Goodbye 2015 - Hello 2016

I'm a little late with my New Years post, but I hope you all had a lovely New Years. Ours was spend in Blenheim in the South Island, I will share some photos at a later time because today its all about resolutions. Well I'm not so big on resolutions as such, so let's say its about "stuff I want to do in the next 12 months" instead.

I thought before looking forward, I would look back at what I wanted to do in 2015. At the beginning of 2015 I said I wanted to focus on creativity during the year. My goals were the following:

Cross Stitch More

I think I really nailed this goal, I did a LOT of cross stitch last year. A lot of my friends received cross stitch as a present during the year and I also did quite a bit for craft swaps.

Do More Craft Swaps

I was actually pretty good at doing craft swaps at the start of the year, but after we came back from our trip to the USA I kind of lost motivation (I did of course do my annual Halloween swap with Vany). I'm hoping to do a craft swap a month this year but will see how I go!

Tackle the terrifying UFO and mending pile

 

I did finish up this dress, but otherwise, this was pretty much a fail!

Sew more from my stash & sewing for others

 

In 2015 I made 22 wearable items, which isn't so bad given there were about three months mid-year I didn't really sew at all. Of those 22 items seven were made for other people. I made Rich a robe and all the rest were either for my niece and nephew or things I made for friends children. I STILL haven't made Rich that shirt I wanted to, but I cut it out at least - baby steps right?

As for sewing more from my stash, well this was the photo I used last year in my post and I can tell you things are now even more out of control. So I think overall sewing more from my stash was a fail.

As for what I want to do this year - well I have a few ideas:

Learn to be confident with button holes and make Rich THAT shirt 

 

Rich has been waiting for his shirt for a while, but I am one step ahead of where I was last year in that I have actually cut the shirt out from this pattern. I have done the odd button hole here and there when making skirts, but I need to be more confident with them so I can make Rich's shirt and also some shirt dresses for me. I know the only way I will get there is with practice, so I just need to do some buttonholes!

No new fabric

 

So this is a big one for me, I really should not be acquiring more fabric as I have so much. Like a wardrobe and a book shelf full. I really don't need anymore! I've decided not to buy any more new fabric (including second hand fabric). However, if people gift me fabric or I get it from a fabric swap then that fits within the rules.

Also if I want to make something I don't have any suitable fabric for I can buy it - for example, I really want to make some sports bras from this pattern and I can  hand on heart say I don't have any fabric in my stash to sew sports bras from. So when I do want to make it I can purchase some fabric. 

I  feel like no new fabric and button holes are big enough crafty goals for the year, well really, no knew fabric is a big enough goal for me. In general I want to just sew more things this year!

I also have a few non-crafty goals as well:

• Journal at least twice a week
• Pay off my student loan this year (so CLOSE)
• Travel to a country I previously haven't visited (only a few more months until we are in the Philippines, this is a bit of a lame resolution, because it was going to happen anyway)
• Read at least two new books a month
• Do side plank for at least 1 minute - for some reason side plank is super hard for me to do, I need to know I can do it!

Do you have any goals or just things you want to do in the next 12 months?