Hi and Happy New Year! I almost didn't do a 2014 wrap-up post, but the more I thought about it I decided it would help my mental shift into 2015 and it felt odd to jump right into a new tutorial. It was fun to go through all my projects and see how I've evolved as a designer and a maker in the past twelve months. A lot of wonderful things happened last year. I learned a crazy amount (almost expected a 'brain is full' light to start flashing!). I joined a second design team, made new like-minded friends (local and far away) and found a groove with this blog that I'm happy with. I wrote many tutorials, and earned a 'top blogger' badge from FaveQuilts in addition to adding my favorite fabric shops as sponsors.
In 2014 I rerealized how much I like making functional items, and I also took up knitting again after a few year hiatus. Thank you, Honey Cowl, for sparking my interest again. My first project for Quilt Market happened, and I took part in quite a few fun blog hops.
Along with the good of last year there was also the bad. A friend lost her daughter at the hands of another person. I am in complete awe at the grace and spirit that this family has conjured up to shine through this tragedy. There will be a 2015 memorial quilt. I hold this with me as I go about my day-to-day routine. There is so much good going on right in front of us that one of my 2015 goals is to be more present in everything I do, especially during family time.
Bee blocks were a hugely wonderful addition to my year. The women in the Modern Instabee and do. Good Stitches groups have been an inspiration and the many blocks taught me new techniques. I was happy to send them off to their new homes with love. And then there's the Supernova Swap; what a great swap mate Jess has been for what I realized was my first swap.
There's a lot in store for the coming year. I'd like to continue to push myself; I cannot wait for QuiltCon and the workshops I'll be taking. I'm considering taking the month of February to complete a few WIPs that I haven't been able to finish due to the many other deadlines that have been keeping me busy. We'll see! For now, I'm content to have had a lovely holiday at home with my family, and I think my head is screwed on straight for tackling 2015, hopefully with grace and spirit.
