Sewology Quilt
As January rolls around each year, many people feel the need to make “resolutions.” However, research has shown that within two to three weeks, the vast majority of people abandon those “resolutions” and return to their more familiar and comfortable habits. Enter the power of the “Word of the Year.”
“Word of the Year”
What is it? Why would a person want to choose one word for an entire year? What are some examples for quilters? How do I use my “word of the year” in my life? Last but not least…what word have I chosen for 2023? First of all, a word of the year is simply a word chosen as a guide or an inspiration for that year.
“My Inspiration”
I was really inspired by quilter extraordinaire Pat Sloan! Pat Sloan Blog Pat has been doing a Word of the Year for 18 years! She has had some really good words. Be sure to check out her blog for ideas, or just Google “Word of the Year for Quilters.” Pat Sloan has set a goal to write about her “word of the year” at least once a month and to talk about how she is applying that word to her life. Now, in all fairness her word this year is “fun”…Lol!
“My Experience”
I’m a relative newbie, and this is just my 3rd year. My past words have been “Focus” and “Finish”…This year, I have chosen “Prioritize.” You may notice a bit of a theme! I struggle with some attention issues, and my brain moves a lot faster than my body! I have way more ideas than I will ever see to completion. Knowing that, I have tried to choose words that would remind me throughout the year of where I want to be heading. I am definitely one of those people that abandons resolutions within a month because I’m easily distracted or thrown off path (Look, a squirrel!). The word of the year is there all year to remind me of my goal, and I need that reminder.
“My Motivation”
My word is there to remind me that although I have a lot of things to get done, I do need to have them in order of priority. It is also there to remind me to always remember my real priorities, and those are in this order: God, family, pets, home, the quilting that brings me joy, and then business! In recent years, the quilting that brings me joy has definitely fallen to the bottom of the list. In fact, it’s so far down, that it often doesn’t happen at all. That needs to change because that joy is what makes me a better quilter and what drives my business in the first place.
One of my continuing issues is that I have many works in progress, many quilt tops finished that need quilted, and many new projects dancing through my mind waiting to be started. I have decided to “prioritize” quilting the tops I have finished. Then, I will finish the quilts I have in progress, and finally, I will choose a few that I will start this year. As a part of my prioritizing, I want to go through projects that I have in containers to “make someday” and decide if I still want to make them, or if I will relocate the fabrics to my stash, and move on. Classes I took 5 years ago because I wanted to take the class with that teacher (a good example is Edyta Sitar) may have yielded a block or two. Am I going to make those two blocks into a quilt? If the answer is “no” then why is it still all together in a project box taking up valuable space? I only have so much time and energy, and I feel that prioritizing includes sorting and downsizing.
“My Plan”
One way that I am focusing on my word this year is a weekly evaluation on Sunday afternoon or evening where I am looking at the week ahead, writing in my bullet journal, and making sure that my week has time planned for the various activities that I need to do. I have set aside the first and the third Mondays as personal sewing time this year. I am not going to “work” on Sundays, other than planning, bullet journaling, and/or blog writing. These are just two steps toward making me-time a priority in my life. Stay tuned for further reports throughout the year!
“How about You?”
So, what is your word? What does that word mean to you? How are you going to implement that word into your life? I’d love for you to leave your word in the comments:)
