Looking Ahead

Christmas is packed away for another year and since then we have been deep cleaning the house.  I hadn't done any dusting since before my foot surgery in mid-October.  Amazing how much dust accumulated in 10 weeks!  

Frequent rest breaks gave me a chance to think about how I want to proceed with my quilts and paper in 2025 and I think I've figured out a general "game plan" (subject to redirection, as always).

(above - my new tea break set up in the design studio)

I am participating in the Create 365 Somethings in 2025 challenge. 

You can read iHanna's introductory post HERE.

You can read Tammy Garcia's (Daisy Yellow's) introductory post to her 365 Somethings with a Twist is HERE.  

As you may have guessed, I'll be using Tammy's Fractional Approach!

(above - the second blooming Christmas Cactus)

On my list of projects that will "count" . . . 

• Placemats (6 birthday and maybe others)
• Completed quilt tops (who knows how many)
• Finished quilts (there are 14 currently in the queue)
• A new wall quilt for February (awesome panel on order)
• Two themed journals - "Bookish" and "Squirrely" 
• Greeting cards for birthdays and anniversaries
• Slow stitching projects to reduce doom scrolling (things like inserts for those cards)
• and the Full Deck Challenge 3 hosted by ShanoukiArt on You Tube (I plan to use Kraft paper shipping tags instead of playing cards and my goal is to make one shipping tag using "paper" and a second shipping tag with "fabric" each week)

If I don't make 365, that's okay so long as I PLAY more and PLAN less.

(above - the heavily flowering amaryllis)

This month, I'm also very loosely following along with Karen Brown's 5th annual decluttering challenge.

Many of her prompts really don't apply to me (i.e., magazines).  But others like deep cleaning the studio and seriously looking at fabric pulls, UFOs, and the like in order to decide which ones are WANT TO MAKE absolutely apply.  

* * *

Bottom line - the studio squirrels are hard at work suggesting new ideas and while I plan to listen and explore their thoughts, exactly how my creative year unfolds is going to be an adventure.

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------------------------

"You owe it to all of us and yourself to get on with what you're good at."

W.H. Auden

Major Improvement

This is the only "before" photo that I will share of the attic space beside my sewing room.  This is far end of the space AFTER I had emptied all of the randomly stacked, stuffed, and piled seasonal decor into my studio.

After I told DH about my plan to re-evaluate the contents and edit/rearrange to make better use of the space, he disappeared for a while. . . 

He shifted the remaining items and set up the much-too-heavy tables in that end space and wondered why I was so excited when he showed me what he had done.

After almost two days of effort, here's a look at the updated space.  

This is what you see when you first step into the attic from my "waiting to be quilted" closet.

Here's a look down the length of the space.

Note:  The black and yellow boxes will be emptied now that I have another set of the clear totes.  And since DH uses the larger ones in his shop attic they will go directly to a good new home.

(and yes, I did set aside some stuff to donate AND I threw quite a few things away during the editing process)

What makes me the happiest though is this VASTLY improved space/method for storing the seasonal flowers.  

SO, SO, SO much better!

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------------------------

P.S. And for those who wondered, Mommy and Miss P (my sister's sixth grandchild) are home and doing well, and Big Brother is in love with his new little sister.  

Their three"hugs in a box" (the quilts) will be delivered on Thursday.  

Quick Update

Little Man is staying with us for a few days

so I won't be posting as frequently 

until after he goes home.

He noticed this image on my open tablet screen.

 

"MeeMah, that is a very pretty quilt."

"We can make one like that this weekend, right?"

(spoken in an excited voice)

* * *

Hmmm . . . I have been loosely following along with 

Karen Brown's January Decluttering Challenge

and this week's topic has been Mount Scrapmore.

(it has been an interesting exercise - 

my studio is in pretty good shape but

I've still found value in watching her videos

and considering some of her ideas)

Since I'll be taking a closer look at the scraps I've kept

(particularly in the crumb boxes)

I think I'll pull out any that fall into the palette above.

Over the weekend I'll turn Little Man loose

at the design wall and see what he comes up with.

It will be fun no matter how things develop.

(and he's right, it is pretty -)

no maker information available)

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------------------------

“Children naturally live in the moment, and they allow that moment to be what it is; magical and beautiful in every way.”

April Peerless