I thought since today marks the turning point in the year when we start having longer days and shorter nights that I would look at what I’ve accomplished for the year. I set goals at the end of last year and I plan to set some for 2011. Hopefully, I’ll do a little better at following through in the coming year. It’s not that I didn’t get anything done this year in the world of fiber art but due to a back injury, I have been a bit limited on sitting at the sewing machine and leaning over during felting. As this has still been an ongoing problem, I have had to learn to adapt.

My main goal for last year was to:
Develop my voice as an artist and begin to produce a consistent body of work in my own style.
I can’t say that I’ve really accomplished this.
I had established steps to accomplish my main goal which were:

• spend more time in the studio making art
• complete more sampling
• practice art/design in my studio journal
• develop more 3D artwork in combination with machine embroidery
• Begin Level II Machine Embroidery course
• no guilt about time spent in studio

I started off in January and February and really felt that I was doing well and focusing more on my fiber art. Then the back injury in mid March just through me for a loop and I haven’t gotten back on track again. But I did have some accomplishments in 2010 and although I didn’t manage to complete all of the steps above, I did the following:

• Created 12 pages for the Traveling Pages Swap
• Worked in my studio journal several times a month and started Design Focus Fridays
• Started a local fiber art group that meets monthly
• Made a variety of stamps and stencils with my own designs
• Completed a mini-course on Photoshop Elements
• Made several more tutorials for the blog
• Made work to sell including cat toys, sweater flower pins, dyed scarves, nuno felted scarves and barrettes
• Experimented with solar dyeing
• Finished a very, very slow WIP (hopefully  more on that soon)
• Tried machine embroidery Carol Shinn style
• Took a needle felting doll class from Kay Petal and completed a doll
• Made several small felted, hand stitched pieces
• Made a cobweb scarf
• Made several 3D felt vases
• Taught myself to spin with a hand spindle
• Made felted slippers

That’s not too bad a list, do you think? Did you set any goals for 2010? Did you follow through with them? I’d love to hear how you did. I am working on a new set of goals for 2011 and steps to accomplish them. I’ll post them soon. In the meantime, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and not driving yourself crazy making last minute gifts!