Well, this is where I find myself at the beginning of a new year… Signing up for yet another challenge.
I attempted this one last year with CKC’s ABC character sew-a-long. and you saw I made it all the way to letter C! Super impressive, no?
Well, since I did so well last year in following through with my Hexie temperature quilt… I am going to try another challenge as well.
One of my favorite pattern companies is having an alphabet sew-a-long … They have a schedule where every two weeks a letter is posted & participants sew a pattern that begins with that letter.
My personal goal is to sew one of their patterns that I own, but have not sewn up yet. Yes, that means I have probably every letter of the alphabet in patterns of things I have yet to try and sew. Don’t judge me.
For A I chose Aylah’s Knit Twirly Skirt because it is an awesome stash buster for me, and after last weeks 52 weeks sewing challenge, I found a lot of scraps I need to bust.
I had some help with this: I asked Georgia if she wanted to help me make her a new skirt… This girl. If you are a personal friend of ours or you have followed LadyBeez business, our children have been modeling for me their whole lives…
This one, however, certainly has the posing thing down. On top of that she is quite the little designer. So apart from me actually sewing this together, she picked out and arranged all the fabrics.
Oh this mama’s heart. It’s so bittersweet watching your little girl grew up before your eyes. I wish I could freeze time……
We made it through the whole year of 2020! Have you taken the adequate time to celebrate this accomplishment? I’m serious. Remember back to the days when we thought that year would never end???? Well, it did. And if you’re reading this, you are on the other side!
I loved writing these blog posts to look back and see each month in color. No matter what crazy thing was happening, this quilt made me happy.
Let’s take a look at that Temperature Legend again, shall we?
December finally brought with it more blues! I loved working with some different colors again! I don’t think I’ve ever prayed for colder weather in my life…..but I did in December 2020, and it was solely for the purpose of this quilt.
After I finished the color hexies for the month….and before I took these pics…..I was so excited to get this project completed that I really started trying to knock out the white border hexies. It’s so pretty seeing it all come together!
THIS IS IT! ALL THE HIGHS and LOWS (temperature wise) of 2020 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Now this is the point that I would normally do a recap and show the “Watch Me Grow” progession through each month……but I’m not gonna do that this time.
Why?
Well, I have lots still to do. I have to finish the border, decide what I want for the backing, quilt and bind.
Now, who thinks this will all actually get completed by the end of 2021????
In 2020 I challenged myself to the Daily Temperature Quilt….and I am so proud that I did it. I hand stitched 2 hexies for every day of the year and made it into a quilt.
(I promise…..I will post the update for December 2020 very soon)
BUT It’s 2021 NOW!
I was talking to a good friend about goals and resoultions…..and I was explaining to her that I don’t make them. I feel like I’ve “failed” one to many times.
HOWEVER, I DO sign up for challenges (or start challenges for myself) in my sewing business.
So, here we are.
I joined a 52 week Sewing Challenge for 2021.
After last year’s challenge, I figured this one would be pretty easy!
WEEK 1: ORGANIZING YOUR SPACE
One of our daughters LOVES the rainbow. She sorts everything into Rainbow order…..and I get it. It sure makes everything more cheerful!
I don’t think I’ve seen this much of my sewing desk since 2014…
I also began organizing my PDF printed pattern pieces. I have to say “began” since I have two piles to sort yet….but this is a great start. They are all folded into Manilla folders, labeled on the outside with the pattern name, and stored in my Upcycled Bathroom vanity that I’ve been using the last 6 years…..again, it hasn’t been this clean…..since 2014
This picture also shows my “Ready for Upcycling” cabinet on the left. The top doors close off the adult shirts & fabric panels, the bottom bins are children’s sizes, sorted by size.
ahhhhh….THE FABRIC.
Knit in rolls on the left…..Woven wrapped around comic cardboards on the right
The other side of the cutting table….and more pattern storage
(note all the scissors….I believe I found 12 pair when cleaning this space)
It’s just so pretty all cleaned up and spiffy!
and one more step back…..
So, I would say:
WEEK 1: Organize your Space….CHALLENGE ACCEPTED…..
CHALLENGE CRUSHED!
I still have a long ways to go.
I haven’t shown the full studio, because I have scrap fabric coming OUT OF MY EARS! I save everything! It’s a blessing and a curse….so hopefully I will get a lot of that used up in the month of January. 🙂 But, apart from that, this is a HUGE LEAP in the right direction for me. I’m not a “clean” and “organized” person by nature….so I will TOOT all the HORNS and be proud of myself this week.
The year that crawled by month-by-month…and then, at least for me, SPRINTED across the finish line.
I always like looking back and seeing what I accomplished over the year.
It’s a good place to take stock/inventory in a life…..in a business….and since this is both to me, ’tis what I shall do.
I started 2020 with an ambitious project: The Hexie Temperature Quilt. I can barely believe I am almost at completion! It’s one thing that made the year pretty and happy and fun to look at. Maybe God knew I needed this project in this year. It won’t be finished before 2021 begins, as I still will have to fill up the border hexies, decide if I want to add the temperature legend to it & how, and quilt it….BUT I will have the main part done. THAT, my friends, is pretty amazing to me!
It turns out Instagram really likes this project too, as these were my TOP 9 Posts for 2020
I also started the year with an ABC character sew-a-long, which I made it through all of A, B, and C. LOL! So, not a true accomplishment, but not all goals get met.
This year I also wanted to re-ignite my blogging platform. I came upon this idea in March….looking back, it was comical that that happened to be the exact time that the world came to an abrupt stand still. Let’s just say virtual schooling 4 very dependent children put a small damper on my blogging efforts.
