A New Year's Goals

Every new year begins with promise, and I hope, for you, positivity continues all the way through the coming year.  At our house, we talk of losing weight - as we do every year - and finishing a few projects.  Paul wants to work on maintaining our garage door so it doesn't need replacing.  One of the cables broke a few weeks ago, and the repairman told him the wood is beginning to rot.  Even though I'd like him to turn his attention to cleaning out all the papers in the computer room, I think this outdoor project is more likely to get attention.  It's far less daunting than all the papers accumulated through writing four books and numerous articles over the last six years.

For me, as always, there are projects undone, but I have already begun sorting through fabric, notions, patterns, and books with an eye to streamlining the sewing room.  First of all, I am going to see if anyone in my guild wants my Q-snap quilting frame which has languished under a bed for the last 15 years.  I just don't use a frame or even a hoop when hand quilting these days since I do so little of it.  The "Atlantic Flyway" wallhanging I'm quilting is simply pin-basted and in a bag for easy portability.  I work on it at guild meetings and will take it south in February.  I'll go through my hoops, too, and perhaps divest myself of the one our late dog Max used to jump through to impress our B&B guests.

There are two baskets of fabric, etc., ready to take to the "free" table at the next guild meeting.  I have a couple more desk drawers to sort through, and then I will move some of the items from the top of my old desk into the drawers of the other.  In spring, I plan to buy a table which allows my Viking Rose to sit level with the top for easier quilting.  This will mean getting rid of my old one-drawer desk and using the other desk as a desk instead of as a sewing table.  I also want to get a 1/4" foot for the Rose because in certain light, despite additional light in the room, my seams seem to waver a bit.

Today, after I sew the final border on,  I hope to take a picture of the Birds in the Air quilt I've been putting together.   Then I'll make the binding before hanging them in the closet for quilting... manana.  I need to prepare a few backs and double-check my supply of thread so that I can do a little quilting on those snow-bound days that are sure to come.  My other next projects include getting 5" half-square triangles ready to mail for a swap, preparing pieces of a wool applique candlemat, and finishing up Paula's round robin appliqued border.  Guess the latter will have to have top priority in order to be ready in a few weeks.