The 2013 Wrapup and Predict Post

As 2013 rolls to a close, I thought I might take a look at how the year has gone. It was a really strange year for me as I needed space and quiet time, something I'm not really known for.  No one has ever said "that Amy... she's a quiet girl."

I welcomed the quiet though. I found solace behind closed doors. I found a pacing that felt right. It meant that I was socializing, crafting and blogging a little bit less; but enjoying life a little bit more. There were good days and some not so good days too. I curated my time. I curated my life. (That strategy worked for me, by the way. It was by far the best New Year's mantra that I've ever chosen.)

I found some time to finish lingering projects and I started scores more. My favorite sewing projects from the year were some of my most recent quilt finishes. I tackled Anna Maria Horner's feather bed quilt.

...and put together my blocks from the must.stash bee. It took four tries to get it right, but it was worth every sew and unpick. With a tiny bit of wisdom I assigned myself the last month of next year's bee, so I have plenty of time to get this one quilted before the new blocks roll in.

I reworked my string quilt until it made me happy. Then I stood back and smiled.

There were these quilt finishes too.

...and a few others. I'm not always good on the finishing side of things, but as it turns out I actually did get a few things done. By far the best quilt of 2013 though was a collaborative gift for a friend because I know it still makes her smile, and she needs that in her life right now.

Strangely, I found myself quilting more and tackling smaller projects less. There were a pair of ironing board covers, though 2013 furthered the distance in my relationship with irons.

I made clothes and cushions, buckets and bags.  

...and a few new tutorials too. Hot damn, was I busy. And that's only a sprinkling of what I made in 2013. I stepped back from blogging this year and a fair bit went un-captured. My hands were rarely idle in 2013, and there is a lot to show for it. That's the good, of course. The bad is that I bought more clothes pattern than I needed and haven't made any yet. I let the boat roll by on two quilting projects I really should have finished (Apologies to both Windham and C&T Publishing).

On the plus and minus side, my sewing room is uber tidy. Curating my stash left me with something wonderful, but my recent quilting bender has all but left it decimated.  A friend came by and asked where all my fabric was. I quietly dipped my head and said "that's all that is left."  Which is why 2014's mantra is *drumroll* rebuild!

If we were keeping score, I'd put a W in the craft column for 2013. On the personal side, I ticked a few boxes as well.  I bought a bike....

...and stayed in a vintage Airstream in the desert.

...and turned 40. Eek.

Travel is always a big part of the year for me, of course. I went to greater Melbourne.

...and to San Francisco.

We explored Seattle and Washington

...and Bellingen, Dubbo, Parkes, Urunga and a myriad of other adventures in regional NSW. My wing flaps got a work out in 2013. For that, I am grateful. I can only hope 2014 lands me on the road as much.

So 2013 wraps up nicely. But what's in store for 2014? Where am I headed? And what do I expect to see from others?

In my own crafting, I imagine that once I finished wading through the overabundance of white background fabrics that I bought way back in 2012 that I'll be purging lights from my palette. I see myself sewing with more saturated prints - less white, less contrast - using what's rapidly becoming my signature dark grey and black backgrounds. I feel like I won't be alone in this. We were quiet in our fabric choices in the last couple of years; but soon we're going to be very, very loud. Despite what Pantone thinks, Radiating Orchid is a passing fad. Come and gone before the New Year's bell gongs. Let's hope some anyway.

Dark greys, charcoals and deep steels will be back. They'll be set with cheddars, corals and smoky blues. Cheddar. Cheddar will be hot.

Your grandma's carpet will be all the rage on fabric. Juliana Horner has already taken use there with her first Joann's collection, and we are so much the better for it.  Ring of the 70's and ask them to send us some drapes. Send the tartans too while you are at it.

I've been missing from social media this year, so I can't tell you who we should be keeping an eye on. I've been so slack, I couldn't even tell you what fabric ranges are due soon and what to look out for. I'm getting myself back up to speed as I rebuild! in 2014. I think we'll see a new wave of sewists soon. With them will come fresh ideas, fresh passion and a whole lot of loveable wonky quilts. For my part, I've been working on tutorials with the first due in early 2014. I think you'll like it. For those of you who've moved well beyond wonky, I'll serving up a bit of a challenge to push your skills. Just what the doctor ordered for the New Year. ...a supersized surprise.

On the life side of things, we're rebuilding as well.  Rebuilding connections, rebuilding our home (only in the metaphorical sense, we're rental tenants in a high rise after all. There's not much you can rebuild here unless you want to break down your IKEA flat pack... )  First we need to travel though. Craig is heading to Beijing for work for January, so I'm scouting around trying to find places to visit in Australia for a few weeks while he is gone. This girl is ready to hit the road. Vacation ideas welcome!  When Craig returns, we're off for a trip to the Coral Coast in Western Australia.  Some time in late February life returns to normal... or it just might get turned on its head.

Are you ready for 2014?  What are you expecting next year?