A Little Help with your 2018 Resolution

by Mary Beth Krapil

We welcome the new year with anticipation and excitement. There’s lots of great things in store for you from Handi Quilter in 2018. We hope you will join us.

The new year is always thrilling with the thought of all the wonderful possibilities it brings. But then, someone mentions New Year’s resolutions. Buzz kill. Something you know you should do, but something you know will end up by the wayside in a very short time. It’s no fun to start off with looming failure. So I’ve decided to pick something that will be fun and give me a sense of accomplishment. Want to join me?

Handi Quilter is all about finishing more quilts. I don’t know about you, but the majority of quilters have a few (that’s a nice word) unfinished projects. You don’t have the right tools, you run out of time, you lose interest because a new, fun project comes along, you have to make a quilt for so-and-so’s new baby. There are lots of ways those UFO’s can pile up. I have a LOT, in various stages of completion. I have resolved to finish some UFO’s (Un-Finished Objects) in 2018. Notice, I am not putting a number there. Each time I finish something, I can rejoice in my accomplishment. Doesn’t that sound like fun? And I am not putting pressure on myself to finish 1 a month or 20 in 2018. I am going to finish some.

I started off with a bang! and I made it easy on myself. I quilted a quilt that I had pieced in a class on precision piecing with Sally Collins in 2007. It’s a miniature, 13″ x 13″.

So that’s one, and one does not make some. I will have to finish more to keep my resolution. But it really feels good, so I am motivated to keep going. Motivation, that is the key.

To help with motivation, it’s always more fun to do things with others. American Patchwork and Quilting magazine is hosting a UFO challenge. You can follow along with the staff of the magazine and their readers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #APQResolution, to be inspired to finish more of your own projects. It is said, if you write it down, you are more likely to do it, so they provide you with a chart. You can download it here. You can list 12 of your UFO’s. Each month they will randomly draw a number from 1-12. That’s the project you will work on for the month. You can see what others are doing by joining the Facebook group.

Here’s one member’s accomplishment so far:

I wish I could say the same.

Post pictures of your progress using the hashtags #APQResolution and #HandiQuilter and let others rejoice with you and be inspired by you.

I can suggest another motivator in the Handi Quilter Ruler of the Month club. It will help with the problem of not having the right tools. When you join, you will get exclusive ruler kits and tutorials delivered straight to your local quilt shop each month! The HQ Ruler of the Month Club is a great opportunity to challenge your quilting skills and build ruler work confidence. Each month in the six-month series features a debut acrylic ruler paired with mentorship from your local shop, step-by-step video instruction and design ideas. You’ll save with a discounted price on each ruler and at the end of the 6 months you’ll get a special fun gift.

The Ruler of the Month Club rulers will not be available to the public till the end of the 6 month club. Find your participating retailer here, just put in your location and check the Ruler of the Month box. If there is not a retailer in your area, many offer a by-mail option. Just give one closest to you a call to inquire.

Let’s all make 2018 a great year filled with new finished quilts!