Busting My Stash, Getting a Jumpstart on Christmas
Now that we are fresh into the new year I have begun to think about what I want to accomplish in 2025. As expected I’ve made an impossible list of goals! I realize this is actually untenable, so I am determined to be more realistic. I am also determined to celecbrate EVERY win, even the tiny ones. To that end, let’s look at my Q1 goals for 2025.
Making Things for Myself
I never do this, but I am determined to start doing so.
First off, I am going to finish my Really Fits cardigan. As you can see from the photo it is almost done. I just need to finish the second sleeve, add the front/neck band, and then block it. I’m knitting it with KnitPicks UpCycle in a worsted weight that I’m not sure is still available. Which brings up….my stash 🙁 This problem will be addressed later in this post.
I fell in love with this vest on the Daisy & Peace website. I am crocheting it with Loops & Threads Joy DK which is discoiuntinued, but I had enough in my stash for this project. I’ve only crocheted the back ribbing at this point.
Getting an Early Start on Christmas
I’ve decided to make all of my kids decorations for various holidays. I’ve settled on doing a decoration for each of the following holidays: Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Halloween. I have so much in my yarn and fabric stash I feel confident that I can accomplish this without too much expense.
The Other Bronte Sister got engaged, welcome to the family, Scribe Dude. I want to make them their Christmas stockings and perhaps a matching tree skirt.
I do not have any ideas at this time for possible gisft for the littles, so I will need to keep an eye out for the things that interest them.
All The Quilting Projects
My yarn stash is not the only one that is out of control. Quilting fabric fills every nook and cranny not already occupied by yarn. Years of having a part-time job in a fabric store make accumulating this vast store of fabric possible. The kids’ dad used to tell me that I got a bill instead of a check. He was not wrong. Clearly I can only do so much in Q1
There is no way I will get this done in Q1, but I want to make progress on my very first hand quilting attempt. It is an old top I pieced years ago using fabrics from the dresses I made for the girls as well as others from my stash. It has sat there all these years because I’m really unhappy with it, it has so many mismatched seams and is very poorly pieced. It was one of my first attempts. So now it is my first hand quilting effort as well. It is a sorry mess, but it will keep me warm. I wou;ld never dream of giving it to anyone.
This is a quilt top I am currently piecing. It is the Carrie Nation quilt block. I have no idea on the origin of the name. I am not sure who will recieve this quilt. I’m not going to lie, I want it for myself because of the yellow floral. But I always fall in love with every quilt I piece. I’ve already pieced on for The Other Bronte Sister, maybe this one can be for Scribe Dude. I really do not yet know him well enough to figure out if he would like this one.
I’ve also started piecing 6″ shoofly blocks. I’m not making any duplicates, so in a way it might be considered a charm quilt. I’m not even sure at this point how large it will be. There is no rhyme or reason to the fabric choices,I’m just using up scraps.
Apparel Sewing
I need some new clothes because of the weight I’ve put on. I am really unhappy about the way I dress when I go into the office. I feel like I’m wearing things that do not even show respect for myself. I’m going to keep this simple for Q1 and make 2 wardrobe staples, a black A-line or pencil skirt and a new blouse. I cut out the blouse already, it is just a tan colored poly/cotton blend I had. Yes, there is an apparel fabric stash too! I habe some black crepe that I think is heavy enough for the skirt. I will need to dig that out to see.
Summary
Those are my Q1 crafting goals. In addition to those things I will most likely be completing quick projects to help work through my ridiculously large stash of supplies. Many of these goal projects are not ones I would not classifyas portable, or a “brain dead” kind of project. I always like to keep my hands busy while watching a movie or show, but most of these would either require concentration or sitting at my sewing machine, so I’m certain there will be other projects completed by March 31, 2025.
Wish me luck!