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2013 At Patchwork Times

As 2013 approaches, I’ve tried to think of some fun ways to keep us busy and motivated.  Here are the ideas I’ve come up with.

  1. Sunday Stash Reports will continue.  You do not need to know how much fabric is in your stash to participate!  All you need to do is report how many yards were used in the past week, as well as how many yards were added during that same time, as well as a running total if desired.  There’s no commitment.  I never keep up with who reports and who doesn’t. You can do it one week, skip 10 or 40 weeks and do it again . . it’s up to you!
  2. Monday Design Wall posts will continue.  I love seeing those pictures and reading your blog posts about your current projects.
  3. Friday’s On the Needles posts will continue.
  4. The Stars & Stripes project will continue.  We’re in the first quarter of that one and the second quarter will begin on January 1.
  5. Quiltathons will continue monthly.  The dates are listed in my left sidebar.
  6. The Color Palette Challenge is changing.  We will again have a monthly project sponsored by Vicki.  Look for more information on this project on December 5.
  7. The UFO project is changing.  The new project will be called “Get it Done!”  Here’s how it will work.  On the last day of each month, we will list four “things” we want to get done during the next month.  It will all be quilt related projects.  My list could look like this:
  • Make 80 half square triangles for Nicole’s Sofa Quilt.
  • Complete 8 blocks for the New Beginnings Quilt.
  • Bind the second Texas quilt.
  • Quilt the violet monochromatic top.

This project is designed to help us break down projects into more “do-able” goals and get them done.

6.  A new project/challenge is going to be called “What’s Cooking?”  It’s kinda like that show where they get a surprise box of ingredients and have to use them.  On Wednesday, I will list a few ingredients — maybe two, maybe more, and you need to come up with a recipe to use those.  You actually have to cook it and share pictures!  It will not be weird ingredients like pig brain or things that might be hard to find locally.  You can use recipes you find on the internet, and if that’s what you’re using without changing anything, please link to those recipes.  If you’re modifying a recipe or sharing one of your own, please share that recipe with us also.  I anticipate having ingredients like:

  • strawberries and blueberries – where you could make some kind of salad or muffins or dessert
  • Italian sausage and spinach – some kind of soup or layered pasta dish comes to mind
  • bacon and brown sugar – recently I saw a recipe for bacon jam or, baked beans comes to mind

I would like for us to get creative and have fun in the kitchen.  Most of us have to cook . . let’s make it fun!  You will have a whole week to get your dish made and then share a link on the next Wednesday’s post.  No whining!  Be adventurous.  There are going to be some things you just don’t like and you may not want to participate that week.  That’s fine.  You may not eat pork so the bacon week, you may sit out.  That’s fine.

Let’s have some fun in 2013!  Let’s get lots of quilting and knitting done and let’s try some new foods and new recipes!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I like the new ideas that you have come up with . “What’s Cooking?” sounds like it could be really fun.

    I’m glad that you won’t be doing “weird” things — I love watching “Chopped” except for some of the ingredients that they are given to work with. Sometimes I can’t believe how they come up with some of their ideas with so little time!

    Here’s hoping that 2013 gets me motivated to get more things done!

    Sherry

  2. That sounds like a lot of fun!

    Oh yeah – re bacon – there IS turkey and beef bacon – but if a person is keeping kosher – I don’t know if there is the equivalent. there ARE other dietary restrictions that may challenge, though

  3. Oh yeah – and I love the way the UFO project is set up – mostly because I’m one who wants to do the sun moon and stars all in pink and purple stripes in less than 2 hours time! Sorry – not do-able! But with what you said re goals – oh yeah – I really like that!

  4. good ideas Judy. You keep us hopping but I could never catch up with you. What energy you have.

  5. I’m starting to think you need to change the name of your blog to……..

    Energizer Bunny Times !!

    Can’t wait to see all the cooking ideas. Maybe I can participate in any of it by 2014. I’m hoping our remodel is done and we will be moved in by then!

  8. Mmm… I love the what’s cooking? idea! I am such a boring cook, and if I try this even every couple weeks, there will surely be some new recipes we all love!

  9. I love your blog. All of this sounds like a lot of fun! The kitchen challenge sounds fun. I’m vegetarian/mostly vegan but hope to join in when possible!

  10. I am on board for the Ufo goal setting plan and the Design Wall Monday. The rest I’ll just sit and watch. Maybe I’ll knit some too, I joined a Knitting group so I’m re-learning. I’ve linked up a couple times. Nothing fancy yet.

