Looking Ahead

So here it is - the obligatory post on my hopes and goals for 2015. But no fear - I won't be getting overly soul searchy here, as instead I'll be talking about all of my creative goals for the coming year. So, to find out what it is I'm hoping to be making, the techniques I'm hoping to master, and the lessons I'm hoping to learn, read on!

• Make friends with bias binding. Bias binding is an old nemesis of mine, and if I had my way, I'd quite happily leave it well alone. However, I've recently come across a few patterns I really want to make which require bias binding. It was actually this skirt that persuaded me (it's a beauty, right?). If you have any bias binding tips for me, I'd love to hear them. 

• Focus on new techniques. There's so many techniques that I have yet to try across sewing, knitting, and crochet, and I want to build on those that I already know. 

• Take time over projects. Essentially, I want to make things that look nice, but more importantly hold up well over time too. I'm totally guilty of rushing important stages in order to get the finished garment sooner. For 2015, I really want to make sure I enjoy the process as much as the end result, and this means taking time over the details. 

• Finish the crochet skirt. Except for the fantasy 50's cocktail dress, I've ticked off all of the items from my Projects in Planning post. Well, apart from a certain crochet skirt that is. Progress on that skirt has kind of slowed down to a halt, and I think the fact that it's definitely more of a garment for summer has something to do with it. It's a project I'm still really enthusiastic about though, so I'm going to push myself to finish it in time for spring. Hopefully, anyway. 

• One project at a time. We're all guilty of this one, right? As I type, I currently have about three projects on the go, although I'm capable of more. This leads to me, inevitably, abandoning a few WIPs along the way. This needs to stop. In 2015, I want to devote my time and effort onto one project at a time. This will hopefully lead to me finishing projects quicker, and planning each project better before diving in. 

• Celebrate the process... Here on A+M, I rarely post about the process behind something before revealing the final result. There's a few reasons for this; I forget to take photos whilst in the midst of making, sometimes I don't have much to say about the process, and heck - it's a lot easier to write a post about a finished project. However, some of my favourite posts to read from other bloggers are about the processes behind their WIPs. I feel that I'd like to journal more of my creative process, so I can look back on how I've developed my skills and techniques. 

• ...as well as Celebrate the mistakes! Likewise, I don't post many failed attempts at a project. It's not that I'm pretending that I'm a perfect sewer/knitter (I'm a looong way from that!), but as a person I just prefer to focus on the positive rather than the negative. And when something goes wrong, I just like to get it out of my sight, rather than write a blog post dissecting what it was that went wrong. But there's a lot to be said for mistakes - I've learnt so much more from every dropped stitch or wonky seam than I have from a project that was plain sailing.

I wish all of you the best for 2015, and hope you have a great New Years Day! I'd love to hear any of your goals for 2015 (craft related or not!).