I haven't really sewn anything since before Thanksgiving last year.  It has been so long since I've been able to live my normal life but I'm getting better.  And I'm reclaiming my sewing machine.

I decided to ease with short spurts of sewing and with a simple project.  I made this table heart above a couple years ago.  I needed a gift for a friend and thought it was a perfect little project to remake.

I love working with 2.5" squares.  And I really think valentine fabrics are so sweet.  I used a combination of reds from my stash including some Pam Kitty fabrics.

I trimmed the heart and sandwiched the heart with a batting scrap and some valentine fabric.  Then I machine quilted the blocks in an X pattern.  Simple.  Still, even with a simple project, I had some unpicking to do.  I'm just a little rusty but I'll get it all back, soon.

All of you that are sewing along with Lori, you can put some squares together, too.   See Lori's blog and The Jolly Jabber for instructions.  Patchwork squares make me happy.

-nanette

At the end of the year I love to look around for fun calendars for the new year.  Sometimes it is hard to decide which ones I like best.

I have to have a quilt calendar for my sewing room, right?  This calendar is filled with photos of modern quilts.  It's something a little different to hang on the wall this year.

For my desk at work I chose this calendar called Backstreets.  It has photos of interesting streets and houses all over the world.

I love colorful houses in interesting shapes.  I'm not much of a traveler so this calendar can take me to places I'll never visit.

I also got a little calendar to keep right by the phone.  It is a vintage desktop calendar. I got it from this little Etsy shop called Writeables.  

It can sit anywhere and I can look at the pretty reproduction vintage gift wrap that is behind each month.

The designs are really cute and just darling from the 50s-60s.  

I think these months are my favorite.  I'm ready for the new year now.  Christmas is put away and 2013 is a memory of blessings and trials.  I wonder what 2014 brings....

-nanette