  11. I cant wait to see how the Color Pallete Challenge is changing. I’ve enjoyed keeping up with those monthly projects in 2012

  12. ooh — Get It Done! — is somewhat like I’ve been doing with my Christmas BOM — one or two blocks each month and I’ just about have a new Christmas quilt top (just 2 more blocks and the border). I was thinking about using the same plan with either my Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler or Just Takes Two next year. Of course you didn’t say I couldn’t simply list 4 blocks from one of the quilts, did you? I still need 63 of those 6″ SBS blocks and at least 45 – many applique for the JT2 top so it would be more like 5 or 6 SBS blocks and 4 or 5 from JT2.

  13. I am doing something similiar on my blog but I am doing a list. I work better that way. I like your ideas.

  14. I’m excited to start tracking my stash and bust a ton of UFO’s in 2013. Maybe even some yarn UFOs (I have constellations of UFOs hidden for every craft I’ve ever loved). What’s Cooking sounds like fun too!

  15. Thanks so much! You really give so much; i appreciate you. So, all year i have watched the stash report… I’m ready! I just read an old post by Bonnie Hunter @ her fabric buying withdrawal experience. I’m pretty sure the combination of weekly stash reporting & monthly “get ‘er done” goals will be a big help for me. Accountability, well frequent accountability helps me immensely.
    I love to cook, and am fairly intuitive and creative, but rarely cook for myself, so i waste a lot of $ going out to eat. I just recently started cooking on the weekends and freezing some. I think your idea sounds like fun! And great timing for me. I just posted my first cooking post on my blog!
    As to knitting, my i’ve been doing more tinking than knitting… And all on the same project, so i stopped posting. For 2013 maybe i’ll try smaller projects: socks, cowls, hats & mittens.
    Your plans sound wonderfully grand… Thanks! Happy holidays. B

  19. Yeah, Judy & a big High Five!! I’m looking for to participating in these exciting plans with you in the new year! Penny in So CA

  20. That number 7 sounds like just what I need as I have UFOs of all varieties amd need something to get me to finish them, or at least some of them. Thank you!!!

  23. Looks like we all will be busy. Love the cooking idea!
    Hope to join in using my blog…still not what I want it to be but better than nothing. Just have to keep at it…like a habit. but my mind thinks rut instead of habit. With this being just about my favorite blog, I should be more active with my blog and share the wealth of your knowledge, and humor.

  25. Your plans for 2013 sound like something I would like to join in on. The recipe plan sounds like fun.. I think I would like to try the plan to name four things to finish for the following month. Maybe I will finally finish something!?

  26. I like the change to the UFO Challenge. 2012 was my first year for UFO Challenge and I found my projects changing during the year as new babies, patterns, fabrics, etc came into my life.
    Looking forward to getting a lot done in 2013 !!!!

  28. All of this sounds great!! Glad it is you that does the thinking on all of these projects. Have a question for you – do you have a certain book or way that one could learn to knit from? I haven’t been around anyone that knits and I would like to learn. Any help is greatly appreciated.

  29. Get It Done is a great idea! I need to set goals for knitting as well as quilting, though. It’s much too easy for me to spend more time looking at patterns/fabric/yarn and dreaming than actually working on projects I’ve already started. 2013 will be a good time to get more done!

  30. looking forward to the new and very busy year of 2013. I have so many projects to do with so little time, a good swift kick will get me going and I love the recipe idea, I am doing weight watchers and have been trying to change ingredients around so that I can get at least a bite of what I am making. Looking forward to it 🙂

  31. I love the idea of “Get It Done”- still getting all those UFO’s finished but in small, bite sized chunks. I would also like to join in with the cooking idea, just hope I can find the ingredients or the UK equivalent. We mostly have the same raw ingredients but they are often called something different.

  32. Your themes are great — I love DWM!
    One of my ongoing resolutions is to make something from a new recipe every week. My repertoire of in-my-head recipes is pretty extensive so we eat a variety (healthy, too) but my stash of “try this sometime” clippings keeps growing.
    The Splendid Table on NPR has an occasional feature called Stump the Cook. Callers describe five ingredients in their refrigerators and host Lynne Rosetto Kasper comes up with a recipe that uses them all.
    Thank you, Judy, for providing gentle nudging and year-long inspiration!

  33. I’m so in for most of these! Love your ideas Judy! You won’t get any whining from me!
    I also don’t use pork products but I will certainly participate in the cooking part when I can!
    I have loved the UFO challange and have managed to get all but 2 UFO’s done except for the two months that I was moving.
    Thanks for all you do Judy.

  34. Thanks Judy for thinking up ways to keep us motivated. The Design Wall Mondays have really kept me in the game and provided a target for me to shoot for.

  36. Did I miss the details of next year’s colour palette challenge? You said you’d post Dec 5, but I just looked back and can’t find anything, other than your new medallion mystery.

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