Looking Back- 2011!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  We still have toys scattered everywhere across the house, and we are taking things slow this week.  I am always impressed with people who can hop right back to "regular" life.  I am not one of those. ;0p  I  have a few things I finished this month that I still have yet to share, but I have been thinking a lot about this past year.  Jessica over at A Little Gray is hosting a "A Year in Sewing", and I thought I would get my post written before I get distracted! 

This year I  think my love of quilting and small patchwork definitely took over!  These are all the pillows, mug rugs, minis, and other small patchwork that I made this year!  My love for quilting has definitely grown this year, but I admit that I like quilting mostly on a small scale.  The basting and quilting of large quilts always makes my procrastinating nature kick in!

However, when going back through my Flickr I realized I actually completed 8 quilts!   Most of these were completed the first half of this year.

I definitely stretched my quilting skills more this year especially with joining in on the Kaleidoscope QA and the Summer Sampler QA.  These are the two at the top that I still have not finished.  Kaleidoscope blocks are tricky and stretchy and not friendly!  However, I am happy I stuck with it and finished them.  I also learned how to foundation paper piece through the Summer Sampler QA and loved it!  I really enjoyed making all of those blocks.  The bottom two are my Turning Twenty quilt for our bed and a block from my Fussy Cut Bee quilt.  My first goal of 2012 is finishing these four quilts!

Here are some of the bags, wallets, and pouches I made this year.  I love making bags, and I only wish my closet wasn't exploding already with all the bags I have made over the past few years or you would probably be seeing a lot more. ;0)

I also went through a clothing spree this spring.  I made a number of tops for myself and skirts and dresses for the girlies.  I conquered my fear of knits and fell in love with Lil Blue Boo's Pieced Tunic pattern.  I made four of them!   I am definitely not a seamstress though and have realized that I don't have much desire to make complicated and involved patterns. 

This year I participated in many, many swaps and two quilt-a-longs.  I got to be a part of Mug Rug Madness, and I hosted my first online "event", Finish It Up!  I even wrote a couple of tutorials.  I got to go to The Sewing Summit and meet lots of new sewing peeps.  My sewing has gone through a number of stages this year.  Over the summer I seriously felt a little bit too addicted to sewing, and it felt like an obsession.  This might sound silly to some, but I am sure some of you understand.  It didn't feel right.  However, getting pregnant definitely reversed that problem. ;0p  Now I feel the need to create a little schedule for myself so I can fit some more regular sewing in a bit more. 

I have a feeling 2012 will have a little less swapping, and I would really like to finish up the quilt tops I have going on, so I can start other quilts guilt free.  I am hoping to do a little more stash busting, and just try to make sure I am making things I love and not because I feel I have to!  My life is busy right now, and I want to make my sewing a fun, creative outlet.  

What about you?  Do you have big plans for the new year?  Do you feel the need for a change in your sewing habits or are you happy with where you are at?