Resolutions and Revolutions
With every new year comes resolutions. But I’m doing things a bit differently this year: while I’m making some normal resolutions, I’m also picking some habits to revolt against, and hopefully stop doing. Let’s see how it goes!
Resolutions
Continue to shop from my stash. Not only has this saved me money but it’s also allowed me to rediscover some favourite prints I’d stashed away. It also encourages me to actually use the pretty fabric, rather than saving it for a super special project that will never actually materialize.
More quilting for joy. I love writing and publishing patterns but I want to spend more time this year doing quilting that makes me feel joyful. It’s joy that has made quilting into my hobby and business so it’s important that I keep chasing it.
Processing bigger scraps as they’re made. After a mammoth quilt processing session just before Christmas I found that cutting my scraps down to squares means I can actually use them. Rather than dedicating multiple days in one go, I want to do this as I go along to make sure I always have a nice stash of squares ready to go.
Make an art quilt. I have dabbled in art quilts before and this is something I really want to try again. A quilt where I don’t necessarily think about how to turn it into a pattern, but one that I just make because it’s beautiful.
Posting cats on quilts. You’ll already have seen this if you follow my instagram! It’s easy to feel a bit down on a Monday…but also easy to cheer yourself up by looking at a cute cat on a quilt. Check out #quiltcatmondays to see what’s been posted so far.
Revolutions
Play less bobbin chicken. I rarely win, and few things are more frustrating than having to sew a seam all over again.
No more restricting myself by making myself focus on just one thing. When I was making this list, I thought about resolving to focus more on fabric choices or quilting or piecing or… Then I realised that restricting myself to only working on one skill would restrict the whole process of quilting for me, and definitely limit my joy. No thank you!
No judging myself for wonky points. I think we all face this battle at some point (pun intended!) but each one is practise, and at the end of the day all quilts are perfectly imperfect and sewn is better than perfect.
No comparing myself to others. It can be really intimidating when you see all the amazing work by other quilters. But there’s no point in comparing myself; I’m unique and I’m following my own path. Maybe I can’t do what some of those artists do - but maybe they can’t do some of what I do! ’d much rather admire and encourage than compare and despair.
Not be overwhelmed by deadlines. Oh, if only…!
I’d love to hear your resolutions, quilty or not!