Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years! Mine was quiet and I did not make it to midnight, at least not in my own time zone. Hehehe.
I was tired this New Year’s Eve and that is OK, I had a wonderful birthday the day before and took the quiet evening to spend some time thinking about the past year and reflecting on all that has happened over the year and I spent some time thinking about my sewing/designing and creativity and how these are all such an essential part of my life.
All of the fun posts on everyone’s ‘Top 5’s’ have been fun to read! I appreciate all of the work that goes into those blog posts. Originally, I thought that I would join in and do my own series of Top 5’s but I just couldn’t get into them. My sewing and creativity is no longer a hobby, it is an integral part of myself and it just felt weird trying to pull out a few points of what worked and what didn’t. Maybe I am being way too introspective!! So instead I am just going to do the highlights of my past year and some fun stuff planned for 2020.
The Good Stuff that happened in 2019-
1. I had the amazing opportunity to mentor and work with a High-School senior on her year long project on the intersection of her faith and her fashion. Iris is an amazing young woman and she has enriched my life and working with her gave me fresh perspective and a different way of seeing some parts of life.
2. I co-chaired, with my awesome daughter, the Haute Couture Club of Chicago’s Annual Fashion Show! That was one hell of an undertaking! I could not have done it without Melissa’s help and without the help of my amazing friends!
3. I very much enjoy co-leading our American Sewing Guild downtown Chicago Neighborhood Sewing group- Sew Chicago. Getting together on a regular basis with this group of women is just good for my sewing soul!
4. There were TWO wonderful family weddings this year :) One for my older brother and his long time girlfriend, Jackie. It was so nice to see 2 people so in love give marriage a second chance!! The second wedding was for my nephew, Mike and the love of his life, Sarah! May they have a long and wonderful life together!! The best part about these weddings was that the family got to be all together!!! That and sewing new party clothes for the weddings!
5. I took an advanced design course with Sarah Veblen. I love to learn and Sarah just has a fantastic way of getting me to think outside my box and push me in directions that maybe I have never thought of going! I have learned that it is okay to explore and push the boundaries and test things out and then it is also okay to step back and really take my time to think about and feel these new things out and either keep going or turn and try something else.
6. My best friend and I spent 2 weeks in Paris!! We did the Susan Khalje Paris Tour, an item that had one been on my ‘bucket’ list, and we stayed an extra 5 days to explore Paris on our own, It was amazing!!!!!
7. Spending the Christmas Holidays hosting my parents and my sister. This was the first time my parents have been to visit me in my new home and see my new life since the divorce several years ago. I didn’t realize how important it was to me that they come and see for their own eyes that I am OKAY and happy and thriving until they were here! It was like the inner little girl in me was saying- look what I did!! SO funny, the feelings that we notice if we pay attention.
8. My little family- my daughter, son-in-law and my granddaughter. They mean the world to me and I am so very lucky to be close to them!
And last but not least....
9. I changed my name back to my maiden name!!! I am now a Torres again! And it feels wonderful.
The Bad Stuff that happened in 2019-
Well, I don’t like the bad stuff and I seem to have a real knack for letting those things go (thank goodness!!). The biggest bad thing that is always a part of my life now is my chronic pancreatitis. It sucks and I have had to adjust how I live my life due to it. I had one major flare up this year that put me in the hospital for a week and took a solid 3plus months to recover from. Due to this, I felt like I lost my summer of 2019. All of the things that I wanted to do over last summer are now pushed to next summer. There were also a number of what I call minor flares- where I can treat myself at home with my doc’s guidance. I also spent quite a bit of time re-doing a bunch of my sewing projects. All of the lovely creations from the first half of the year had to be taken in or they were unwearable. Part of a CP flare is rapid weight loss. Well, Enough of the bad stuff!! We all have the bad stuff and no one likes to dwell on or in it!
2020 here I come!!
I am excited for 2020. There are a couple fun things already on the docket!
1. Any time that I get to spend with my little family and my granddaughter is precious to me!
2. My sister has a big art show coming up in March. Members from the entire family are going to converge for a long weekend to celebrate the opening together and here her gallery talk. I am making her a silk velvet jacket for her to wear to the opening.
3. I will be attending Camp Workroom Social ‘Wardrobe Week’ - really looking forward to that and then spending a couple extra days in NYC.
4. A spring sewing/design workshop with Sarah Veblen in Chicago!
5. My daughter and I are going to Morocco for 3 weeks this coming fall!! (Another ‘bucket’ list item!) This trip will stretch my sewing skills in a new direction!
So, as you can see I have so many things to look forward to and so many wonderful memories to enjoy!
I wish everyone a happy, healthy and creative 2020!!!
Happy Sewing!
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