The beginning of a new year always seems like a chance to start anew. It seems to bring with it renewed hope for life. We like to make goals, plans, resolutions, etc. about how the year will go. Last year I hosted the Maker Finish Along here on the blog & in the Teadoddles Makers Facebook group. This year I’ve decided to see how big of a dent I can make in all my maker stashes, so it’s time for the Maker Stash Down!
Maker Stash Down
Ultimately, my goal for this year is to make as much as possible! I feel that my maker stashes are bursting at the seams & I need to lighten the load, so to say. I’ll be restricting maker purchases this year to only what I need to finish projects. There are some clubs I’ve signed up for & a sale or two I intend to take advantage of during the year. I can only resist to a certain point y’all!
Last year I hosted a Maker Finish Along here on the blog & in my Facebook group. As I’ve said before, I completely failed at my own challenge! In my defense, I did also start an Etsy shop which takes up a good bit of my free maker time. This year, I have plans to stay ahead of things as much as possible, so I can enjoy making beyond the shop.
Now it’s time for a new challenge for 2020!
For the Maker Stash Down the main goal is simple – make from your stashes. There won’t be monthly challenges this year, more like monthly motivation. I’ll do a monthly blog post here on the blog telling y’all what my goals are, how I’m progressing, & sharing all my makes. Y’all will be able to share your progress in the Facebook group. It will still be a fun place to share makes & encourage each other’s progress. 🙂
Goal #1 – Get Organized
One of the first things I’m going to do to prepare for a year of making is organize my stashes. Things are a little out of sorts right now! Here are some of the things I’ll be tackling this month ~>
- Update my yarn stash list – I keep up with my yarn stash in an Excel file. Since I can’t store all of my yarn out in the open, it really helps me keep up with what I have available.
- Update my fabric file – For most fabric, I attach a swatch to an index card to be filed. My fabric is out in the open, mostly, but having the cards is helpful when deciding if I have enough yardage for a project.
- Update all project files – I keep journals/books for projects of different sorts & these are really a mess currently. These are great for care information & just remembering. 🙂
- Start matching materials to projects – This is really key for me! I want to find a use for all my crafty goodies & get them in a maker’s queue instead of randomly starting this & that.
All in all I want to be prepared for making, not sorting & looking! This will also give me an idea of what I may need to finish a project.
Monthly Projects
Each month, I’d like to pick projects to work on. This month, I’ll be focused on finishing up some UFOs that are still lingering in my maker space. Like I said before, I failed at my own challenge last year!
Quilt on the wall ~>
This is a combination of several QALs from the past years. It was the first quilt top I started to finish last year & it’s still hanging in my hallway!
Knitted Sweater ~>
I learned to knit at the beginning of 2019 & decided to knit my first sweater about April. I’m over half done with the second part & still have 2 sleeves to knit. I’d like to have it done before cold weather leaves completely!
Stack of Sewing ~>
This is a pile of partially finished things that I need to finish! I plan on starting on that stack today & will hopefully be finished before the day is over.
New Projects ~>
It might seem crazy to start anything new with all the other things going on, but it keeps my maker mojo flowing. I have several blog posts planned for the month that will require a new project, plus I have bags to sew for the shop.
- Happy Scrappy Yarn Challenge – I’m hosting this with Crochet Creations by Christi on YouTube, the Facebook group, & here on the blog. First post comes up on January 9th, then it will be the first Thursday of the month from then on. You can follow here, on YouTube, and/or in the Facebook group.
- Pinterest Challenge – I kept missing sign ups last year, but I intend to keep up this year. These posts will come on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. It seems there’s a theme each month this year & January’s is organization. How serendipitous!
- Tutorial Tuesday on YouTube – I plan on doing a blog post & video for Tutorial Tuesday as much as possible this year. If there is something you would like to see a tutorial on, please let me know! 🙂
Now these will be standard things to look forward to each month/week, but that still leaves some empty weeks for fun things to happen! Once I get finished sorting all my project books & maker supplies, I’ll be able to plan out the month better.
How to Participate in the Maker Stash Down
I drew a winner each month in the Facebook group last year for a $20 Amazon gift card. To enter, you had to share what you had finished for the month. After all, it was a finish along!
For the Maker Stash Down, it’s going to be more about making goals & meeting those goals. Goals related to creative endeavors, of course! For example ~>
- I set some goals above for the month, which I will share in the group.
- I’ll share my progress on my goals throughout the month in the group, with a recap at the end of the month here on the blog.
It’s really that simple! Share your goals, share your progress on your goals, & be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card.
I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated by this. Your goals are your goals, it’s not a competition. It’s about being in a space that you can feel encouraged to flex your maker muscles! Setting goals is the first step in motivating your maker mojo. It gets those creative juices flowing!
Now, this is a stash down, so you are encouraged to work from your stash of supplies. I realize not everyone has a large maker stash to work from & I don’t want to leave anyone out. That’s why I’ve based it on creative goals & not just decreasing the stash. 🙂
I think that’s all for today! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below. Hope y’all are having a fabulous first day of 2020! 🙂
