It's a Crafting Year!

Because I'm just not busy enough (Whoa! My tongue just got stuck in my cheek!), I've decided to take a quilting class! I wanted to take one so badly while I lived in Spokane, but I was working full time, traveling a lot, and then had a baby; so that didn't happen. But I figure, hey, if not now, when, right? (Wow- lots of commas in that sentence). So I joined a Block of the Month club at the Sharman Sewing Center in town. My friend, Kim, did it last year (it was an 18 month quilt) and will be doing it this year, too, but at a different time than the class I am taking... because I'm taking a tap class during her time. Yes, I'm not busy at all.

The quilt in question looks like this:

 I'm doing the white one. It's a really awesome program because I paid $5 for the material for the first square. If I bring that square back completed to the next class, I get the next square pieces for free. I can continue that for the entire year and end up with a finished quilt front (I'd still have to buy backing and edges) for just $5!! There is a registration fee of $15 for the binder with color instructions and reminder stickers for the calendar. But still, that's an awesome deal! If you have to miss a class or if you don't get your square done in time, you pay $5 for the next square- so that is incentive to do your homework!

Here are some pics of the projects I did just before Christmas for a friend of mine. She has 3 young girls and a boy and wanted some special, hand-made gifts for them this year. The hooded cowls were a little challenging as I did not have a pattern. A little trial and error happened, but they came out pretty nice, I think! Check out my cute models, too (one of which was not happy that day).

 This next picture is of a project that I have been working on for myself, which means that it always gets put aside when other things come up. I started it last summer during crochet club. Oh, I don't know if I told you that I joined a crochet club last year! I think it was around March or so that I joined Graceful Hands, a club that meets at Grace Creek Church in Longview. We have since moved to Woodland Hills Baptist Church on the loop and meet every Tuesday night. I can't believe that it has been less than a year since I joined because these ladies are now my closest friends in Texas! 

Anyway, I started this project sometime last summer and worked on in for a couple weeks (so, 2 or 3 evenings total). I put it aside to do something else, can't remember what. Then I did the things above. Then I did a wrap for donation. Now I'm working on some scarves for my brother. But sometime in the next few years you might see me in something like this:  

Aside from learning to quilt this year, I am also signed up for a day long embroidery class next month and I'm going to be knitting one of the scarves for my brother. I've knitted a tiny bit before- literally, a very small sample- but I'm happy to have an easy project to practice on. 

So, what are you learning this year? I encourage you to do something: read some non-fiction, learn a skill, practice something you want to improve on. And I'll try to post anything I finish (here's hopin').