Reflecting on 2018

At the beginning of 2018, I set some goals for myself. I’ve sort of condensed them below, so I can quickly reflect on what I got done and what I didn’t.

1. Finish two quilts and two quilt tops
2. Finish three cross-stitches
3. Complete the second draft of my MG SciFi and submit to Critique Group at least six times
4. Sort the basement storage room
5. Deal with paper in the study and set up my desk in the study
6. Weight train twice a week
7. Cardio twice a week
8. Flexibility two to three times a week
9. Eat dinner as a family at least twice a week
10. Facetime with SIL’s family once a month
11. Boardgames with S and C at least 10 times

Numbers 1, 3, 7, 8, and 10 were a complete bust. I didn’t do any of them more than 2-3 times or for 2 months. In part, I’m sure that is because I set far too many goals last year. How can one person focus on all of those things for a whole year? I’m sure I went into it thinking I would knock several things out early and then pick up with the next things, but that just didn’t happen.

I accomplished 5 and 11. As for the rest: I finished two of the three cross stitches I set out to do (2). We made real progress in the basement storage area, but there is still some work to do (4). I have been weight training twice a week since Sept 1st (6) and feel confident I will continue to do so for this year. The eating dinner as a family (9) is something I have made a priority off and on through the year.

I wish I had accomplished more of the things I set out to do last year, but I also feel I learned a lot from failing. Next year I need to simplify my goals. I need to focus on just a few things. If my list is too long, it will overwhelm me, not encourage me to pick a few things off so I can work on the rest.

How did 2018 go for you? Did you get any big things off your goals list?

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2018 Resolutions/Goals

More important, to me, than the resolutions, is the process of figuring out what I want to focus on for the year. I weed out the things I don’t care about and figure out the things that matter to me.

When I started thinking about my priorities for this year, I found myself drawn to the same things: Crafting, writing, organizing, and fitness. It’s nice that my focus is staying the same. I like that my priorities are shifting in the same range rather than changing wildly. This year I also want to focus a bit more on family and friends. I need to work a little harder at maintaining my relationships.

Crafting
I didn’t get as much quilting done as I wanted last year. This year I am going to try being much more specific in what I want to achieve.

1. Quilt and bind my son’s bed quilt and my lap quilt
2. Finish the quilt top for a family friend and for my Mom
3. Finish at least three cross stitches (holiday DONE! and two family portraits)
4. Bonus – Two more family cross stitches

Writing
Another area where I didn’t do as much as I wanted.

1. Finish the rough draft of my MG SciFi
2. Do basic edits to get a first draft of my MG SciFi
3. Submit to Critique Group at least six times
4. Finish a second draft that is ready for a final polish – MG SciFi

Organizing
I think part of why this goal is so hard is because I can’t figure out specifics. I’m going to try though.

1. Continue to put as much out of the house as we bring in
2. Sell or donate all unused items in the basement storage room
3. Move out of season or out of size clothes to basement storage
4. Deal with paper in the study
5. Set up my desk in the study

Fitness
I’m still doing gymnastics, but I think the biggest things holding me back are my lack of strength and flexibility. Along with cardio I want to focus on those.

1. Weight train twice a week
2. Cardio twice a week
3. Flexibility two to three times a week

Family

1. Eat dinner as a family at least twice a week (working up to four times a week)
2. Facetime with SIL’s family once a month
3. Boardgames with S and C at least 10 times

That is a lot of goals! I’m feeling worn out just writing them all down. Many are very small though and won’t take much time. I need to remember to plan out what I want to accomplish each month to get things done over the next year.

What are you hoping to accomplish this year? Do you set resolutions?

Round Up of my 2017 Resolutions

I like making resolutions each year. I don’t always accomplish them, but I enjoy the process. Thinking it through helps me mark the priorities in my life. Even in years when I do not achieve my goals, I find that I have spent more energy and time on the things that matter to me. I will post my resolutions for 2018 tomorrow. Today I’m doing a quick review on my goals from last year.

Organizing the house
This was a big fail. The craft space isn’t set up, and in general the house doesn’t look much different than this time last year. I did manage not to gain any new stuff though. We sent as much stuff out as we brought in. I think I actually sent out more than I brought in, but not enough to make me feel accomplished.

Quilting
The goal was to piece three quilts and finish three quilts. I pieced two and finished one. I helped my friend Cate piece the Grace in Our Stars Quilt and I finished the Jungle Path Quilt top. I quilted and gifted the Mystery Quilt.

Writing
The goal was to write 10k a month. I made this two months I think … I’m back into writing now though so hopefully I will make good progress this year.

Exercise
The goal was to exercise twice per week. I did fairly well at this. I struggled in December, but I was sick and my schedule was off. Going to call this one a win.

How did you do on your 2017 resolutions? Did you achieve all you set out to achieve last year?

