Wowzers! Without wishing to get too political/emotional 2016 seems to have universally sucked for so many reasons.
It's been a challenging year personally too. I've travelled as far as Seoul in South Korea, and less impressively to London and Brighton, to support Charlotte through her transition. Worrying about her surgeries and keeping it together during her often gruelling recovery hasn't exactly been a walk in the park. Her latest recovery is ongoing.
At the same time I've also been getting to grips with a new job (which isn't so new anymore) and to top it all off, we challenged ourselves further by ploughing ahead with some serious house DIY. We transformed one of our spare bedrooms, as well as our own bedroom, which I've yet to blog about.
So despite the temptation to call 2016 a write-off in terms of sewing and blogging, I must remember the above and be kind to myself. So, what have I achieved?
2016 MAKES
I stitched seven makes this year, excluding gifts for kiddies. With the exception of Hayden, they're all hits so I can't really complain...
#VINTAGEPLEDGE 2016
I may not have fulfilled my own #VintagePledge this year, but you guys have been as prolific as ever! To recognise your efforts Kerry and I have organised nine awesome prizes across six different categories, as part of our End-of-Year competition. Make sure you enter your makes by the end of today (31 December 2016) to be in with a chance of winning!
We also had a whole load of fun during #VPJuly with a wonderful line-up of guest bloggers and yet more prizes during our month-long Instagram challenge.
WHAT'S NEXT?
At the risk of not sounding ambitious, I'd like an easy ride in 2017. I feel like I really need a breather after this year...like I need to look after myself better and make time for the small things in life that excite me. These include sewing (of course), hanging out with friends (stitchy pals and others) and travelling /holidaying for fun (not for surgery)!
I'm really looking forward to getting back in the sewing seat with SO many ideas swooshing around my head. To break myself back in gently, and to make a much-needed dent in my fabric stash, I've lined up some simple yet super cute projects...
As for the #VintagePledge in 2017, I truthfully don't know what the plan is yet. I feel I need to scale it back as it's as time-intensive as it is enjoyable. Trouble is, I've loved seeing it grow over the last three years and your contributions have been SO inspiring! I may keep it simple with just an Instagram challenge in July while I gather my strength for something bigger in 2018. Either way, I'll keep you posted!
How has 2016 treated you? What are your hopes for 2017?
