Hello 2012

Happy New Year everyone!! Did everyone ring in the new year with a bang?  Not here, well, I mostly rang in the new year and then some in my pj’s.  🙂  2011 was an amazing year and I was sad to see it go in many ways.  I’ll never forget 2011 because it was the year I began my longarm quilt journey.  It’s fun to look back through the year and see my progress.  It was exactly a year ago today that Jamie Wallen came over to set me up!!  I can’t believe it’s been a year!!

I think I met more new people aka quilters in 2011 than I’ve met in my whole life.  Many are new friends through blogging and many were through longarm quilting.  It was fun to meet faraway clients in person like JoAnne, who lives in my favorite vacation place of all time…Hawaii!!  It’s been really nice to make new connections and bonds through quilting.  I hope to do the same or more in 2012.
 
I’m really looking forward to 2012.  It’ll be fun to see how my longarming skills will continue to grow and expand.  I’m hoping to squeeze in a little more time for my own stuff, which didn’t always happen in 2011.  Learning to longarm takes serious time!  But that’s okay because I had a blast playing foster mom to lots of gorgeous quilts!! 🙂  Another Year of Schnibbles is starting this month!!  I’m way excited to participate in that.  Le Petite was a blast!!  Are any of you joining in??  You should.  I’ve been lurking around in Blogland and looks like there is going to be some awesome participants.

So I did have one last finish for 2011.   

An Apple Core quilt!!!  Can you believe it only took me a few hours to make??  Honest.  It’s because the center is a printed panel!!!  Looks pretty good though, doesn’t it? 🙂  I’ve always wanted an Apple Core quilt, but knew I would never make one.  I just happened to see this quilted and on display at Life’s A Stitch Quilt Shoppe in Janesville Wisconsin.  Last November, my girlfriends and I stopped in Janesville on our pilgrimage to Quilter’s Paradise aka Primitive Gatherings.  I didn’t realize it was a “cheater” panel until I was checking out the quilting.  FYI, I’m obsessed with the quilting on quilts now.  I loved it right from the word GO.  I thought it would be a fun quilt to quilt and throw on the couch.  Pat, the owner, is the nicest person.  Her shop is well worth a visit if you ever get the chance.  Anyways, I whipped this up in a few hours while on our retreat at The Gatherings.  Another amazing aspect of 2011, finally going to Primitive Gatherings!!  Lisa, her staff and mom where the best hostesses!!!  A trip I will never forget.

Stop back tomorrow and see what we worked on at the retreat.  It’s a beauty!!  It’ll be my first Wooly Friday for 2012.

Thanks everyone for helping to make 2011 so special.  Best wishes to all of you in the coming year!