2008 projects and thoughts

been reading around blogs and various lists I am active on and boy oh boy lots of resolutions and goal setting going on!

I did my 2007 wrap up and not setting goals-listing accomplishments seemed to work out ok.
I came up with almost 10 projects for this year- my top ten idea. I have decided I am not posting them on my blog- I have them right here on my computer spreadsheet and that works for me. They do include some ufos, some new personal projects, and a few more quilts for others. And, my charity quilts are always ongoing....just not a stack of them right now.

Doing my NewYorkBeauty tutorial fizzled out here...and it's not looking like making a come back any time soon either....however....at some point this year it will.

January does have some must finish projects to work on-the winter swap, some guild blocks, and finishing that top I shared.
I spent last Sunday cutting, I started the night before actually-but the major focus was on Sunday with my charity group cutting six inch squares for Wraptheminlove's program with a women's prison project that is going on. We cut over a foot tall of squares and busted a lot of donated fabric. However, even with some fabric taken home by others, we were given a lot of very nice fabric from quilters doing that purge thing-and so-I came home with much more than I brought. I am determined to pare this fabric down - some of it has been sitting around now for over 4 years...so...some will find a new home with other charity groups and the rest? A whole lot of sewing on it this year. I think more will get sewn as I plan to do kit cutting every month. It is just easier to grab and sew for a lot of us than looking at a pile of fabric and coming up with a plan.

I promised M I would carry on from 2007 year of getting stuff decluttered and cleaned out. Lots of folks have been jumping in doing the purging and tossing and embracing the Less is More mindset- I have done a lot of that over the years, starting when I left my husband and through the deaths of my parents and family members. Nothing is more sobering than clearing out two large storage units of what ends up being a small box of stuff "worth" keeping. A good friend says he is not going to bother with clearing out anything-when he passes, it is someone else's problem. That attitude doesn't quite work for me. However, even with that clear stuff out approach- I still have managed to "over" stuff this room and the fabric room has gained quite a few "extra" items. Now granted, we live in quite a small home so it is much harder to keep it tidy looking-things just seem to pile up here and there on a regular basis. If I had the room to have a place for everything- then I could keep everything in it's place. Obviously, it's time for less, much less everything. So, that's my major vision for 2008.

Which includes my quilting and related stuff. I still have the idea of sewing my way out of a lot of these "piles of fabric and projects" . I just have to take them more seriously perhaps. Have I mentioned my missing quarter foot is still missing? I checked the garbage basket...nope...not there. I am not in dire need of it so no search mission needs launching just yet. It just serves to remind me...I really need to consider taking more stuff out of here...and of course, putting things back where they belong would also be helpful. I broke my own rule there-as I am pretty much in the habit of tossing feet in the drawer where they live. Oh well...we all have been there, done that when in a hurry to work on something.

And, on a final note...ok...maybe not THE final note...I am enjoying an occasional day of doing a little of this, a little of that...sort of puttering along day. I think 2008 will see more of those too!
The word for my 2008 year is Kindness...and being kind to yourself first is the place to begin.