I’ve been wracking my brain all week trying to figure out what sort of sewing-blogging-related goals I wanted to set for 2013, and I’ve been coming up empty. Monthly challenges worked out so well in 2010 and 2011, but I don’t think it would be feasible with a baby due to arrive in approximately 8 weeks. Then, I thought choosing a “Word of the Year” would be fun… but somehow SURVIVE doesn’t seem inspiring or motivational.

In fact, I am starting to feel more than a bit panicky about the short amount of time left before the little dude arrives. I have so many things I want to accomplish, and, as always, I have to let things go. Gutting my WIP pile was leaving  me depressed and moody, so I decided to do a sewing-mojo-boosting, palette-cleansing sort of project. The result is a new Planner Cover for my 2013 Planner Pad. (A tutorial is included at the end of this post.)

Palette cleansing projects require the very happiest of fabrics to work properly. So, I broke into my precious LillyBelle stash for this one.

LillyBelle lends itself well to fussy-cutting and pattern matching and other sorts of thrilling sewing challenges.

It was Andy’s idea to pattern-match the tab closure, and at first, I thought he was ridiculous for suggesting such silliness and I told him so. But… clearly it was meant to happen, because it did.

See how perfectly it worked out? Best. Fabric. Print. Ever.

When I sewed the last stitch of the binding, I let out a deep sigh of sanctification…
and then I noticed it.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tears were shed. Big. Snotty. Sobbing Tears.
Then the next morning, a bit of hand-stitching saved the day.

And now, resolutions or not, I am ready for 2013.

Bring it.

[tutorial after jump]
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