Hello 2016: A Recap And A Word

Happy New Year everyone! Being the party girl that I am, I was asleep by 10:30 on New Year's Eve. It's okay though. I'm up bright and early this new year's morning, ready to take on whatever this year may bring.

But before rushing forward, there were some pretty good things about 2015 that are worth remembering. My word for the year was "PAUSE" and I did a lot of that. I had wondered if my immersion in all things quilting caused me to miss out on other adventures in life so I spent some time dabbling in other areas. 

I committed to drawing every day (which lasted through the first quarter of the year) and I started playing the flute again by participating in our community band. What I learned is that I do love trying new things. I love adventure. I love to learn. Most of all though, I love sewing and making quilts. 

After "pausing" for a good portion of the year, I decided to make a bigger commitment to this blog. That started last September and I am thankful that many of you have joined in on this quilting and blogging adventure. There will be lots of fun things happening here in the coming year. 

Overall, I finished 24 projects in 2015. Eleven were quilts, three of which were collaborative quilts with the Believe Circle bee that is part of  do. Good Stitches. Six were mini quilts. I really embraced the mini quilt for the first time this year. Seven were other smaller projects like coasters and pot holders, pillow covers and pillow cases, mug rugs, a cross stitched tree, and a few scarves. 

My favorite finish for this year is this quilt made from the fabric swatches off an old Moda Marbles color card. This is the only quilt for the year where there was no preconceived vision of the outcome. I enjoyed how it evolved as it went along.

On to the new year. My word for 2016 is "GIVE". This year, I want to focus on giving in every aspect of my life, especially in my relationships. From my family to my coworkers to everyone near and dear to me, to my blog readers, to those whose blogs I read, and even to those people I haven't met yet that cross my path in day to day life. This is a year to be immersed in all those small special moments, to embrace all the opportunities to give my best self each and every day. It's gonna be a good year.