Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!!

Bloody hell. At the start of 2012, I thought the year, our second full year living in our adopted city, would be a fairly calm affair. I predicted settling into our new 'grown-up' lives and the consolidation and continuation of lots of the projects we already had on the go. I entered 2012 more secure than I have ever been in terms of where I want to live and who I want to spend my life with. But I can't say the rest of the year was in any way 'calm' or 'settling'. It reminded me quite firmly that you can't really plan for anything; or more precisely that you must be prepared to have your plans knocked about and you must be happy to alter those plans as life monkeys around with them.

I can't really discuss a round up of 2012 without mentioning that it was the year in which I got married. As much as I'd like to make light of it, for fear of coming across as a stereotypical princess-bridezilla, getting married was a pretty absorbing experience. We got engaged just before Christmas last year, and even though we planned a relatively short engagement, I totally under-estimated how stressful and consuming planning a wedding would be, even a low-budget and relaxed 'do like ours. We took a very DIY approach which one the one hand was great because it made everything more personal, affordable and 'us', plus there wasn't too much relying on others who might let you down or inflate the prices of stuff. But on the other hand, taking so much on ourselves meant there was so much to think about and work on. It was a bit like having an end-of-year dissertation hanging over your head: it was very difficult to ever properly relax because you'd feel like there was something you should probably be doing, or that if you took your eye off the game for a minute you might over-look something major, like rings or footwear! But all that aside, it was a wonderful day that everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed. But I never plan to do it again!

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The other major thing that happened this year, whilst we were neck-deep in wedding arranging, was both Pat and I losing our jobs and as a result deciding to have a crack at being self-employed. Of course, there is never a good time to loose your job and/or find your income drastically cut, but the fact that it happened to both of us within a couple of months of each other felt like quite a kick in the teeth at the time. But I have to say, there is a part of me that relishes big seismic changes like that, especially ones that free you in some way. It has been an insanely rocky eight-ish months, but rolling with the punches and constructing a new way of life has been very invigorating, and I am so happy to report that it has solidified rather than weakened our relationship. As things have panned out, our finances have flipped and for the first time since we got together, Pat has been in the position to be the one to pick up the financial slack when things have got difficult. It's a really strange position for me to find myself in and not an entirely comfortable one.

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In terms of sewing, 2012 was kind of a year of three parts for me. Until the Summer, I was really prolific. My then-boss was on maternity leave and I had taken the helm at TRAIDremade, making daily design and construction decisions with almost complete freedom. The sweet set up of a permanently free cutting space, sewing machine and overlocker meant I zipped through my own sewing projects, racking up new garments and refashions at a rapid rate of knots. Then the wedding makery took hold and I had to throw myself into making my wedding dress, the bridesmaid's dress and Pat's waistcoat. But after those were done my sewing took a massive nose-dive. I think that was due to the combination of lack of sewing and cutting space when the studio closed and the loss of mojo from all that important non-frivolous sewing. That said, I did release two free downloadable sewing patterns this year, that I'm very pleased with.

My main plans for 2013 are self-employment related. There are so many things I've now got myself involved in that now form what can loosely be termed 'my work'. I need to figure out how to get them to financially support me AND I need to figure out how balance my time so I can do them all without being the massive stress-head I've recently allowed myself to become.

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But arguably more excitingly, I have big plans, hopes and schemes for my sewing this year, which include:

• Get my post-wedding, post-reduction in sewing space sewing mojo back. I can already feel it working its way back, plus some ace new sewing patterns have found their way into my stash recently which can only be a good thing for my mojo. 
• Have a major clear-out and be brutally honest about which self-made garments no longer fit or are looking too tatty. 
• Focus on creating a look that bridges the gap between what I feel comfortable wearing and what I would ideally like to dress like. In part this means creating better fitting garments that feel good to wear, but I think it also translates to actually wearing some of my fancier creations!
• Host another awesome Me-Made-May!!!! Personally, I'm hoping to have some great new garments to wear that are closer to how I dress in my imagination than I have worn in past challenges. 
• Tackle lots of the wonderful sewing patterns that have been languishing in my stash for ages. I have so many vintage gems as well as newer ones that are crying out to be tested.
• Work through some of my enormous hoard of secondhand fabric, AKA do some serious Stash Bustin'. There is some great stuff in there and it should be enjoyed as fabulous garments, rather than residing in plastic bags stored away like it currently is. 
• Make some garments that closely resemble some of the amazing visual inspiration I've been collating for yonks on my laptop and on Pinterest.
• FINALLY make a freaking diner waistress dress or maybe blouse!!!!!

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I wish you all a wonderful new year! I hope it brings you fun and excitement, plus relaxation and calm when needed. Thank you so much for stopping by and/or following my blog for the last year, I promise my blog will remain at the heart of my creative activities in the forthcoming year and it'll be worth swinging by from time to time! Big love to you all xxx