a hoop for the shop and some thinking ahead

I'm so glad the bird embroidery hoops have gotten such positive feedback. I made one more, just for the shop!  It is there now. 

I am trying to think ahead about what I want to do in the year to come, knowing that early in the winter I am going to give birth and welcome a new baby girl into our family.  And then, a month later, my book will come out.  I know I want some devoted time and energy to celebrate both of these incredible things.  But all kinds of other opportunities come by, too, and it is so hard to know what to say yes to and when to say no. 

I think for me it comes down to one really basic question – what do I want to make?

Before I got pregnant I was working on drafting new patterns in wool felt in order to really understand how three-dimensional pattern making works.  Remember all those under gussets?  This goal is still really important to me. There is an underlying big idea there that needs attention and mastery. 

And then there are the birds. How much time and attention do I want to devote to making and showing birds?

And can I do both?  It may seem like an insignificant question, but really I have to decide what I want to make because there are contracts to sign or not sign and commitments to be made or not made. 

Anyway, this is all to say that I'm still thinking about the question I've been thinking about since I turned in my manuscript in December.  What do I want to make now?