2017 in Review

I didn’t post nearly as regularly last year as I did the year before. I took a very laid back approach to blogging, and I liked it. I posted when I felt I had something to say and didn’t when I didn’t. It took off a lot of the pressure, and made the blog about the things I want to remember. My blog is basically a log for me, so why not treat it that way.

Top five posts by views:

1. NaNoWriMo – How many Words per Day? (2016 post)
2. is a tie between NaNoWriMo – How to catch up if you’re behind (2015 post) and
3. Finished Quilt – The Grace in our Stars
4. Spring is Here (finally)
5. Fauxdori – Bullet Journal Update

The top two posts weren’t posted this year. Both are about NaNoWriMo, and I can often tell how far through NaNo we are by which one is getting more views.

A Countdown of my Five Favourite Posts:

5.) My First Handbound Journal – I went to a local library program and learned how to make a journal.

4.) Raising a Reader – Why I think we should talk about making our kids “lovers of books and stories” instead.

3.) Handstands scare me, but I keep doing them – A lot of things scare me, among them are handstands.

2.) The Plot and the Rough Draft – I’ve been working on my MG Sci Fi and really enjoying the process.

1.) NaNo Daily Challenge – I set myself a daily challenge during NaNo, and I learned a lot. I plan to do something similar with many of my writing days this year.

Number of blog posts: 46

Visitors from around the world. I had visitors from 37 countries last year. The top five were: United States, Canada (my home country, so not a big surprise), the United Kingdom, India, and Australia.

Highest Activity Month
For the first time, November was the most active month on my blog, but that is probably because I posted almost daily updates during NaNo until I had finished. It had almost double the views of any other month.

What was your favourite post this year, on your own blog or someone else’s blog? Do you track the views on your blog?

Finished Quilt – The Grace in our Stars

My friend Cate decided, at the last minute, to make a quilt for a friend of the family. The friend lives in another country and was in need of some love. She wanted to do something, and sending a quilt is like sending a hug. I offered to help make a few blocks since she was short on time. She took me up on it, and over two nights three of us made a quilt top!

Starting with fabric

First of the pin wheels

getting closer

Pin wheels!

Pinwheels and border

ready to piece the top

putting it all together

the top without borders

top with borders

The pictures above are the ones I took over the two nights. The first night is the first five pictures, while the last four are from the second night. We did almost 8 hours of work over the two evenings, but it was well worth it. Until we hit the multicoloured border we almost always had two sewing machines going, plus one person cutting. They say more hands make for lighter work, in this case it was certainly true. This was a record finish for both of us.

I helped sandwich the quilt one afternoon, and Cate finished the quilting and binding over a few days. The quilt has now been gifted and the recipient loves it. Cate sent me the finished picture below once the binding was sewn on.

I love it too. It’s absolutely beautiful. I guess you know you’re happy with a quilt when you don’t want to give it away.

What is your fastest finish for a quilt? Do you ever work as a group on a quilt?

My First Handbound Journal

Last night I went to a program about bookbinding at my local library. The two hour session started with a brief introduction, and then we got to make our own journal/notebook. You can see mine on the left. I’m really happy with how well it turned out, especially for a first attempt!

First we had to select the pieces that would become our journals. We needed cardboard for the cover, 36 pages for the inside, thread for the binding, and decorative paper to wrap around the cover.

Next up were the supplies to put everything together. Scissors, glue, needle, pencil, a thimbles, and an awl. In the end I didn’t find the thimble overly useful, and while the awl was great for putting the holes in the cover, I preferred a large needle to make the holes in the paper. The needle I used for threading the binding was curved, and it made the whole process nice and quick.

I decided to use one coloured sheet for the outside of each section (in this case six sheets stacked and folded in half). This meant, as you can see on the right, each section of the binding was bright and colourful. In the green sections I used dotted paper, and in the rest plain paper. We assembled the journals using a kettle stitch. It was easy to learn, and once I got the hand motions down, surprisingly fast.

I really enjoyed making this journal, and can definitely see myself making more. I think I’m going to use the plain sheets in this one for some smaller writing projects that don’t need an entire notebook. The dotted pages are going to be used for quilting sketches.

Have you done any bookbinding? Do you know of any great online resources for learning more about book binding?

Spring is Here (finally)

We had a long winter in my neck of the woods. Long enough that my son had a snow day in early April! Now spring is finally here with its rainy days (we are supposed to have rain everyday this week), and on the days of no rain, bike rides, sidewalk chalk, and other outdoor activities abound.

Spring is known for being a time of renewal, decluttering, and cleaning. I have been trying to take some time to think about these things. This winter, I spent a few months in hibernation. Until we had a few sunny days, I didn’t realize how much I had withdrawn from my own life. Apparently it was a rougher winter than I thought. Now that I am feeling present again it is time to get things done.

