Happy 2010!

Happy New Year, everyone! I never did get back to the blog over the holidays to write a proper greeting. On the radio this morning, the DJ's were saying that it's now officially too late to wish someone a happy new year, so I figured I'd better jump online and squeeze it in ASAP!

I also realized that I haven't been posting many pictures of the family lately, so I thought I'd share some highlights from the holidays. I didn't really get any pictures on Christmas Day, but here are a few from the weeks leading up to the holidays:

The dressier pictures are from a wedding we attended the weekend before Christmas. The kids' babysitter got married and asked my son to be the ring bearer! See the lollipop above? It was the bribe that got him to actually walk down the aisle. It was a fun night and the kids had a blast, especially once the music started and the dance floor opened up. It was fun to see a wedding through their eyes. They thought the bride looked like a princess!

2010 is already off to a great start, sewing-wise. Lots of cool new things to talk about!

First, round 8 of the Doll Quilt Swap has opened up over on Flickr. I had promised myself that I was going to sit this round out because I had fallen a bit behind in my block swaps before the holidays and it really stressed me out, but if you're a regular reader of my blog, you know how this story ends. Yes, I couldn't resist. I waited and waited and finally sent my info in -- I think I was one of the last 20 people admitted into the swap! I just couldn't help it. I really believe this is the gold standard of mini quilt swaps -- gobs of talented quilters continue to participate, and I'm excited to join in again. At least this time I refrained from being one of the swap moderators. That should help!

Here is the mosaic I created to share some of my current favorite pictures from Flickr with my swap partner:

Some pretty cool stuff, huh?

I've also started a new swap over on Flickr called the Hoop Up! Stitch & Send Swap. In this swap, each swapper is assigned to a group of 6 or 7 people and hand embroiders a small design for every member of the group. These designs are based on a theme selected by the recipient, and the completed pieces can be used in a quilt, a wall hanging, pillows, a table runner, or any number of cool items!

I've asked my group members to design something for me with a woodland theme, and here's the mosaic I created to provide some ideas and inspiration:

I love everything in this mosaic!

Finally, I want to put a call out to all of my fellow quilters in the Raleigh-Durham area. There are some people mobilizing to start a local branch of the Modern Quilt Guild for the Triangle area. If you're nearby and interested, check out this discussion thread on Flickr, or just leave me a comment (or shoot me an email) and I'll get you all of the pertinent details!

Have a great weekend, everyone!