Happy New Year! 2019

Well, 2019 is upon us and I am ready for a new year and new beginnings!  2018 was a difficult year for my family, but hopefully 2019 will be better.

The 1st Annual Quilters Journey Retreat will be January 24-27, 2019.  I have 11 signed up (including myself).  I have a lot planned for the Retreat.  We will have 3 classes offered.  One will be making a zippered bag with a fabric license plate.  There will be one on doing hand work with a little bit of applique'.  The third one is making a quilt using a Jelly Roll (2 1/2" strips) and a Layer Cake (10" squares).  There will be lots of time for sewing, good food, rest, and goodies to take home with you.  We will be doing two charity projects in the evenings, which are optional to participate in.  One will be making pillowcases for Russell House, which is a local women's and children's shelter.  The other is to make blocks for quilts that will be donated to the Veteran's Home in St. James, MO.  All fabric will be provided for these projects.  I am looking forward to this Retreat!  I hope you signed up and are looking forward to it, too.  It should be a great time to get some sewing done with no interruptions! 

It's time to start a new Third Saturday Sampler Quilt!  Are you ready to start a new quilt?  The Third Saturday Sampler is on the third Saturday of each month.  Come in January on the third Saturday at 10:00!  Please try not to be late.  You may miss some important information.  I will show you the first block and tell you how to make it.  Purchase your block for $5.00.  Take it home, make it, bring it back the next third Saturday for the next block.  You will receive your next block free if you are there at 10:00 the third Saturday of the month with your block finished.  We will start with an easy block and then progress to harder blocks.  This year's quilt will be done with black and white fabrics and another color or two.  So, join us January 19th to start the new Third Saturday Sampler Quilt!

What goals have you set for the New Year?
I would like to work out a system to use up scrap fabrics.  I just read a book on Kindle that I downloaded some time ago called Scrapstashtic Quilts by Janellea Macbeth.  She developed her own system of cutting up scraps and using every scrap, even the tiny bits that most people throw away.  She used them as stuffing to make toys and dog beds.  I have used them to make a large dog bed and have been saving those tiny bits for another one.  My kids each have a large dog, so when I get two done I can give them each a dog bed for my granddogs.  I probably have enough to make another dog bed, I just need to sew up a large piece of fabric to put all the scraps in. 
I would also like to finish up some things I started many years ago.  I look around my room downstairs where my quilting machine is and at the shelves I have around the house and see all the boxes of projects I have started and not finished.  How much time would it take to finish one of them?  Probably not very long.  Why didn't I finish it at the time I was making blocks?  Did I decide I didn't like it?  Did I get bored with it?  Was there a problem with the blocks?  I don't know.  Maybe I should get one of those out and put it together.  Maybe I didn't like it after I started it.  I could donate it to a local charity.  I have so many quilt.  Why do I need another one?  There are people in my family who do not have a quilt that I have made.  I had a goal to make a twin size quilt for all my great nieces and nephews for Christmas last year, but didn't make it.  That is 14 quilts!  Fourteen twin size quilts!  I could try to finish that goal for this next Christmas.  I did get a lot of twin size quilts pieced for Strip Club.  I didn't get them all quilted, so I could finish them and then I will be close to having enough to give them for Christmas this year. 
The Salem Quilt Guild is doing a UFO Challenge.  We listed 6 quilts we wanted to finish this year.  Rolled a dice and we have two months to finish that quilt.  I have 3 of mine already quilted, binding is not finished yet, but they are quilted.
I also have several quilt kits that I have purchased and was going to make.  I need to get them out and cut them out so they are ready to sew.  I ordered another one yesterday!  Okay, I have a lot to do.  I should cut out up to take to the Retreat! 
Okay, I am rambling now.  I will stop for now. 
To sum up some goals for 2019:
     1. Cut up scraps to use up.  Develop a system to manage them.
     2. Finish an old project.
     3. Cut out kits that I have purchased and start sewing them.
     4. Finish 14 twin size quilts for the Greats.
     5. Finish UFO list.

That should be enough to work on.  What are your 2019 Quilting Goals?  Leave a comment and share what you want to get done this year.

Happy Quilting!
Terrie