2012 UFO Bust-The Master List

Last January I joined Susan at Blackberry Creek in her 2011 UFO Busters group.  I had so much fun watching everyone finish their UFOs and I even completed a few of my own!  This group was really the push I needed to actually QUILT my quilts instead of letting them pile up while I started new projects.  Here's my list:

1. Love Quilt
2. Bliss
3. My very first quilt
4. Floating Lilypad
5. Rehab
6. Twilight Sampler
7. H & I's
8. Christmas Sampler
9. Layer Cake Quilt Along
10. Binding Purse 
11. Apron
12. Flip Flop tote bag

I completed 5 projects! 

My Christmas Sampler is almost complete.  I am nearly done sewing on the binding and I just have a few last minute quilting to complete.  My Rehab quilt went through some serious quilting and it is 75% done.  Two more started out as blocks and are now tops.  I didn't touch my Layer Cake quilt along, my Apron, or my Floating Lilypad UFOs. 

I'm calling this list 60% done.  

We decided to keep up the UFO Busters for another year.  This is my 2012 list:

1. Christmas Sampler

2. Guild Charity Quilt

3. Rehab

4. Floating Lilypad

5. Twilight Sampler

6. H & I's

7. Apron

8. Layer Cake Quilt Along

9. Boot Bash

10. Jewel in the Crown 

11. Civil War Sampler Quilt

12. Black and White Delight

That is more than enough to keep me busy all year!  I want to beat my record of 5 finishes.  Most of these are really large quilts, so wish me luck!  Come join us, it's never too late to start Busting some UFO's!

2012 Plans

Happy 2012!

So many good things happened in 2011. I can't wait to see what 2012 holds!

Our wedding picture from 2010

Family: My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We are so happy and in love. Every day gets better. He is my quilty husband and my perfect match. We really got a foothold in our life together this year. After taking a huge risk in 2010 and moving to Sacramento, CA to find work, we both landed good jobs with the state of CA. We saved enough money to put a down payment on a home. We just started looking and know that in 2012 we will be buying our home. We have a handle on our finances and some lofty financial goals in 2012 (pay off his car, reduce our debt, and explore options for starting our own business). Hopefully this year we may be adding to our happy family.

Self Improvement: I went back to school this year. I took an Accounting class to be eligible for a promotion at work. I got an A! It was so fun that I'll be taking another class this semester. Small Business/Entrepreneurship. I'm very excited.

Home cooking, yum!

I also want to get more fit. Since I stopped eating gluten I have more control over my health. I have more energy. Now I'm ready to get in shape and reconnect with my body. My focus in 2012 will be on organic, whole foods and a more active lifestyle.

Fire dancing in Maui, 2010

I would also like to get back to fire dancing. It's been a long time since I picked up my fire poi and I really want to learn some new tricks.  It's also a fabulous arm toner!

Work: I am ready for a promotion! Right now I'm a secretary. I want to take on more responsibility and receive higher pay. I've put a few applications out and hope that soon someone sees my potential and wants to hire me! My husband has a job interview next week for a promotional position that is closer to where we want to live (in the country, about an hour from Sacramento). Cross your fingers for him :)

We also want to open our own business. This is very important to us and this year we will be gearing up for it. No set goals, but we will be concentrating on research, business plans, and maybe starting a website. Basically, laying the groundwork :)

Our Wedding Quilt

Quilting: Now the fun stuff! I want to continue improving my FMQ. I want to make harder quilts. I want to make some smaller projects. I want to try some modern design quilts. I want to do some more handwork. I feel like I've been exploring and trying to find my style. I want to get better at finishing my projects and more importantly, starting new ones. I also want to make some gift quilts. I want to enter a quilt into the State Fair and the County fair.

2012 is going to be a great year! Bring it on :)

Merry Christmas!

The presents are wrapped...the cookies are baked...the house is clean...

Mmmm...These Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies are delicious! Also try these amazing Snickerdoodles. They are flourless and sugarless. I brought them to a potluck at work last week and people were stopping me in the hallway to give me compliments on the cookies! I didn't bother to tell anyone they were gluten-free and ridiculously healthy :)

I've made it my goal for people to get to know me and say "Wow, I never knew you were gluten-free!"

This year we wrapped our presents with materials lying around the house. I used recycled brown grocery bags and some fabric and trim pieces. Cute! They look great under the tree :) I used a glue stick to make it super simple.

I'll be spending the next few days with my family. Cooking, eating, laughing. Sewing the binding on my Xmas quilt (yes, still!).

I hope you have a

and a quilty New Year!

