New Year, New Focus

I didn't do much crafting last year.  Life was just too busy, I guess.  I lost focus.  My Etsy store has had almost no sales for months and months.  The beaded bookmark market has dried up.  About mid-year, though, I decided to check out Instagram a little closer, and discovered a bunch of wonderful quilters posting beautiful photos every day.  I decided that was the focus I needed.  Quilting is probably my first love when it comes to crafting, and I have ignored it way too much over the past few years (too many years, that I try not to count or think about it).  Through Instagram, I joined the first #IGMiniSwap, my first quilt swap.  We were to make a mini quilt for a secret partner, and we would get one in exchange from a different secret partner.  Here's what I made:

Long story short, I realized how much I missed quilting and creating with fabric.  But I also realize that I needed an extra push now and then, so I've decided to join A Lovely Year of Finishes in hopes that I will get things accomplished this year, and make my life happier by doing so.

One of the people I "met" through Instagram was my swap mama for the mini quilt swap, Heidee.  Heidee has asked quilt friends to make her a hexie flower for a quilt she wants to create.  Each quilter is to send an English Paper Pieced flower.  I've never done English Paper Piecing, but I'm always up for a challenge!  I have chosen completing my hexie flower as my January project.  Starting out simple, I know.  But I've got to start somewhere.  Plus I have at least the next two months worth of projects already figured out.  Two of Heidee's flowers are below.