You say you want a resolution...

New Year's resolutions. I usually don't make any because they always seem so trivial and I never stick to them anyway. But given the impending move, I have decided that I should make some sewing resolutions. Sewing resolutions have actually worked for me in the past and in a funny way. In 2005 I was pregnant and working on a wall-hanging that I'd started in 2000 when Maeve was an infant. I'd forgotten all about it and then came across all of the parts and I really wanted to finish it. I'd also started a baby quilt. Then I had a still birth at 22 weeks and I put it away because I couldn't deal with looking at it. New Year's was tough for me that year because it had been my due date. But after New Year I resolved to catch up on some projects and finish them and the wall-hanging was one of them. I told myself that I had to finish it by March so that I could get pregnant again. I finished it around March 1st and ended up getting pregnant later that month, the result of which was Gwyneth. That wall-hanging is in Tallon's room now and I always get compliments on it. I eventually dug out the quilt I'd started in 2005 and it became Gwyn's baby quilt.

1. I will complete all mending tasks by the end of January.
Right now I've got a huge pile of mending that needs to be done and which I've been putting off because, let's face it - mending is boring. However, I don't really want to move with an entire footlocker full of mending/repairs that are waiting to be done. Yes, there really are that many. So I'm committed to doing them all before the end of the month. Realistically it should take about a week or so. I think. Most of it is hand-sewing stuff, lots of darning and repairing of small holes, so it should go fairly quickly.

2. I will finish T-bird's quilt by Valentine's Day.
I'm a lazy schmuck. Okay that's not really true, though I have my moments. But seriously, I really should finish my son's baby quilt before he turns 2, don't you think? It's true that I started it late - I was wrapped up in making the girls their Easter dresses when I was pregnant with him and he did arrive about 10 days ahead of schedule. But in all honesty I could have gotten it started sooner. I didn't even bother to put the top together until two days before he was born! I just haven't been in the mood to quilt. But now I've really got to finish it because my brother and his wife are expecting their first child and I really have to make a quilt for that baby, so Tallon's has to get finished.

3. I will complete all of the pre-cut projects that are on my list.
RIght now this consists of only 1 dress for Maeve and a skirt for Gwyn, but I have other things I want to complete. The thing is that moving will not make things easy on my sewing stash and I need to put together all of the things that are currently cut out so that I won't lose any pieces.

4. I will actually sew something for myself.
I have lots that I want to make from Ottobre Woman but I've been so caught up in sewing for the other 3 that I haven't put anything together. I really want to make a couple of t-shirts and at least 1 skirt and 1 dress. I have the fabrics, it's merely a question of doing it. I think that this is the hardest thing to stick to, since I don't have a dressmaker's form and I hate having to measure myself. But I am determined to make something cute for me.

I'm always curious about other people's resolutions. Almost everyone I know resolves to lose weight, which they then feel guilty about because there is always something that gets in the way. I've done that in the past and it never seems to work out, so I'm going to try to be more active and be more mindful of what I eat but I'm not setting any specific goals. That way I won't beat myself up about not hitting my weight loss goals. What I would really like is to be able to exercise the way I did back in 2002-20034. Yes, the ultimate goal was weight loss but I wasn't really paying that much attention to the scale. Instead I was focusing on how often I exercised and for how long and how I felt afterward. I ended up losing a good deal of weight and made a formal dress that was fabulous. I can't fit in that dress now but I'd like to. What I'd really like, though, is to be able to get on my elliptical trainer and go 3 miles in 40 minutes and feel all sweaty and tired but exhilarated at the same time. It's a goal worth reaching. I sort of fell out of the habit of exercising when I had foot surgery in 2004 and never really got back into it. I want to, though, because I really did feel great after the workouts. And the side benefit of weight loss/toning is always something to smile about.