Happy New Year - Reflections on 2014

Welcome to 2015!  Crazy isn't it?  I feel like last year went past in a blur and I'm left sitting here, in the first week of January, wondering what happened?  I did sit down before Christmas and update my Quilting Projects for 2014 page on the blog, so if you want to see the 18 quilts and some of the other goodies I made, head over HERE.

We have had a lovely break over Christmas, heading up to The Murray River for five days of relaxation with friends...

Yarrawonga at dusk.

The Murray at work.....

I spent a fair bit of time lately wondering where I was going to let 2015 take me?  Because I feel like 2014 was quite crazy, and I didn't plan things well, and I guess that's how I ended up stressed out and somehow contracting the RASH FROM HELL!  In the lead up to the skin virus, I'd had cysts on my eye, mouth full of ulcers and was literally just run down.  I am making a concerted effort NOT to let life get the better of me this year, starting with looking after myself.  This began with lovely 10km walks with one of my best friends whilst on holidays, and I'm happy to say, has continued since returning home - with daily 6km walks around our local area.  I've also started taking a bunch of vitamins and supplements too.  Which I suck at remembering to do, but am trying!

I turned my sewing machine on a couple of days ago, for the first time since just before Christmas.  I had my December bee block to get done, and was happy to tick that off my remaining things to do.  But as I sat in my little sewing room, I wondered what to do next?  I have so much "stuff" in that room - fabric, notions, wip's, finished quilts, blah blah blah.  And it's all a little overwhelming.  I've said before that I am not a "list" kind of girl, but I'm thinking I really need to write down what I want to achieve.  I read Angie's Must Make List for 2015 yesterday, and felt compelled to make one for myself.  But still haven't!

So, where does that leave me?  Lots of babbling and no real plan.  My quilty new year's resolution (which I shared in the current issue of Make Modern magazine) is to slow down.  Stop rushing around, and rushing in to projects.  This is easier said than done - for me - as it's how I naturally go about life.  But these are just a few things I've signed up for this year, and have plans to do.....

**  Artistic Licence Bee with Melbourne MQG (January is my month!)

**  Aussie Charm Swaps - I hope to run at least four this year.  The first one is in planning stages,   and I've opened a FB Group for all interested.  So if you're an Aussie or Kiwi, feel free to join.

**  Hazel Hedgehog QAL with Gnome Angel

**  Charm Dash Blog Hop - Coming in March, so get our your charm packs!

**  Write up pattern for Confetti Cannon and decide how/where to publish/sell it

**  The Bee Hive with Blossom Heart Quilts - Get all the details HERE.  My month is November!

**  Make 3 more 40th quilts for my BFF's - and maybe fit one in for myself!

**  Continue writing my column for Make Modern magazine

On top of all of the above, I have a few custom order quilts already being planned and would really like to build my Aurifil business up.

Phew.  I guess I've just started a list!?!

Right.  Back to sewing.  I've just pulled this out of my WIP pile.....

It is my favourite WIP from 2014, and I want to get it finished.  So that's my starting point for this year.....wish me luck!

Sunday Stash #21 - The One Where I Get Co-ordinated!

This week's Sunday Stash is to basically explain that I had no idea what was in my stash.  When I decided to make my Pink Posy quilt, I thought I wouldn't have enough pink prints, so made the trip to Spotlight, who were having a sale on quilting fabrics (Ok, when I got there, found out the sale had finished the day before, but they graciously gave me the discount anyway!).  I went about pulling half a dozen pink prints, and a bunch of other gorgeous selections to take home with me.

 The grey and white chevron is for a quilt back on another project in my mind - it's gorgeous!

Once home, I started going through my stash, which I have always had "organised" in collections of fabrics.  So if I have a complete or part range of fabrics, regardless of what colours they are, they would be sitting on the shelf together.  In doing this pink fabric pull, I was taking fabrics out of every nook and cranny in my tiny sewing room, and before I knew it, I had discovered pink prints I never even knew I owned!

Exhibit A.  Plenty of pink.  Around 60 in total!

This discovery (and serious lack of memory) led me to do a bit of rearranging later that day.  I remember seeing that Gemma from Pretty Bobbins stashes her fabrics according to colour, so I got busy.

To say I was surprised at what I found would be putting it mildly!  I have all sorts of colours in that little room!

Apologies for the crap photo - but this room is so tiny that I am stuck in between a wall and my desk with my iPhone to take this photo!

And now they are all living together in harmony.  All fabric yardage is still stored wrapped around boards, and mostly in collections, however, the pinks are still all sitting together (not in this photo).  But as you can see, I have sorted my fat quarters and up to hard yards in to pinks, purples, greens, blues, reds/oranges, yellows, brown/greys, low volumes and black & whites.

I am hoping and praying that this will make finding fabrics for projects a whole lot easier!

I'm linking up with Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth - You can too!

Ps. I'm hosting Sunday Stash next week - so be sure to link up!