My second resolution is one that my friend & coworker Nancy Bednar and I came up with about eight years ago, and some years we've actually lived up to it for several months: I'm going to sew one thing every month that is NOT a class or article sample. Yep - I'm going to sew something just because I want to sew it! You might think that since I work for BERNINA I must sew all the time; not true. I'm around sewing machines and writing about them day and night, but I don't have much time to just play like I did when this was a hobby rather than my job. I've already started on this resolution - this morning I finished stitching a new skirt for myself - the My Label Pencil Skirt. Something new to wear! I didn't change the pattern much (just added a little more ease through the hips), but I made it in a brown knit rather than a woven fabric, and replaced the zipper & waistband with an elastic casing. I used a serger to stitch everything except the hem and the last bit of the waist seam (where the elastic went in), so it went together very quickly. That's January...now to come up with a project for February!

It's almost 2008 - what sewing projects do you have planned for the new year? My resolution is to organize my sewing space(s). I moved almost four months ago, and still have boxes stacked in my sewing room - boxes of thread, bins of fabric, bags of trim & lace, containers of sewing tools and presser feet - there's a lot of stuff. Erika redid her sewing room about a month ago and it looks great! She's my inspiration, but I think her space might be bigger than mine; maybe it just looks larger because she has it so organized! I have two tiny (8' x 9') bedrooms for my office and sewing room, plus space in the garage for sewing machine boxes, and under the kitchen counter for fabric (I needed something to fill in the space where the dishwasher used to be). Hmmm... I think I'm going to have to take over some of the guest room, too. I've found a plan that might work for me: The Domestic Diva started a Sewing Room Organization Challenge about 6 months ago, and her plan of action and storage suggestions seem like they'd help corral and keep my - ahem - extensive collections in order. Today she posted another in the series, this one on organizing notions - with dozens of ideas for those of us who are organizationally challenged. More on my 2008 sewing resolutions later. What are your sewing resolutions for 2008?