Contemplating the New Year

I've spent a lot of the last couple of weeks contemplating the creative direction I want to take in 2013, where I see myself headed, what I want to achieve. I have been reading books about creativity and creative people, I have been taking stock of the contents of my craft room.

And I have concluded that 2013 should be a year of completion and consolidation. This is the year I want to complete quilts that have been sitting around way too long, finish the scrapbooking albums I am way behind on, take stock of the craft supplies I own and buy almost nothing else.

When I talk about WIPs and UFOs, I am talking about 30 of them. There, I said it out loud, in public. I'm not sure quite how the list got so long, but I absolutely need to rectify this. Some of these projects need a fair bit of work, others are close to finished. For this reason, I am ignoring all the new BOMs and sewalongs and challenges that are merrily happening in the blogosphere to people who don't have 30 WIPs.

This, by the way, doesn't include a few small projects and a big basket of mending and refashioning. Gotta get to that too.

On the bright side, I have finished my two bee/swap block commitments for January already. I've packed my machine away and I'm about to send her off for a much needed service.

And for the first time in many months, I have pulled out the paper and photos again and started scrapbooking again. It is a little daunting how much there is to do in this department, especially as I haven't printed a single photo or organised a single bit of memorabilia for the last two years. I am determined to focus on this task and make serious headway on my albums. Happily in the last three days I've completed about 15 pages, which is just about all I did in the whole of last year (which was a bad year for scrapbooking!).

One thing I really want to do this year is Project Life, or at least my version of it. I am using the materials I have on hand, as well as plenty of free printables. While it sounds like a bit lot of extra work, I am so excited about starting this project. It's inspired me to start scrapbooking again, and it's making me take more pictures of our everyday life. As the kids get older and stop doing those incredibly cute things they do as little ones, it's easy to get lazy with taking photos. This week I've made an effort to get behind the lens more and record. The Mamarazzi is back, kids!

So that's where I'm headed in 2013. More finishing, less starting, more taking check of what I have and what needs doing. It's not going to be the most exciting year and sometimes I imagine it will be hard, especially when the lure of the new calls. But I am determined, confident and motivated. Wish me luck!

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100 Day Hustle - 20 Days to Go

It is crazy to think there are only 20 days left of 2012! I have conceded that I will not get too much further on my 100 Day Hustle list, and won't meet my very lofty goals, but that's okay. This project has at least made me slow down on starting new things and made me consider what I want to achieve creatively in 2013, so it's all good.

To recap my goals:
Keep sewing space tidy - I'm doing okay on this.
No new fabric bought - hmmm, no comment. That was a stupid goal.
No new projects - I started planning a quilt for my mum, but I haven't got far on it. I also got sidetracked with a non stitchy project the last few days.
Finish fabric storage boxes - see below.
Finish Phoebe's bed quit - this is all cut out and progress made on piecing, but I still have a ways to go.
Finish piecing 5 current tops - I have finished three.
Finish quilting and binding 5 quilts - One done, quilting done on another.
Empty mending/refashioning basket - this is a holiday project, I swear!
Keep on top of swap blocks and BOMs - I have now completed my two BOMs, one is a finished top, the other still in blocks. I am behind on block swaps but will get there. My goal for this week if I don't get sidetracked.
Finish smaller craft projects - no progress, but it's a case of sitting down and just getting on with these.

Speaking of the fabric boxes I've been planning on making since I got my new, fabulous craft table - here they are! This was an epic, epic task. There are 14 of them all up, on two shelves - I kept two shelves for my colour sorted scraps, since that system works well for me.

There are boxes for storing WIPs, scraps, selvedges and each family member has their own box.

They are made from recycled jeans and vintage sheets, so even the 'making' of the fabric was a bit of a task. The whole process has taken me the last two weeks but I am so glad they are done, I have fitted so much in them and my craft room is starting to look how I want.

Also, this was a major experiment in self-control. I told myself I couldn't do anything else until I completed these and I managed to do that. Considering my ADHD tendencies, this is major. It bodes well for my planning to kick the UFO/WIP habit in 2013.

