Reflections on 2015 and my word of the year

It’s a good thing I write stuff down here in this space, because, as humans, sometimes we remember things incorrectly and we need reminders of what actually happened. It’s kind of embarrassing, but when I went back to look and see where my post was about my 2015 Word of the Year and Vision Board, and come to find out it was actually my word for 2014! “Forward”. Well, it was a good word, and I think it really worked for me in 2015 in a way that resonated a lot more than 2014 (apparently.  Sheesh.).

As I was working through the year, I did keep my word “Forward” at the front of my mind, and I also referred to my vision board.  How close was I with my vision?  Was there something that I forgot that resonated?

So, looking back on 2015, it was a big year: my book was published and people really like it, I won a ribbon from a prestigious show, two of my quilts were published in Modern Quilts Unlimited, I bought my BERNINA Q24,  Sew Mama Sew asked me to be one of their contributors to their 2016 predictions, I joined the Craft Industry Alliance, and I will be blogging for Modern Quilts Unlimited twice a week starting next week! In terms of where I went, I went to QuiltCon, MQX, and had a schoolhouse at the Fall Quilt Market in Houston.

So what is my word for 2016? This time around, instead of picking a word and just kind of ruminating on it casually, I decided to do the One Little Word course and see where that leads.  In November, the word that was clamoring in my head over and over was “delight” and it still may be my word, but in December I had a family issue happen from the clear blue sky that hurt my spirit, and squashed my creativity a bit.  It’s been a struggle to get back to “delight”.  I have a few days to think about it before the first prompt, though, so we shall see. In any case, I wanted to recap some of the cool quilts I got to work on this year:

 

And some of my own quilt patterns I’ve designed and/or quilted, and published (not including the book):

 

I have plans and plans for 2016.  I know already it will be an interesting year: it’s my last year with my daughter before she starts kindergarten, and therefore bittersweet.  I have so many designs I want to write and make, new techniques I want to try, and ways I hope to grow.  I will work towards being a positive force in the quilting world, encouraging and supporting people in their goals. I want to find freedom in my art.  I want to share that with others.

Maybe “delight” for my 2016 word is the right one, after all.