the Christmas fabrics in my stash, I decided I was no longer going to save them. I am going to use them up so that next year when the new Christmas fabrics come out, I will be able to purchase them with a clear conscience knowing that I don't have any Christmas fabric in my stash! In order to totally bust my Christmas fabric stash, I am going to be piecing the backs for the two quilts shown above out of 10 1/2" squares of stash Christmas fabric.

Although 2006 has been a year of adding more UFO's to my every growing list of projects to complete, it has also been a year of new friendships. The friends I have made in the world of quilt blogging have been both inspirational and supportive to me and demonstrate just how small a world we really live in!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

16 comments:

  1. Happy 1st Blogday!
    I love red and green together, it's looking so bright and cheerful.

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  2. Happy one year Bloggiversary! May there be many more!
    *hugs*
    Tazzie
    :-)

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  3. The Christmas crumb quilt is stunning - I just love the way the circles appear with the blocks and sashing the way it's set out :-)

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  4. Happy Blog Anniversary Norma...great use of your Christmas fabrics. The gratitude quilt is awesome.

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  5. Happy Blolgaversary and many more to come! Love both your quilts.

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  6. Happy Blogiversary! (You suppose that is actually a word or will become one?) It has been great getting to know you over the past months.

    I love how the Gratitude and Patience Corner blocks are turning out. The green sashing really sets off the crumb sections and the white looks so striking in the Patience Corners. Finn will be proud since I know you fell in love with her quilt.

    Way to stashbust too--that stuff is not going back in your stash from 06 if you can help it as you have moved it onto something for this year! Bet that feels pretty good about now.

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  7. Happy Blog Birthday! Both of those Christmas fabrics are wonderful! "Use up fabric' is kind of going to be my theme this year, too.
    Jeanne :)

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  8. Happy Blog Anniversary! Love that pattern you're using for your Christmas fabrics - I could see the same pattern with bright nickels and black where you have white.

    Happy New Year!

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  9. Happy Bloggiversary -- so glad to have found you *s*

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  10. I like both quilts. I love how much easier it is to make lists on the new blogger. Good luck with your goals - I'm going to focus on UFO's again this year too along with string blocks and quilts for the HeartStrings project. That should keep me busy along with catching on my quilting for my Mom. I still have 2 quilts waiting for her and she's sending me two more.

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  11. Congrats on the blogaversary Norma. I really like the way you've done the gratitude blocks. They look so different done this way. Lovely and I especially like red. It's always so warm and happy looking.

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  12. Happy Blogaversary! :-) I'll be here reading the next 200 posts.

    Enjoy your challenge with Linda - challenges will keep us motivated.

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  13. Happy Blogiversary! Your new Xmas project is lovely!

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  14. Love your Oprah quote! Makes me think of Anne of Green Gables - one of my favorite series of all time - when she said "Today is fresh without any mistakes in it."

    What great new projects you started in December. I've looked at that Patience Corner block in books for years and thought "why would someone make that?" Now that I've seen a couple tops in progress from the block I can understand why. I love Judy's setting for the crumb blocks too. I think I'm going to stitch up 5x5 blocks of my 2" squares and set them the same way. I bought a purple I ended up not using for the dark in Sophie's quilt, and it's a perfect color for the outside churn dashes.

    There was no way I could pick and choose because I know I'd keep changing my mind - hence the reason for listing EVERYTHING in my sidebar!

    1chartfp@comcast.net

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  15. Happy first anniversary! Your nickel is coming along great.

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  16. Your patience corners is striking with the white. It's reminiscent of Cathedral Windows in a way. That's what I thought when I first laid eyes on it. Love it.

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