Years ago I had to simplify my hobbies. I had too many things I wanted to do, and the end result was that I didn’t get much time to do any of them. These days I focus my limited free time on time with my family, sewing, and writing. If I only have time for only a few hobbies, I need to pick the ones that matter most to me. When I sat down and looked at the long list of crafts, hobbies, and other time sinks I enjoyed, theses were the ones that came out on top. I expect they will change over time, but right now my focus is on finding time for each of these things.

For the last month I’ve made a real effort to exercise. As much as I would love to find time for writing and sewing, I know from experience I need to feel good about myself to be motivated to do much of anything. For me, exercise is the key for feeling good about myself (for me! your mileage may vary). Exercise helps me sleep well at night, keeps me strong enough to play with my kid, and allows me to feel productive. Plus it encourages my love of numbers. Now that I have exercise (both cardio and some basic strength) back into my weekly routine it is time to start adding in other things.

This month I want to focus on writing, with a bit of sewing thrown in. I hope to write twice a week for the rest of the month, and get at least two evenings of sewing. I already know what my projects are going to be! I will finish the Jungle Path quilt top, and write a new short story.

What helps you feel motivated? What hobbies are most important to you?

Mystery Quilt – Yellow Coin Baby Quilt

I can finally show you the Mystery quilt! Yesterday this baby quilt was delivered to the Mama-to-be at her shower. Now that the proud parents own it, I can share the quilt with the world. The finished quilt is about 33×39 inches.

I laid out the pattern myself, but kept it nice and simple. The small rectangles are 5×3 inches, the large ones 5×11 inches. For the ‘coin’ fabrics I chose four fabrics I liked, in colours that could work for a boy or girl. My goal for this quilt was to keep it bright and vibrant. From each fabric, I cut two large and five small rectangles. To get the last small rectangle, I used a scrap from a fun print that helped tie together the colours from the other fabrics. The layout was random, except for the little snail below, I knew I wanted him along the bottom.

When it came time to back the quilt, I selected a fabric from my stash. I wanted a dark fabric that wouldn’t show dirt too easily, but that was still cheerful. This fabric in yellow and black was used in my son’s digger quilt and always gets a lot of compliments, so I went with it. I was a bit worried about how the white quilting thread would look, but I like how it turned out.

For the quilting I did a loopy meandering pattern in white thread. This was my first time doing something other than a basic stipple. I couldn’t find a fabric I liked in my stash for the binding, so I decided to try a scrappy binding made from the four main quilt fabrics. I love it! I want to do a scrappy binding for all my kid quilts now. The label (that I’ve whited out above) includes my name, date, location, and who I’ve gifted it to. I like to keep my labels simple, but I feel they add a nice personal touch.

Have you finished a quilt lately? Do you like to follow a quilt pattern or make your own?

2017 Resolutions Update – January

My Goals (resolutions) for the year are:

1. Piece at least three quilt tops
2. Finish at least three quilts
3. Write 10k a month
4. Submit to critique group at least eight times
5. Exercise twice a week
6. Continue to get more out of the house than comes in
7. Set up the crafting corner in the study

Some of these are easy to quantify. I’ve set up the numbers below for those:

1. Piece at least three quilt tops – 0/3
2. Finish at least three quilts – 0/3
3. Write 10k a month – 0/110,000 (I’m not including Nov in this)
4. Submit to critique group at least eight times – 0/8
5. Exercise twice a week – 8/96

Can’t say I’m doing too well so far this year. I must strive to do better.

The last two items I can’t track in terms of numbers though. This makes it tough to report in on, but I do want to keep myself accountable. My plan is to include numbers for the first five in each monthly update and then a small paragraph on the last two if appropriate.

Declutter update:
In January we didn’t bring many new items into the house. My husband found a few pieces of clothing and we’ve bought books for my son. We sent out two boxes and a big bag of stuff in January. The setting up of my craft space is still in the get stuff out of the way phase. I need to target the study specifically for decluttering.

Have you made any progress on your New Years Resolutions? Any great decluttering tips that might help me sort out that craft space?

February Goals

In January my goals were:

1. Write 10k (does not have to be all the same project) – Nope
2. Exercise 8 times (bike or DDR) – Done!
3. Quilt the mystery quilt (more on that in an upcoming post) – Nope
4. Donate three bags/boxes/equivalent – Done!

I got zero writing done, so goal number one was just a solid fail. For the quilt I did get some sewing done, but it was piecing the first two rows of my son’s jungle path quilt not quilting the mystery quilt. Overall score for the month is: 2/4 goals completed. 😦 Better luck next month.

My goals for February are:

1. Write 10k – including at least two 500 word posts
2. Sell, donate, etc at least three bags/boxes/equivalent
3. Exercise (bike, DDR, or run) 8 times
4. Quilt the mystery quilt

I was going to include an update on the priorities I set at the beginning of the year, but I have more to say than I want to fit in this post.

How did you do on your goals last month? Are you still keeping track of your ‘New Year’s Resolutions’?