New Year Sewing Resolutions

It's going on the 4th week since I posted! I think it's time to get back to the laptop.

My husband and I celebrate the Christmas weekend with family and friends.
New Year's weekend we visited our daughter and SIL and helped them with some home improvement projects. A few hang-ups made each them longer projects than expected.

I pondered New Year sewing resolutions.
In the past few months, some quilters I follow have written about many of the same thought I had.

One of the most mentioned was social media. While I enjoy exploring Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and the internet for quilting/sewing ideas, it sure takes TIME! I enjoy sewing! I have a great stash of fabrics (maybe too much) to use for projects. I have a many project ideas in my head. I still have a house to keep tidy and clean. I want to enjoy the company of friends. So:

• I'm want to sew more; posting on Facebook and Instagram when a project is done. These are quick and easy in my opinion. I want to blog once a week, unless there is a special in which I am participating. (I know there might be a few times I post out of that week.)
• I am going to set a timer for 30 minutes daily with social media searching. I might find an online BOM that will interest me, but I have quilt ideas to make. I'm going to use my time to put MY designs to paper.
• I'm going to go through that fabric stash, use what I truly like, and send a good amount out the door. Scraps are unnecessary to keep and saying goodbye to them will free up a good 12 feet of storage space. 

A collage of  my sewing progress for the last week:

Resolutions for Crafting

The topic of Val's Tuesday Archives today is New Year Resolutions. Her email prompted me to write this specific post. I have been thinking, as I am sure many of us do when the new year arrives, what can I do differently? My major stumbling block to what I want to do is my disorganized craft area. Taking a bit of time here, I have written my New Year’s Resolutions. I began today, tidying up after working on my niece's t-shirt quilt blocks. Now to form that habit! 

So, thank you for taking time to read my "goals" and I plan to fulfill them as the year goes on. 

• Have fun creating. Sometimes I feel like I am pushing myself to create. That is when I know my muse is hiding, or it is time walk away for a bit. There are also other things that interfere in my creative enjoyment. And, that leads to the rest of my list of resolutions.
• Be organized by using a planner. I have plenty of spiral notebooks to use (from the daughters’ days in high school and college). I know I need to keep track of when the BOMs are posted, so I don't miss a pattern. What do I want to accomplish for the month, week, day? When I was teaching I had a lesson plan for the entire week. It kept me on track. I need that in my creative life, too.  
• It is OK to get rid of somethings. I have made so many projects using minimal materials. I now realize yards of fabrics are not needed to make quilts. Storing yards of fabrics takes up space that could be better used in a more pleasingly decorative manner. (Hubby is all for me minimizing my crafting footprint outside of my designated space!)
• Tidy-up my craft area before quitting for the day. The next day my tidy work area should tell me I am ready to create.
• Post blogs at least once a week. Of course, more posts are fine, but I feel bad when I go for a few weeks without blogging.
• Share a monthly project giving step-by-steps and/or downloadable instructions for others to create with me. This is why I began blogging -- to share with others. And I appreciate others sharing with me. We all learn things. 
• Revamp the list of blogs I follow. I have not been consistent in checking many of my favorite blogs simply because I have them bookmarked here or there. I don’t have a master list.
• Post more of my projects to Instagram. From all I have read, Instagram is the newest and fastest way to share with others what is happening.  One of my goals is to let others know about my patterns and projects. I will get my Instagram link on my blog page.

Now, on to Val's Tuesday Archives to read what others have resolved to do in 2017. 

Happy New Year!