Oh, the pandemic. How you have made our lives so crazy different! I haven’t really addressed it’s impact on my business much because I really had so many other things to focus on. While I would love to have Ladybeez Designs be my sole income stream at times…..it’s times exactly like this that I am thankful for my hospital laboratory career. I was able to really put this business on the back burner and focus on our families needs when I was at home. My heart breaks for all my fellow artists and small business owners that depend on their craft as income. I guarantee that if that was the case for me, I wouldn’t have made it through this year financially. Guess how many people purchase childrens’ boutique clothing for children that never get to leave their homes? (I’ll give you a hint: barely any)
So, when the demand and call for sewists to make masks was made….I started trying to do my part. Oh . boy. the feelings I had for this were strong in all directions. I couldn’t believe the pressure put upon sewists that were already struggling to make ends meet with their small businesses being guilted into using their time and money to pump out masks as if the worlds’ lives depended on it. At the same time, my empathetic heart ached to help in every way I could! Oh the conundrum! I stopped counting at 400 for masks I gave away/donated/gifted…..to many other mask makers that’s a drop in the bucket. But, to me, that was my limit. I still make a few here and there….back to my boutique style of sewing in that department. What a wild ride! Aside from putting a serious dent in my sewing stash (which I am grateful for)…I did find a pattern that was comfortable/effective for many people, so for that I am thankful as well.
Throughout the year, I continued to participate in the Red Rose Sales & Auction House. People just weren’t in the mood to buy my goods. I get it, believe me, I do. It is just hard to stay motivated when you aren’t selling. I am thankful for friends and loyal, longtime customers that continued to make custom orders. I spent the better part of the last 3 months sewing memory keepsakes for friends and family who lost loved ones. Pillows, ornaments, and aprons in the medium of shirts and neckties.
Of course, I sewed up a few fun things for myself and my kiddos too….even if we didn’t get to show them off very much.
LadyBeez Designs Family Halloween 2020
In NON sewing things, you may have noticed a very HIGH presence of Hallmark Movie Reviews the past 2 1/2 months. I hosted a Hallmark Movie Showdown Bracket for the second year. It brought a lot of joy to myself and hopefully the 53 other participants through laughs and prizes.
So, there we are. The end of 2020. I am so thankful to have this creative platform. It truly is a therapeutic outlet.
I’m supremely blessed to have a loving and supportive family.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Werner Photography
Looking forward to a NEW YEAR and FRESH IDEAS in 2021!
I took a bit of a break from my reviews the last couple weeks because, well, Christmas gets a little crazy the closer it gets, ya know. In my house, I add to that by making many of my gifts….trying to maintain a bit of normalcy for my fam in 2020…..on-and-off virtual schooling 3/4 of the kiddos…..finsihing up custom Christmas orders for LadyBeez Designs…..oh, and working night shift at the hospital……….so, there you have it.
I continued to watch Hallmark Christmas movies, but let my blog reviews fall to the wayside.
I COULD NOT. LET. THIS. ONE. PASS. Though……
It’s movies like this that restore my love for Hallmark and re-energize my Christmas Spirit….and I watched this on December 29th, so that’s just how powerful this one is!
Hello, Mr. Van Winkle! so, honestly, I googled this guy, and I HAVE seen him before….but this is OBVIOUSLY his best Hallmark performance.
Averie Peters……Sweet MAX! This little sweetheart is GOING PLACES! You’ve seen it here first! I just want to squeeze her!
So here’s how I’m going to break it down: 5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each
CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Lucas & Lucy. LUCAS AND LUCY!!!!!!! Where in the world do I even start?!?!? I loved every single second of these two. I laughed, I cried sobbed like a baby, the butterflies crept up from my stomach to my throat, I blushed like a preteen in front of my children. The funny banter at the beginning….the reluctant pairing….the DANCE…..the Fire pit scene….THE END. I’m a puddle, can you tell?!?!?!? STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ YES!!!!!! This is how you make a WISH movie! 1000% to the whole thing. I loved the REAL-NESS of it all. Lucy is BUBBLY OVER THE TOP…(but even those CHRISTMAS LOVERS have their limits) Max’s wishes changing….so good! Lucas’ healing journey. Man, THE TEARS that I shed!!!! The explanation of grief….it reminded me of “Two Turtle Doves” from last year. I don’t want to spoil a SINGLE second, because you MUST watch!
SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Everyone and EVERYBODY was so good…..MAX is just the cutest little girl on the planet! That smile! I can’t believe this is the only film on her IMDB! I loved Lucas’ parents—great support and one-liners. Lucy’s mom with the MAD sewing skills making some amazing dresses! I wonder if she sews anything but Velvet? (sorry….sewist nerd observation) I LOL-ed at her reaction to the first dress…I may have done that to my own mother once or twice 😉 Lucy’s friends Cullen & Joan’s story was also adorable……it’s all GREAT, ya hear?!?!?!?
FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ PLEASE SEE ALL THE ABOVE. At the end after sobbing into my 8yo’s arms….we were bouncing up and down on the couch. Things I haven’t mentioned yet: The bracelets. The GINGERBREAD HOUSE (and every scene and revolved around it) The scene with Lucas and his Dad toward the end is when I lost it…….and then basically, Travis Van Winkle speaking anything throughout this whole movie. And Also, maybe when he wasn’t speaking too.
HALLMARK SURPRISE(anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I wasn’t prepared for how much I LOVED this whole thing. I was actually SHOOK at the ending. The whole ending surprised me…and Cullen’s extra line…and just…………EVERYTHING. WATCH IT!
25/25 I feel like this was the movie of the YEAR. I’m not even joking. I loved it so much. I will watch it many times. Max, I CANNOT wait for your wish next year!!!!! (PLEASE MAKE A SEQUEL)
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