Thursday, January 1, 2015

I SURVIVED One Year of Self-Employment & 2014 Re-Cap

Wow.....December has come and is almost gone and I failed to highlight an important date. On December 1st of 2013 I embarked on the adventure of becoming self-employed. I SURVIVED........and more importantly I'm thriving and I'm just in awe about it! I have to admit it was probably one of the hardest and scariest things I've done. I worked in Research science for 15 years and to step away from that and opt for self-employment instead of taking on another job was pretty gutsy. But I honestly felt like it was something God led me to do and I've come to learn that when He leads He provides. And he never skipped a beat in taking care of me and my family even when I wondered where or when the  opportunities or finances would come. And the times I was second guessing myself (and even Him) I always felt that nudge from Him to keep on going. It was like He was "shaking his pom-poms" for me and cheering me on.  I'm so grateful for that! I honestly believe that everyone has a God given purpose and you don't start feeling ALIVE until you discover what that is. I've been guilty of letting fear hold me back but am glad to be pushing through. Hey, when you've got the Creator of the Sun, Moon & Stars backing you, you feel a PEACE and CONFIDENCE like none other. Trust me there are times I struggle and want to revert to fretting but I KNOW everything's going to be ok! I'm happy to now be living out my Dream!  I'm also so grateful for my supportive Hubby and daughter who endured my late nights in the sewing studio and 6 day work weeks. They were always there to lend a hand with projects, give me their opinions and serve as models. I'm honored they believe in me and my DREAMS!!!

Ok, now since I got all the mushy stuff out the way I must admit 2014 was a good year. Although I've been a small business owner since 2006, committing to do it full time was a change of speed. I definitely had to work on my confidence and I learned that I had more skills then I thought. I took on some really cool client work and was challenged to do things I'd never done before.

I know you guys will probably read a TON of blog 2014 re-caps so I'll keep mine short.....

- For starters I logged 1862 sewing hours to contribute to my 10,000 Hours of Sewing challenge making that 5,936 since I began my challenge in 2010. I credited myself 3,000 hours at that start so that gives me 8936 leaving me 1064. Wow, is all I can say. I'll talk more about this in a later post.

Here are just a few highlights from this year (there are blog posts about all of these in case you want more info)...

Sewed/Tailored/Engineered a 40+ yard Wedding Gown for a client. Trust me as indicated in my blog post this was no small feat! This dress tested my skills to the max. I KNOW God helped walk me through this project!!!


......and a Lace Knit jumpsuit for my bride to wear to her reception!


Made Men's pants......and pants that were worn at Dragoncon I might add! I love costume work!


I always love to sew matching Mother/Daughter Mother's Day outfits!


I love our churches annual Father/Daughter Banquet in which I made my daughter's dress and Hubby's tie!


I made an 8 piece wardrobe for a client. Here's some of the pieces. I have one pic of my client in a top & legging I made her but don't have it handy. The wardrobe turned out great!!!!


Learned a new technique---how to properly place and sew in Swarovski crystal rhinestones


I taught several Burda Style webinars this year! This was GREAT since I LOVE to teach sewing! I always get such good feedback from the attendees! I love to learn and love to teach what I learn. It's a real treat!

I learned how to do menswear alterations! Alterations like taking in the shoulder, blade, sideseam and shortening or lengthening the arm.  I'm happy to add this to my skill set!


Speaking of menswear, I still have the opportunity of working with my mentor the super talented, Master Tailor Mr. Jim, aka Gentleman Jim! His expertise and skill is increasingly helping me to become a better sewer/tailor.

I also began working with my draping teacher to learn how to drape!

My MAJOR fail project was this white knit blazer I made to wear with this Easter dress I also made. I should have made the inner facing wider so I could tack it down to the interior of the coat to prevent the lapel from rolling on me. Lesson learned for next time!!!


I read alot of GREAT books this year that helped push me in my personal life and with my sewing. This was one such book. My word for 2014 was "Courage"--- very befitting for the year!


I put 150 yards (I think that's right) of fabric from my stash for sale at a local fabric shop. I'm certain by years end I'd gained about 50 yards in new fabric! LOL!



I was so consumed with sewing for others that I didn't sew a ton for myself. But this has to be my favorite dress I made this year!


.....this one is my second favorite. Plus I like my new highlights!


2014 was definitely a GREAT year! I appreciate all the triumps and even my failures because I learned from them. 2015 will be EVEN BETTER!!! Thanks for joining me on this ride!!! XOXOX


13 comments:

  1. Happy New Year and what an inspirational recap! I was able to get in on your last Burda class and enjoyed your pants fitting method.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy New Year! I'm so impressed and inspired by your accomplishments. Wishing you and your family the best in 2015!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whew! Very busy and lovely makes. On thru 2015!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations YOU! What a great year. Wishing you an even better 2015.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations! You've accomplished a great deal, and I've enjoyed watching your progress!! I was in Savannah, GA, in November and I got to meet Mr. Jim. So sorry I didn't have time to look you up. My sister lives there, so I'm sure I'll be back! Happy New Year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So happy to see what you've done. Inspirational you! All the best for you in the new year!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy New year Victoria. I hope 20-15 brings you even more happiness. Your blog is fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations on your successful Faith walk. We sometimes have to remind ourselves that He will not let us walk alone. I'm looking forward to seeing your 2015 accomplishments.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great recap! Conrats on your business leap! I just left my F/T job at a college after 12 years in June to go F/T on my commercial embroidery business. It truly is a leap of faith but it was definitely time. I like what you said about courage. Like Maya Angelou said, "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently." I wish I would have seen your pants fitting class. All the best for your business in 2015!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a great year. Thank you for sharing your faith and His impact on you life.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very nice recap of 2014 Victoria! You did make some awesome pieces for yourself and for others as well! I bet 2015 is going to be an awesome year for you as well! Happy new year and good luck in 2015!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congrats on the awesome year girl! Praying God's best for you in 2015 :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and for following me on my 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge:)

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails