2016 Year In Review/ 2017 Outlook

Hey guys, I figured I'd keep up with the blogging Joneses by posting a year in review. 2016 was a big year for me, sewing and otherwise. When I started this blog in 2015, I thought I knew a lot more about sewing than I actually did. And the deeper I fell down the sewing rabbit hole, the more I realized I still had to learn. While I learned some new skills this year, I think more than anything, I became much more comfortable with some of my existing skills, increasingly more confident in my ability to create wearable garments.

Here are some other things that happened in 2016:

I moved cross-country from Chicago, IL to Bellingham, WA with my boyfriend. After living in Chicago for 28 years, my nerves were frazzled, and I was ready for a change. You might have guessed this, but Chicago and Bellingham are night and day. Where Chicago is big, noisy, full of crime and culture, Bellingham is small, quiet, full of nature and an insulary sense of community. When people ask me what living in Bellingham is like, I tell them, "It's kind of like going away to Summer camp and just staying there year round." Even as I am driving to work in the morning, I don't feel 1/2 the amount of stress I felt commuting to work in Chicago. There is something to be said for 15 minute commutes with no traffic. I may not have the keys to happiness, but not spending 2+ hours daily stuck in traffic or on a smelly subway car has a pleasant effect on one's psyche. I do, however, miss Chicago restaurants, nightlife, and shopping. I still feel like Chicago is inextricably in my veins, and has shaped me as a person in more ways than I fully understand. Chicagoans are still my favorite people on Earth. But I needed a break. And at this point in my life, I don't plan on going back.

I started a new job. In my adult life, I've been in jobs that I am naturally good at, and I've been in jobs that I really have to work at. My current position is one that compliments my natural skill set of being friendly with people, organizing information and events, and helping people advance.

Meditation became a regular part of my life. I enjoy falling asleep to guided meditations. I wake up in a better mood, and they are particularly good at resetting me after a challenging day. My favorite guided meditation is free and found here . Warning: do not listen to this while driving, operating heavy machinery, or while trying to stay awake anywhere, ever, at all, as it is extremely relaxing lol.

Did you notice a theme here? All the major actions/changes I took in 2016 revolved around minimizing the amount of stress I experience in my daily life. We only have this one life to live, and I am trying to live mine with as little chest pain and insomnia as possible.

2017: Looking Forward

Here are some plans and goals I have for 2017.

Blogging. I am beginning to shift some of my focus to the more technical aspects of blogging i.e. improving the layout and quality of the writing and pictures. I'll tell you a secret, but you have to promise to keep it under your hat. Writing about sewing 100% of the time is starting to bore me. I am craving a content expansion, and feel creative pressure beginning to build. I am not sure exactly what this will look like, but you can expect to see more thought posts in 2017, kind of like this one.

I joined the local gym! I know this is the most cliche of all resolutions, but let me just say that I have always been a physical person, gym memberships aside, so this is more about me adding variety (weight training) to my regular workout schedule than starting from scratch. Although I have a weird fear of becoming overly jacked, I would like to improve upon my muscle tone over all. And before the body shaming police come out and write me a ticket, let me just say this: working out feels great. It increases endorphins and acts as a natural anti-depressant, something many of us can use during the Winter months.

Making more friends. I have plenty of friendly acquaintances. But as I have been growing and changing over the past several years, I have found myself wishing I had more like-minded people in my life. I have about a gagillion ideas on how to make more friends, all of which involve joining in on more activities. I'm either an extrovert with some extremely introverted tendencies, or an introvert who is really good at pretending to be an extrovert when it's required. Probably the latter. Anyway, I'm working on it.

And that, my lovelies, concludes my retrospective/look forward!

Be back soon with NYE dress pics :)

xoxo,

Amy