Friday, October 20, 2023

Embarasing Admission

In making the choice to start blogging again I looked back at some of the posts that I had posted late 2017 and others that I had in drafts to see where I wanted to start again. I'm a list maker and like working toward goals as a challenge and many of the posts are relating to that so that got me energized to move forward in this endevor. My enbarasing admission comes in that some of the blog posts in draf, waiting for a finished quilt are still relevant -- 5 1/2 years and still not completed. 

If there was one or 2, I wouldn't feel so bad about this but there are at least half a dozen in progress projects that are still in progress and this makes me feel bad for neglecting them this long. 

I have 2 in the que to be quilted soon and another that I actually finished quilting on last night so it just needs binding.

 
The other 4 remain as they were at the time of the last post. 

I hope that I will be purging more scraps in 2024 as I am trying ot encourage others to do on instagram through a color play challenge that I am posing. This is inspired by a blog that I used to read and engage with that did monthly color challenges that I have lost touch with being away from blogging (and I could not find anything similar on instagram) so that should help to move forgard in another of my long forgotten projects. 


The other 2 sit untouched for no real reason other than I haven't been inspired to pick them back up or being sort of forgotten. OOPS!!


I aim for at least to finish the 3 that are nearly done by the end of the year and make headway on at least one of the others so that these projects can free up space from my craft room and not make me feel embarased, unmotivated or overwhelmed. 

What's your oldest project that you still want to finish? What do you suggest for project that you no longer want to finish or no longer brings you joy? 

Friday, October 13, 2023

WELL it's been almost 6 years -- lets give this another go

Time passes quickly and before you know it, it's been way longer than you antisipated being away from doing something that you enjoy. I had no intention when I posted Januaray of 2018 that I would be taking over 5 and a half years to get back to blogging but this is where I find myself -- lots of things have happened in that time and it was no concious effort to not blog as I love the written story part of blogging that I do not get from the other social media platforms. Some would say that no one blogs anymore -- maybe it's true and for me that's ok because it's also for me -- so I am going to put forth effort to revitalize this blog especialy going into 2024 with resolutions and tracking of progress because that is another thing that I do not do well on instagram. I'm a list maker and like to see things get checked off, with check ins with net friends and read about the story relating to the project more than just a photo and quick blurb, I'll still be using instagram for pictures, stories and shares but I want to get back to this comfort. 

So a quick fast forward update of what nearly 6 years has looked like ...
  • 3 major surguries (gallblader 2018, brain decompression 2018 and hystorectomy 2022) -- each with varying levels of complication at recovery. 
  • moved from a townhouse in the city to a house outside the city (Feb 2019) -- rented the townhouse to a friend which turned out to be a nightmare *do not recommend* -- sold the townhouse (March 2020) 
  • bought my longarm Bridgett (September 2019) officialy started my longarm business (Feb 2020) doing hand driven pantographs.
  • made about a thousand masks during the lockdown / work from home mess of Covid
  • completed 100+ quilts on the longarm (85 for customers) before going digital (Sept 2023)
  • loss of a few family members and 4 pets -- added in 2 new cats to the household (below is Graves and she is just over a year old and she is insane) 
  • tested several quilt patterns -- finding that I really enjoy the proofreading, testing and feedback part of being a pattern tester.
  • celebrating husbands and my turning 40 and 15 years of mariage. 


Let's hope I can keep this blogging thing up -- I already know what I want to talk about next and it's embarasing ....