Last Post of 2023.

It hit me this morning as I sat down to edit photos for this post that this is the LAST blog post of 2023.

This is it.  End of the road for this year.

There were a lot of incredible things we experienced together this year - and there were some not so good things that we made the best of while trying to get past them.

All in all - well played, Quiltvillians!

It's not been perfect - but is it ever?

And I think I found my word for 2024. (Even if those words are forgotten by June and we wonder why they lost focus?)

This little "LISTEN" message showed up in the corner of the Winter Cardinal quilt as I was loading it into the longarm on Thursday.

I need to listen to myself more and trust in my own instincts. I need to develop better habits such as:

1. Acknowledge personal values

Recognizing what you believe in can change everything about your life. Don’t let your situation cause you to give into something you disagree with. Stay in tune with what you believe in, and let go of all the rest.

2. Recognize negative self-thoughts

If you experience negative self-thoughts, it can cause you to ignore your inner thoughts. Recognizing your inner critic helps you ignore the toxic thoughts. Then, you can replace them with what you know.

3. Ignore mind clutter

You may hear many negative self-thoughts, but ignoring the clutter can help you overcome negativity. Listening to yourself requires ignoring the clutter so you can tap into your innermost thoughts.

Learning how to differentiate between clutter and true thoughts can help you listen to yourself.

4. Daily self check in

Checking in with yourself requires asking yourself uncomfortable questions. It requires asking yourself “why” or “how”, but it allows you to check in with your innermost thoughts. When you think this way, it helps you listen to yourself and what you know is right.

5. Let go of the things you can’t control (This is a biggie)

Letting go of things you can’t control allows you to listen to yourself. You know what’s good for you and that you should walk away from the rest. This tip might mean walking away from people you have nothing in common with anymore.

6. Learn the difference between your wants and society’s expectations

Differentiating between what you think society expects of you and what you want is one of the first steps in listening to yourself. It might take effort to disregard specific thoughts, but it’s worth it.

When you know how to listen to yourself and differentiate from the rest, everything else falls into place. It’ll lower your stress levels and increase your confidence and self-esteem.

Thinking of all of this while quilting through LISTEN.

I quilted with a mist gray thread in an edge to edge design called Oh My Feathers by Lisa Calle.

I love all of the fabrics that came together in this quilt.

Yes, even the crazy Y2K.

Remember when we thought the world would stop when we turned from 1999 to 2000?

It didn't.  We'll make it through 2024, too.

Doing the happy dance at half-way.

I chose a nearly-vintage piece of Jinny Beyer feathers in dark gray as binding.  It used up ALL that I had of this long-saved piece, and the print echoes the feather quilting design - 

This proves that sometimes fabric may need to cure for a good long while in the stash before you find the right place and time to use it - but it's a wonderful thing when it does happen.

I still don't know what this fur swirl fabric is supposed to be.

But's now OUT of the stash, and folks 50 years from now can wonder just what I was thinking.  LOL!

(Maybe they'll comment on the penguins and witches hats too?)

Happiness is a well-turned binding corner!

It's the eve of New Year's Eve.  Another long holiday weekend.

I don't know what your plans are, but mine revolve around staying cozy - we got less than an inch of snow last night, but temps will stay well below freezing and snow is supposed to continue to fall until around 7pm tonight.

I'll head over to the studio to take care of Tula and some other things (including a walk on the tread pad I got for Christmas!) and then saunter on home to spend my time with an audio book and the black/neutral pineapples.

There's that binding to finish while binge-watching something -

And I'll ring in the new year by being in bed by 10pm tomorrow night. LOL!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

So maybe yesterday (or this year) didn't turn out the way you wanted it to.

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That doesn't mean today (or next year) can't be better.

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Don't let yesterday (or this year) carry over!

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Have a wonderful New Year's weekend, everyone.