This is my favourite box, my selvedge collection. So much possibility here!!

My goals for this week are to get those block swap blocks out of the way until January, but I've been a little bit sidetracked. I saw some darling dreamcatchers on Pinterest, pinned a bunch more here  and then just went to town with making dreamcatchers for my girls for Christmas. Only thing is, I'm a bit impatient, so I might give them to them tomorrow instead!

I am a huge believer in the therapeutic benefits of making, and this project was one of those creative projects I want to do more of in the future. You could barely wipe the smile off my face as I gathered fabric, buttons, doilies, ribbons and yarn to put these together. It was so improv and flowing, I had so much fun doing it. And I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in the process.

That is totally what making should be about - it isn't always, but it's important to get outside your comfort zone for a while and just play!

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I Don't Want To Be That Girl Anymore

I am a non-finisher. I am easily distracted. I have way too many UFOs and WIPs. And I don't want to play like that anymore!

I might joke about having Quilter's ADHD, but to be honest, I really wouldn't be surprised if I had some level of honest-to-God ADHD. I know I've always struggled with procrastinating and finishing things, because I have the letter my 5th grade teacher sent my mum on the subject.

So I've been having a super productive few days - I finished quilting and binding a quilt, I got 10 bee and BOM blocks done, I sorted some more scraps.... and then I look at my project list to move the finished quilt and I realise I still have an immense number of half finished projects in progress. I stared at that list and wondered where the heck I even start. It wasn't fun.

I have to say, I am really glad I am being motivated by the 100-Day Hustle. We're at day 10 today and I'm doing alright. I can tick off one of the five quilts I wanted to have quilted and bound, at least. I added keeping up with bee blocks to my hustle list and I am happy to say I am mostly caught up. While I have added my mum's quilt to the list, I am very easily resisting any quiltalongs or new projects I am seeing online. 

One thing about machine quilting is that it gives you plenty of thinking time. While I was quilting, I was pondering my creative goals for the next year. I know I want to get everything that's hanging over my head finished ASAP, and then start fresh, one or two projects at a time. I don't want to be the girl with a million WIPs. I have to-do lists in every other aspect of my life, I don't want it for my creative outlet. 

I did start (and finish!) a quick little project today before I started block sewing - a new heat pack. I saw this cute one over at Pomegranate Quilts and thought she was just genius to make a heat pack you could tie on - certainly easier than trying to balance it when you get off the couch to raid the fridge for chocolate. It was a very quick project, and since I woke up with quite a headache this morning I have put it to good use already today. 

I really want to free up my sewing time so I can make more useful little things like this without feeling guilty I'm not tackling that to-do list. 

Do you ever get like this with your WIPs? Does your creative life ever become a chore when the to do list gets too much?

Jane xx

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Grumpy, grumpy, grumpy

Do you ever get super frustrated and cranky when you don't have time to make stuff? That's my life at the moment and it's not fun.

There's plenty of stressful stuff going on around here, so I feel like I'm juggling balls left, right and centre. We're at the tail end of a massive revamp of my craft room, which I'd love to show off when I'm in a better frame of mind. It's all good, but I feel like all I've been doing in here lately is assembling flat packs and moving stuff. I have plenty of sewing I 'should' be doing but very little motivation, cos sometimes the WIP list can be very overwhelming.

Here is my sewing table.... see if you can spot the sewing machine. Inspiring, huh... not bloody much!

The only thing I haven't had time for lately is sewing. And when I don't do something creative I find myself getting very grumpy. When I go to work contemplating fabric, I know it's time for some quality time with my machine.

So tonight, I'm putting on my jammies, breaking out the chocolate, pulling out some fresh, new fabric and making goodness-knows-what. I'll turn off the computer and plug in the ipod instead and I'll spend some quality time playing. Not on anything I have to be doing, either. I might even (gasp!) start something totally new.

Hope you get time to do what makes you happy, too.

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