It is snowing as I write this. This winter brought a lot of snow to New England, and I am constantly wondering if I should consider a move to a warmer climate.
“Once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in.” ~Haruki Murakami
The past year has brought so much change to my life, and for awhile I was frozen. In early 2024, my husband passed, and the changes required for myself and my daughter were beyond difficult. Quilting was no longer a priority, even though I knew I desperately needed that creative therapy, there was just not enough time or desire to make it happen.
The plans I had made for the Creative Art Quilt Process series was stymied. My opossum became an afterthought, something I had in the back of my mind and wanted to get back to, but struggled to even look at. My husband was an important part of my creative process, providing feedback and encouragement. As his health declined, and after our loss, I lost motivation. I was able to post a video using footage I had completed previously, posting Fabric Collage in the spring. A few weeks ago, I spent some time on Embellishment, but still felt like my heart was no longer in it.
I am at a point where I need to move from dreams to action. Manifesting my new reality – for quilting and all other areas of my life – has become a focus. I still struggle with the process, and it takes significant effort to initiate, persist and complete goals. At least I have some ideas of what those goals are, and that is a critical first step. If I had to choose one word for 2025, it would be swivel. Swivel means to turn or pivot, but Wiktionary’s slang definition seems more appropriate: “Strength of mind or character that enables one to overcome adversity; confidence; will.”
- Strength
- Character
- Confidence
- Will
Admittedly, all characteristics I struggle to achieve but require in order to move past surviving to thriving.
Ultimately, I will never turn away from crafting and sewing. Working with fibers and fabrics is part of my lifeblood and is an integral piece of my empowerment. I have gone through several iterations of what I want to accomplish with sewliloquies. The foundation of what I hope to accomplish has not changed: creating and sharing quilts. That said, here are my goals for 2025:
- Finish opossum art quilt and Create Art Quilt Process video series
- Complete quilts in progress
- Finish beaver art quilt
- Quilt three finished tops
- Finish and list Jacob’s Ladder
- Finish and gift Antique Lace
- Finish Heart
- Go on a shop hop
- Plan and create more sewliloquies quilts and content
The biggest hurdle in accomplishing these goals is time. I teach full time, I am now a single mom, I am focused on strengthening relationships, I want to be more physically active, and I am trying to clean, organize and improve my house. I think I will need to plan my schedule better and hope to dedicate an hour or two during the week and a three hour block on weekends to being in my creative quilt space.
