New Year's Wishes

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were wonderful and that you are now all rested up and ready to take on 2016 and all the goals and challenges we always feel compelled to tackle whenever a new year rolls around. Some say a new year is like a new book, a clean slate. Speaking of new books . . . 

I will have a new book published in 2016. I realize it's probably way too early to announce it since I'm still working on it but I knew some of you would be almost as excited as I am about it so, there you go. The cat is out of the bag.

I hardly ever make resolutions anymore (too much pressure) but every year I still set goals for myself. Honestly, I do know it's the same thing but just the different wording makes me feel much better and more relaxed about things. If I don't complete all of my goals within a certain time frame I don't exactly feel as if I'm breaking a promise. I just push the deadline. Last year, I set a few goals for myself and wrote them down in a notebook; I think I'll do that again this year.  Every now and then, in the coming months, I'll check the list and ask myself - "How're you doing on those?" It seemed to work pretty well last year. In order to succeed, I always need to have a plan. 
                 
                             

In 2015, one of my quilting goals was to keep going on my Dear Jane journey and make at least one block every month. Not a lofty goal, just a small one that kept me motivated enough to complete 60 blocks within the past year. A lot more than I imagined I'd finish so I feel very good about that.  After letting go of some of the perfectionism that may have been holding me back I found I was able to push forward on it. I decided all of my imperfect blocks are good enough. So there.

Then there was that one other goal I wasn't quite sure I would reach but at least I took the first step.

To answer some of your questions: 

Yes, my new book will be about small quilts (yay!). Yes, it will contain patterns for quilts that require the sewing together of lots of beautiful nineteenth-century reproduction fabrics. No, I cannot show you the quilts yet. Yes, some of them are blue. (Or, blue and brown or pink and brown or blue and red or red and white or  . . . there's even one with a chrome yellow binding just for fun.) Yes, it will include sentimental tidbits. No, it is not about sewing during the Civil War or quilting on the prairie (been there). Yes, it will for sure include beautiful photos of 15 little quilts. The quilts are not finished. The book won't be out until late this year, perhaps in December if all goes well.

I'm still in the "writing and making quilts" phase (but nearing the end!) and that's only the first part. The entire publishing process takes a long time. December 2016 seems far away. However, time flies and the end of the year will be here before you know it. And, you know me - I will probably blog about it excessively until it does come out so you will be coming along with me for the ride and it won't even seem like a year.

                     My Jane quilt has been put aside for awhile. I'll be back.

I took some time off to spend Christmas with my family but now it's back to work. Lots to do. And, as I told my husband the other day - if at times it looks like I'm just sitting here at my laptop eating peppermint bark and staring off into space, I'm actually thinking and working. Really hard.

I'll have another cup of coffee to go with that chocolate, please.

I hope you all have a successful and happy new year!