Annual Contemplation Time

This is the time of year that I contemplate the New Year and what I want to accomplish or focus on.  I usually start this process by looking back on the year that has passed.

It was a pretty good year for projects!  Though I made a lot more smaller quilts vs. the large ones of 2013, the smaller ones were more intricate and challenging for the most part.

Also this time last year:

• I signed up for a 6 month Fabric Diet (and included Craftsy classes in the diet too).  I made it all the way to February before I broke down and ordered a bunch of fabric.  Ironically, my Epic Fail post was one of my most popular posts.  I guess the guilty-minded like company. I did much better avoiding buying new Craftsy classes.  In fact, I think I went most of the year without adding any, until that last big sale, that is.
• I was not going to worry about finishing UFO's - if they got worked on, great!  If they didn't, I wasn't going to feel guilty about it.  Ironically, the first few months of the year, I finished more UFO's than I had in the entire previous year.  My UFO busting did wear off in the middle of the year, and while I've made some progress on several, I haven't finished one in a while.  But, I don't feel guilty, and I guess that was the point.
• I wanted to finish up all my Star of Africa bee blocks - once I decided to go out of order and just finish them as the ideas came to me, it was a breeze!  Again, February was the lucky month when I could report those blocks were all done!  
• I was going to work on things as it struck my fancy.  I think initially, this was great.  I finished a lot more items in the beginning of the year.  I just sat down at my machine and asked myself, "What do you want to work on today?".  It was lovely.  I guess, the freshness wore off somewhere in the middle of the year as I started working on things with deadlines or because they were the items still sitting on my table.
• I wanted to connect and reconnect with friends I've made through these quilty-interwebs (without signing up for swaps, etc.).  I noticed that I was getting a lot fewer comments, and was myself commenting less and less. The interaction was depleted.  As with most resolutions, I started off the year well commenting on friends blogs and responding to all my comments, but somewhere in the middle I started getting lazy.  Well, not really lazy so much as I didn't want to spend all my time in front of the computer and instead went down to sew.  I also discovered that it wasn't really helping all that much.  I got a lot more communication and interaction later in the year when I joined a bee and a couple of swaps.  Instagram has also helped I think.  I think that platform is just so easy to comment on or get a validation with a "like".
• I also was planning on rewarding myself if all my resolutions were going well.  Yeah, I'm not so good at the holding back on rewards.  I am the Queen of Rationalization.  So another epic fail there.
• I also wanted to update the look of my blog.  Well, as you can see, I just got around to doing that.  What do you think?  Are the pictures too big at the top?  I need some feedback.

So some successes, and some failures.  Par for the course, right?  Now what to do for the upcoming year....I thought long and hard about what I wanted to resolve to do this year.  I considered all the things I want to learn or get better at.  I thought about the friendships I've made and how much fun it is to make new friends.  I even paused to remember the UFO's, PHD's, and WIP's I have laying around.  And you know what I came up with?  I just want to sew as much as possible.  So, that's what I'm going to do!

• Participation!  I am probably overdoing it a bit, but I can't wait for some of these fun things to start!  
• There is the Scrappy Log Cabin QAL on Instagram - so convenient since scrappy log cabins are something I wanted to do with a few of my scrap piles.  This QAL has already started, and I haven't sewn a single block yet.  But there is always tomorrow.  And I did pull out the "piles" I was referring to - so that's a start.
• And the Sew My Stash 2015 year long support group, hosted by Project Leasa.  Ironically, I just downloaded a Stash Report spreadsheet from Pam at Hip to Be a Square Podcast right after purchasing some Cotton & Steel basics.  I clearly need help.

• The Arcadia QAL at Sassafras Lane - I already got my pattern in the mail!  I saw this one and couldn't help myself.  I need to decide if I am going to make the rainbow or another version.  The rainbow is calling me, but there is another rainbow quilt on the horizon..  
• I joined the 2015 Skill builder BOM at Pile o'Fabric.  Alyssa has designed a stunning quilt, which of course is shown in a rainbow of color that may just have to be how I make it too.
• Then there is The Rainbow Mini Swap that is in progress
• There is also a Tula Pink mini swap I joined.
• And a Spring Fling Mini swap that I'm waiting to hear back on too.
• I'm still signed up for the We Bee With it Bee
• And just joined the Bee Hive Bee
• Lazy Bums, I haven't forgotten about you either!
• What's next?
• Well, later in the year - obviously, I will be busy for a while with these swaps - I do want to try my hand at making some kind of garment.  I've got several patterns.  I just need to pick one and go for it.
• I also want to get going with Inspirational Sunday's again.  It's been a while since I've been to a quilt show to get any pics, but that will change shortly as I am off to Austin, TX for QuiltCon next month
• Beyond that?
• Who knows??
• Perhaps I will start my own swap or bee later in the year.

Have you signed up for anything interesting?  What are your resolutions for 2015?

Busy is as busy does!  Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading,

Jen