Keeping promises to yourself

 Hi there! Welcome to my little corner of the world!  It's Monday!  Did you know there are 19 more weeks left in 2024?  What could you accomplish in 19 weeks???  That's a lot of time but it will feel like no time at all if you don't start somewhere.  You could lose 19 pounds, you could go for a 134 walks, you could declutter 134 things or make 134 quilt blocks (my personal favorite!)  I've been ever so slowly making changes and improving my health and fitness over the past two years.  

Let's do a brief catch-up on things since it has been over two years since I wrote my last post.  When last I wrote, I had just retired from my quilting business and owning a small quilt shop.  It turns out owning a shop was not my favorite thing to do so I gave it up before I was further down that path.  Two years later I can confirm it was the right decision.  I loved my studio but I'm completely happy in my basement sewing room.  What I still love doing is quilting pantographs on my longarm.  In 2022, I finished a bunch of my projects (32)  I had not had time to work on while owning a business.  You can see all the projects I finished over on Instagram @stbrokaw or on Facebook @Stephanie Thiel Brokaw.   I've continued that for most of 2023 and 2024 but not at the same pace.  The purpose for me in restarting my blog is to document my finished quilts in more detail than I can do on social media. And, I think I have some tips for you from things I've learned completing them.  I also want to talk a little bit about changes, transitions, motivation, etc. that aren't exactly quilt related, but I suppose they could be.  

Change #1 was retiring!  Besides finishing quilts I've worked on decluttering the house.   It's come a long way!  At first there were boxes of stuff from every room in the house.  Now, I bring a box to donate about once a month.  There's some bigger pieces I will probably donate as well as I get around to it.  I've also been regularly donating finished quilts.  It was time to rehome many of them and I've found a couple of people to help with their efforts.  I have more at the ready and of course I'm making more every month.  More on that in another post.  

Change #2: Losing weight!  I started trail running during covid but really didn't see the improvements I was hoping for so in April 2024 I tried again and I'm down 18 pounds!  Still a bit more to go but I feel like it's going really well.  I'm counting calories using an app called Lose It!  I weigh all my food and log it in the app.  It tells me how many calories I'm allowed based on my weight and activity level.  I'm still trail running and improving there as well.  Today, I completed a 7 mile run!  Who knew I would be capable of such a thing?!

Goals! 

1. Better fitness!  There are a couple of things I need to add to my routine.  I can almost squat down repeatedly again!  Next goal is getting up and down from the floor a little more easily. 

2.  Use up more and more of my fabric!  Make lots of quilts and give them away!  I just finished watching Conquer Your Fabric Scraps Summit hosted by Nicki @theruffledpurse.  All the teachers were amazing.  It gave me new inspiration and ideas not only for projects but also how to improve the way I approach things.  I'm going to try a Kawandi style project! 

3. Blog again!  I've been successful at some other small things, like decluttering and losing weight so I think I can add blogging back into the mix.  Writing is such a good activity.  

4. Public speaking.  This is a big one for me to attempt but I hope to add videos to my YouTube account.   My adult kids have been such an inspiration to me.  One has lost weight. LOTS of weight! Like over 100 pounds.  He's amazing.  The other has a YouTube channel and talks so easily to the camera.  I need to give it a try.  It will probably be terrible 😂😂😂 but that means I can improve!  Don't hold me to it.  It will come in its own time.  

I said I have been successful at a few things lately.  I want to encourage you to make good use of the next 19 weeks and do a few things for yourself.   You've made promises to yourself that you haven't kept.  That's me again and again.  I'm working on doing those things for myself. What a wonder it is to actually follow through on a promise you make to yourself!  Maybe you don't struggle with something like that.  Maybe you do all the things but I haven't, not hardly.  And that is changing.  

Happy Monday, folks.  Make it magical!

Stephanie

And, because you made it the end, here is some quilty eye candy! I'll always post a photo of what's on my design wall, my most recent finish and a photo from 2023 archives (which are the ones I missed posting about), and occasionally I'll post a photo of the vegetation in the park where I run.  

Current projects on my design wall.  The blue and white one is a pattern and fabric by Janet Clare called Abracadabra.  I love it!  The blocks on the right are County Clare blocks in a 9" size, pattern by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.  It's her Leader/Ender challenge for July 2024-June 2025. 

 

Close up of the tiny houses on the design wall.  Pattern by Jitka Designs.  FPP.  

Most recent finish! A lap size quilt from a tutorial by Jordan Fabric called Scrappy Lattice.

From the Archives:  Finish #6 in 2023.  This an x block, which is an old block pattern, made using my stash of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.   

Summer running at Fort Harrison State Park!  The trails get very narrow in places, the flowers are so tall!