PURPOSE: My One Word for 2016

 

I've chosen One Word for several years now.

 

My past words were:

• Believe
• Create
• Organize
• Change

I've enjoyed and have benefitted from having one word to focus my thoughts and actions on for a full year. This year my chosen word is PURPOSE. I want to give purpose to every day, to every action, to every item I own and to the way I spend my free time.

 

So, I started looking around my sewing room to find "stuff" I could use to make my One Word into a small wall-hanging. I found my over-flowing stash of selvages. I've saved them all, knowing someday they'd have a purpose.

 

 

Heck, I even saved the clear container the selvages are stored in from being buried in the landfill!

I found it in the housekeeper's trash while in Breckenridge last year. It's an ice bucket for chilling wine and has a tiny chip in it. I looked at that baby and said,

"That has a purpose!" It sure did.

 

So, I started sewing selvages together. Enough of them to stitch my One Word to. That meant I'd need about 25".

 

 

Yes, even my One Word is made out of selvages! I twisted and turned and folded each long strip to form a letter, pinning as I went. I do wish I had picked a different color for the "O". That light green just doesn't show up well. With a blanket stitch, I sewed each letter down.

 

 

Next, I chose a few extra long selvages to add a border to the top and bottom.

 

 

 

I had this funky glittery fabric to use as a backing. It was one of those purchases from the clearance row, but have never used. Probably never will either. Ick.

It works for this project though.

Notice I made those nifty corner pockets on the back

for the dowel?

Then came the almighty binding. I even had a package of bright yellow pre-made binding in my stash that needed a purpose, so that was put to use.

 

 

Close-up of my corner pocket.

Hand-printed with the date and my initials.

 

 

The finishing touch was to use some of my mom's old, old buttons. I cannot remember a time that this button bin didn't exist. She always kept it in the kitchen, above the fridge.

I should've asked her why she kept it there,

but it's too  late now.

I sewed a variety of buttons to the letters to look like tacks. So even those dinosaur-age buttons have a purpose now. Mom would be happy!

 

 

 

All in all, I'm very happy with my little project and my

 One Word for 2016.

Now that I'm done, I suppose I should tackle a few closets. And a garage. Maybe under the bed. A couple dozen junk drawers. Heck, even my email inbox needs cleaning out.

 

 

What is your One Word for 2016?