FNSI and Giveaway Winner

Good morning! Happy Sunday! I am having a fabulous weekend. I went to a meeting of the Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild. It was fun and I can't wait to hang out more with these girls! My husband and I also looked at houses yesterday and put an offer on one. Cross your fingers for us :)

I had so much fun reading all the embarrassing quilty confessions from my giveaway! If you have some time, read the comments. They will keep you in stitches :) I couldn't respond, but I read every one of them and had a great laugh.

The winner was picked by RNG and is:

Just Pam who said: "I think most of us have been there. My worst was finishing a large quilt that I gave away for a raffle. It was beautiful and I realize that I had one block that totally didn't belong. My quilt club told me no one who doesn't quilt would see it. The first question by the person I gave it to was what is the significance of that one odd ball block!"

Congrats! You won a $20.00 gift certificate to Green Fairy Quilts!

For FNSI I made an oven mitt for my aunt. I pulled her name for the gift exchange this year and thought it would be cute to wrap her spice grater in an oven mitt.

The tutorial was written by Melissa at Happy Quilting (hop over right now to enter her giveaway). It was easy to follow. You can basically make two lengths from this tutorial. I made the smaller one and it's perfect. I forgot to account for the directional print of my fabric. In order to have all the coffee cups facing up instead of tipped over on their sides, I had to make a smaller one. I wish I would have thought to add a loop in there for hanging.

I put her spice grater in the oven mitt and tied a lacy bow and that's how it's wrapped. I'm not using wrapping paper this season.

For more FNSI results, visit here

Have a quilty weekend :)

I've been Charmed

Have you had fun hopping?!  I know I did.  I found a ton of new blogs to follow. My poor Google Reader is going to be so stuffed! 

I haven't sewn in two weeks! Yikes.  I have a Santa bag full of excuses though.  Holidays. Cooking delicious gluten free food.  My last test in Accounting was tonight.  We got approved for a home loan and now just need to house-shop.  Exercise and diet for next month's trip to Hawaii.  Plus the usual work!

That's why I'm signing up for Friday Night Sew In! What a wonderful excuse to get some Me time :)  I want to make Oven Mitts for Christmas presents.  I've been itching to start a new project.  I have so many in progress right now though.

I got this fabulous present from a giveaway hosted by Jeanette at Inchworm Fabrics. I won the book (by Me and My Sister Designs) and a Ruby charm pack. I threw in some extra money and bought two more charm packs. Can't beat that deal! Thanks Jeanette :) This package has been sitting on my cutting table, just mocking me.

Soon! I'll get to you soon!

Have fun at FNSI. Forget everything else and take a night for yourself. Make your husband cook dinner. Make the cats pick up the house. Skip your exercising and park yourself at your sewing machine!

Blog Hop Party Giveaway!

Welcome to the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop!

I'm so happy you are here! I'm Jen and I love everything Quilty!

I'm an advanced beginner. That means that I have a good idea of what I'm supposed to be doing and what it's supposed to look like when I'm done, but sometimes it looks like a kindergartner did it. What can I say? I'm a kid at heart. And a kid at art, apparently ;)

I'm not just talking little things either, like wonky blocks or points that don't touch. I'm a serious quilty transgressor. I'm guilty of sewing through my finger. Of accidentally sewing my back to the front during FMQ. Of sewing the same block wrong 3 times in a row. Of paper-piecing the word JOY completely backwards and not realizing until I finished it. My most embarrassing quilty moment was threading embroidery floss through my sewing machine. My pattern said to embroider and I didn't want to do it by hand, so I carefully threaded my machine! Luckily, I wasn't able to thread the needle. I can only imagine the mess I would have made had I actually started "embroidering!"

I know what you are thinking:

"What a dork!"

And

"Get to the giveaway already!"

Ok, ok!

I am giving away something that you will love!

Would you love one of these?:

Or how about two of these:

Or maybe a bit of this:

Because I'm giving away $20.00 to Green Fairy Quilts! You get to decide what you get!

Just leave a comment. Make it interesting! Tell me about your most embarrassing Quilty moment or your oldest UFO or your dream project.

Just make it A Quilty comment!

If you are a follower, leave a second comment. That way I can show my followers some love!

Happy Hopping!

Fun at Quilting Gallery

There's lots of Star Quilts at the Quilting Gallery today! This is most entries I've ever seen in a category. Quilters love their star patterns :)

I entered my  Bliss Quilt

And here are some of my favorites:

From Sew Much Better

From Jelly's Blog

From Quilts Sew Shabby

Cast your vote for your favorites at Quilting Gallery!

And while you're there...

Check out Blog Hop coming soon! I'll be signing up to give away a prize right here and I can't wait to pick something special out for you guys!

Have a quilty weekend!

OMG~ I totally just figured out how to center my post.  I've been blogging for 2 years and I'm still learning the basics!!  Happy Friday :)