2011 ~~~2012

I feel comfortable in saying that 2011 was pretty sucessful quilt-wise. Thirty-eight (38) new quilts were started and finished, twelve (12) UFOs were completely finished (most of them have already found new homes), and over 200 net yards of fabric used. Not too bad!

I have to insert a note here about the 38 new quilts. That number does includes the 15 Honor Flight quilts that were pretty small (36" x 48"). These numbers are for me. They help me keep track of what I do or have done. No one should compare themselves to others and try to "keep up with the Jones". I had a couple people comment that a quilt that small shouldn't count as one quilt, but hey, why not? I had to do everything the same as if I was making a bed size quilt from the planning, designing, piecing and quilting. I did all of that in less then 2 months. Thinking back, I'm really kind of stunned that I did all of them in less than 60 days. It just goes to show you that when you put your mind to something, it can be done.

As you can probably tell, of all the projects I worked on during 2011, I am most proud of the Honor Flight quilts. These were such an honor to make and help distribute. I felt very close to my Dad while making these, and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried while I watched these veterans return from D.C. and join us in the hanger for the closing ceremonies. It was truly an amazing thing in which to participate. (Thanks Jeanette for telling me about it!)

I made some quilts in 2011 that pushed me to try new things. Glacier Star was probably the most obvious, but there were others. My Hunter's Star was a challenge (new ruler), as was working in basically all scraps on a number of projects. Check out pictures here, here, here and here. I am was a bit of a control freak and really struggled making scrap quilts. Well, that certainly has changed! I love making scrap quilts. It's so exciting to throw caution to the wind and not really know how it's going to look when you're done. Of course, there were times when it just didn't work and I spent some quality time with the seam ripper. :-)

Besides quilting, I participated in my fifth (5th) 3-Day Breast Cancer walk and even though I had some issues with dehydration during the walk, Lynn and I reached our goal of raising $5000 and that's all that matters. Since the first time I walked in 2007, I continue to be amazed at the people I meet during those weekends. Yeah, I understand that walking 60 miles with someone, sleeping in tents and peeing in porta-johns has its own special bonding technique, but I've met some of the most incredible people during those walks. Whenever I'm feeling bogged down or sorry for myself I just have to spend a little time thinking about those weekends and it doesn't take long for me to really put things back in perspective.

I'm proud to be part of the Girls' Night Out Charity and organize the Bras for a Cause. This year's event raised over $50,000 for four local cancer centers! It's a lot of work, but well worth the effort. I continued to volunteer for Stein Hospice and find that the time I spend with the patients and their families helps me probably more than it does them.

On the home front, 2011 was a busy year. Lynn and Ty got engaged, Zach graduated from paramedic school, Jack started another year of teaching ESL, and Nikki and Zach announced that they are execting another baby in early April.

2012!! There'll be a new baby and a new son-in-law! WooHoo!!!  :-)

I know there will be surprises and challenges; but I plan to take each day and be thankful for what I have and "just deal" with the problems. I am excited to learn new things, quilt-related included, and hope that I succeed in helping at least one person learn something new and enjoy their life just a little bit more.

I don't make resolutions, so I won't say that I'm going to use "X" amount of fabric or make "Y" number of quilts. I'd like to lose weight, but I'm not going to say how much or in what time frame (that never really works for me). Instead, I think I will strive to be healthier in 2012 than I was in 2011. I will continue to volunteer, but I don't know how many hours and in what capacity. I seriously doubt I will walk the 60 miles again this year, but I will be involved somehow. I'd like to continue teaching some quilt classes, but I don't know when, where or what.

As you can tell, 2012 promises to keep me busy but I'm not quite sure how. I will simply do what I can and hope that what I do makes an impact. I think that's really all I can ask, don't you think?