A year ago I had no idea that I wouldn't finish a quilt after April 2014 or go for months without sewing a stitch. Crazy. Of course a year isn't measured by quilting alone but since this is a quilting blog that is where I shall start.
1. Charmed Pinwheels, 2. Valentine's Day Table Topper, 3. Blitzen Table Topper, 4. Four Patch & Friends, 5. Valentine's Plus, 6. Minnesota Hotdish
I finished 3 UFOs in 2014 - Charmed Pinwheels, Four Patch & Friends and Minnesota Hotdish. The other 3 projects shown above were started and finished in 2014 as a part of my "Sewing for the Seasons" theme. I got off to a great start using my Valentine's Day stash. I absolutely LOVE Valentine's Plus and look forward to putting it out in less than a month.
My UFO Countdown was at 43 on 1/1/2014 so with 3 UFO Finishes and 3 unfinished 2014 projects I am once again starting my year with 43 UFOs. I guess I can be happy that I broke even right?
"This also ties into the word I've chosen for 2014. Now that my UFO baggage is lighter I want to feel lighter in my rest of my world too. I want to do a top to bottom purge of my home and clear out the unused, unneeded and unloved stuff. This will be happening off blog for the most part but it holds true in my quilting life too. I'd rather decorate my home with my creativity a lot more and with my stuff a lot less!"
I can say that I was MUCH more successful off blog with my goal in 2014. I simplified 25+ lbs from my life with the help of Weight Watchers Online, my Fitbit and a Facebook group. I am still walking most days and feel better than I have in many years healthwise.
I sorted through years of accumulated crafting supplies and my quilting stash during my Olympics Organizathon in February. I had such a sense of accomplishment that I didn't want to stop.
For the next 2 months I purged countless items from our home and I still feel happiness each time I open a cabinet, drawer or closet door with room to breathe. Let it go!
I exceeded my goal to read 130 books in 2014 and I also made solid progress on trimming my home library.
And I discovered a new passion for making junk journals, journaling and getting things done with my best find of 2014 - the Bullet Journal. Sadly very little of this excitement was shared here but I will try and catch up over the next few weeks.
So... was it a bad year? Of course not! But because I didn't have a lot of success with my quilting goals I felt really out of sync with my blog. No sewing = no blogging. In 2015, while I fully expect to have quilting projects to blog about, I am also going to do my best to blend in the rest of my life. I wish I hadn't gone silent for weeks. I miss the routine of writing posts, updating pictures and responding to your comments.
My plan is work at my natural tendencies to be an all-or-nothing person during 2015. I'm going to try and FOCUS on the tasks that are not yet complete while not losing sight of the big picture. Life is more than quilting... but quilting needs to be a part of my life again.
I'm with you this! I have a great start on the purging of the house stuff and books and craft supplies. And you are so right that it feels great to open a drawer and not have it stuffed full of unnecessary things. And my fitbit is still helping me stay focused on the healthier routines. 30 pounds down, and feeling so much better. I still have a ways to go but I CAN do it.
ReplyDeleteI love your overview! Life is so much more than quilting and since I am on a similar path of simplifying and purging. Hope to see updates and it helps motivate me too!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. My blog was "quilts around the world". I added "and more" just so I could do a variety of posts rather than just quilt. I enjoyed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteI, too, really like YOU, so feel free to blog about more than quilting! (Elsa, for example.) We are purging this year and it already does feel a lot better to get rid of bags and bags of stuff. I sorted through my Christmas stuff and it was nice to pack up a box for donation - and have one less box of Christmas stuff in the garage!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your progress. I am hoping to become more centered this year and am inspired by your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a good (successful) year, Deb.
ReplyDeleteI'm tickled to see your fabric sharing shelf space with your dishes - :-)
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ReplyDeleteSorry I had to delete an unfinished comment -- I accidentally touched the publish button with my knuckle while typing on my iPad! As I was saying:
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures of your organised storage. Purging was thrust upon us last year when we moved to a slightly smaller house. The thought of paying the remvalists to move stuff we didn't need made me really think about what was necessary. Now as I move around our organised and uncluttered home I smile!