Time To Get Ready!

Hi, all!

I'm sure if you're like me, you've been pondering some New Year's resolutions, wondering if you should make them public and therefore become accountable for actually keeping them.  It's a tough decision, I know!

And then I remembered that I promised a quilt-along for the Hands2Help challenge this year, and decided that I could combine keeping a resolution with keeping that promise!

So - - - this year, one of my resolutions is to get my scrap hoard under control, AND actually use some of it.  At my house, I have about twelve tubs of scraps that look like this…

…and I really want them to look more like this!  Neatly sorted, pressed, folded, and ready to be cut….

…with a lot more space in them to add the piles of scraps that aren't in the bins already because the bins are too full!

So for the past couple of days, since my minions left the job unfinished….  I've been turning piles of this...

Into nice neat piles that look like this! Isn't that pretty?  It's amazing how fulfilling it is to make that transition - I really feel like I've accomplished something!

And here's how it connects in with the Hands2Help Challenge...

Presenting the Sweet 16 Quiltalong 2015!!  The first week (next Sunday) I'll post several ways to make 16-patch blocks.  Basic, I know, but you've got to start somewhere!  

The following Sundays, as we are all making our blocks, I'll present a different design in which to use those blocks, one each week.  Make one, make a few, make them all, it's up to you!  And you can use those quilts for your Hands2Help contribution if you choose to, or just enjoy the quilt along on its own.  Just think - you'll have a quilt to enter in the Scrap Quilt Challenge hosted by the lovely Shannon of Fabrics N Quilts, too!  

Think of it as a way to keep your own scrappy New Year's resolution - you know you've got one lurking in the back of your mind!  

So right now, go grab that bag or bin or bucket of scraps you've got sitting around, sit down with your iron and press those babies into submission!  Just think, it will give you something constructive to do tonight while you are watching…

...the season premier of Downton Abbey!  (If you don't watch this show yet (really?) you should!)  I totally blame P. of The Way I Sew It for hooking me on this show….  So you know where I'll be at 8 pm CST tonight - tuned in to Downton and listening to my husband alternately gag and snore in the corner….  ;-)

And if you want to start cutting, you will need squares or strips to make your 16-patch blocks with.  I'll be using 2.5" squares and strips to make mine, but you don't have to be constrained to my size choices.  I'll also be posting a button this week that you can add to your blog - if I can remember how to make the silly thing work!  

So for now, ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!  And be sure to stop by next week when we really get started!!

Hugs!

Sarah