New Year's Resolutions? Nah!

The above pics are just some things that I needed to finish for customers before Christmas.

The black pics are the back of the peacock quilt.  It was made for a daughter who belongs to Chi Omega, and her mom wanted me to incorporate that into her quilt.

 

  It's that time of year, again, when everyone seems to think that making some New Year's Resolutions is a good idea.  Ehhhh...not so much for me!  I know myself, and here is how it goes...I start thinking..." ----- would be a really good idea.  I should work really hard on it, and make it one of my New Year's Resolutions.  Ok, I will do it."  Week One:  All is well, resolve is strong, success is assured.  Week Two:  This is starting to lose its thrill, but I am going to gut it out.  Week Three:  This sucks, and I am no longer going to do it.  Week Four:  Life is back to normal.  I ask you...does this sound like fun to you?
  Rather than making an "all or nothing" resolution, I think this year, I will make 5 goals for the new year.  Nothing that requires a daily commitment, nothing that can be measured weekly but, rather, goals that must be measured and evaluated at the end of the year, and nothing that is going to stress me out and make me feel bad about myself if I fail.  O.K.---scratch that last one.  I always feel bad when I fail.  Call it "oldest child syndrome," but it is tough for me to admit failure.  I always want to be the best at what I choose to pursue.
   I think I will talk this over with my husband and see if he has any ideas for me.  Who knows...maybe he might even want to join me in setting some mutual goals for our marriage.  This could be fun after all!
 

Learning New Things

Sometimes we really get in a rut of doing what we are comfortable doing.  It is easy to just do what we know how to do in many areas of our lives.  That holds true for quilting, as well.  I know a lot of techniques, but I also have so much to learn.  Whenever a new tool comes out, I look at it and I think,  "Is this worth my time to figure out?"  Too often, the answer is "Not right now.  Maybe later."  However, I recently took a class using Deb Tucker's Rapid Fire Hunter's Star.  I LOVE IT!  This tool really makes creating 8-pointed stars easy.  The options in the tool for several sizes and either 2, 3, or 4 colors make it well worth the price.  After a one day class, I was comfortable enough to make another project on my own, and then, ultimately, to teach the class to others.  It just goes to show that it can pay off to try new things!  My next new thing?  I am going to try the wedge ruler and the Spicy Spiral Table Runner pattern.
  P.S.  I am very busy quilting for customers that need their quilts done in time for Christmas gifts.  I am looking forward to hanging out with family and taking at least a week off from quilting at the end of the month, but for now, my nose is to the grindstone!