2019 - A Year in Review and 2020 Plans!

I thought it would be nice to look back over 2019 and tell you a little bit about my journey as it’s been quite an exciting year! At the end of February I decided to start consistently blogging here and to share what I was up to more regularly on Instagram. I’ve always wanted to share more online but I’ve always been afraid. This year I told myself to be braver and I have really pushed myself to do so.

I'm naturally a quiet person. I don’t like to make a fuss and I really am quite shy. I’ve been longing to share my passion with likeminded people and I knew the only way I could do that was to show up and speak out about my sewing so that’s what I did! I can honestly say it has changed my life. Through being more active online, I’ve met so many inspiring and creative people and a whole world of sewing and community has opened up to me. It’s such a joy to switch on my phone and see the incredible things that people are making and the wonderful friendships that are blossoming. Anybody who thinks social media is a negative thing only needs to look to the sewing and quilting community to see just how supportive it is.

It’s in my nature to constantly doubt myself and to think I’m not good enough. I know that without the support of this community, I would have stopped sharing online a long time ago. I can’t really express just how grateful I am for the amazing comments I've received on this blog and on my Instagram page. If it wasn’t for all of you, cheering me on, I wouldn’t feel as positive as I do today.

This year has seen my work featured by a blog that I’ve always loved and that really was a highlight for me, along with exhibiting my work in a local art gallery. But the friendships and community aspect of sharing online has really changed my life for the better. I wish there was a way I could give back to everyone who has supported me, as a way to show just how appreciated it is. I hope this blog post is a small gesture towards showing my gratitude.

In terms of my making, I can see a vast improvement in my sewing and this is definitely due to the increased volume of stitching I'm doing. I sew almost every day and next year I am really going to make sure stitching is part of my daily routine as it is beneficial for my wellbeing. My aim for this year was to finish my Sew and Quilt Row by Row block of the month quilt and to finish my log cabin quilt, neither of which have been completed! I think the log cabin quilt can be completed in a few hours and my Row by Row quilt has a lot of work left to do on it but that's great because I absolutely love working on it. Hopefully it will be completed next year. 2019 has been the year of EPP for me and I have days where I cannot stop dreaming up ideas for designs and patterns that I want to create. I have managed to create some free patterns for my website and it has been so exciting to see other people make their own versions of my patterns. I cannot tell you how happy I am when somebody posts something they've made from my tutorial or pattern on Instagram, it really is the best thing ever. I hope to design more patterns next year. 

Looking forward, I have some exciting plans for next year. First of all, I am planning to record good quality video tutorials explaining and showing my process when it comes to English Paper Piecing, in great detail. This is something that has been requested many times and I hope it will be another way I can give back. I also plan to release a full sewing pattern for my hexagon sewing case which I’m super excited about! This will of course depend on being able to find somebody to test the pattern first but watch this space! I’m currently collaborating with an Instagram friend on some exciting plans we have for a stitch along. When all of the details are finalised I will be sure to let you know all about it. I also have lots of fun ideas for projects I want to make next year, none of which are finalised yet but I think there will be lots more tiny stitching to come from me. 

The final thing I have in the works for next year is quite exciting but also nerve wracking for me too! I am in the process of setting up an in person, in real life, EPP workshop! I am super passionate about EPP as you know, and there are lots of people out there who I know would love to learn. I want to spread the joy of EPP and hopefully show others just how beneficial it is to mental health and wellbeing as well as being so fun. I have a lovely location for us to work in and a very pretty project planned. I'm just waiting for dates to be finalised and then I can reveal all of the details. I'm really excited about the prospect of meeting people in real life, stitching together and sharing the joy of EPP. So if you are in northern England and think this would be something you'd like to do, keep your eye on my Instagram page and my blog and soon enough I will be able to tell you all of the details.
I'd like to thank every single one of your again for the support you've given me, it really does mean so so much to me. Wishing you a very happy rest of 2019 however you celebrate it and I will be back here soon to tell you about the Stitchalong we have planned!