2013- Let's Do This!

2013 already. 2012 went by in such a blur. Most of it was spent in school. I even took classes all summer just so I could finish by December! In hindsight, it was probably not the best idea to start my Master's degree 3 weeks after finishing my Bachelor's. But at least it's all behind me now, right?

But other than school, 2012 was a pretty good year. I started sewing again and even finished my first two quilts! I also crocheted quite a bit and started this little blog :) Another doggy joined my little family, which has been a bit of a trial with the potty training and the chewing of the furniture, but it is all worth it in the end because she is such a sweetheart.

One thing I have to share- the most awesome Christmas present! One of my best friends and, incidentally, my boyfriend's sister made this for me:

She designed and printed fabric for me using Spoonflower! AHHH! It's so cute! She drew my dogs on a purple background, combining my favorite things in one pretty fabric. She's the BEST. What am I going to do with it?? I'm thinking a cuddle quilt for the couch... But I need some coordinating fabrics first. And I have a few other things on the agenda before a get to it... So without further ado...

So what's in store for 2013? More quilts! I am going to use these pretty colors to make a hounds tooth quilt for my bed. The picture isn't the best, I know. The optimal time for photo-taking in this room isn't for another hour or so and I was impatient.

Moda Bella Solids- Aubergine and Natural

I absolutely can't wait for this quilt to be finished! I love hounds tooth and I love purple. You know what makes my boyfriend the BEST EVER? That he lets me put purple things on our bed and doesn't complain :D  He would probably let me girly up the whole bedroom without saying a word. But I won't do that to him. At least not now ;) This will be my first quilt of the year. Exciting! I might even try to quilt it myself. Maybe. And if I chicken out because it will be HUGE, I know of two local long arm quilters I could send it off to... We shall see.

Other exciting things! I am participating in a Bee, a Swap, and a BOM. Yes, I am just jumping right into the quilting community with both feet :)

The swap is the Low Volume Charm Swap organized by Lori H. Designs. I have never participated in a swap before, so it's a new and exciting thing for me. I have been admiring the low volume quilts around blog land from afar so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to get my hands on a wide variety of pretty low volume fabric to make a pretty low volume quilt. Would you like to see my fabrics?

Pretty little stacks of charms!

All sorted and ready to be sent off

The next thing I signed up for is the Newbee Quilters bee over at Threadbias. I saw this group on Threadbias and knew I had to join. I wanted to participate in a bee, but being a new quilter, I was intimidated by the beautiful bee blocks I saw around blog land- would I be able to make blocks as well? What if I messed up and ruined the bee? Very scary prospect. This was a perfect answer. A bee just for newbies like myself! Much less pressure. Now I just have to decide on a block!

And the last thing I have jumped into:

The Skill Builder Block of the Month by Alyssa at Pile O Fabric! I just found Alyssa's blog after seeing the info for this BOM on another blog I subscribe to and I'm so glad I did! This is the perfect way for me to practice my quilting skills throughout the year in a low pressure environment. I am having a bit of trouble deciding on fabric, though. I think I would like to have a black background like Alyssa, but maybe with shades of green, teal, blue and purple? I must spend some more time looking through photos and palettes and everything before I buy any fabric... 

So, there you have it. Quilts in the works, a BOM, a Bee, and a Swap! Plus other little things here and there... like finishing some late Christmas presents and a house warming gift for a friend. But I will talk more about those some other time :)

Linking up to WiP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!