Update source file en.md

skip-build

markdown/org/blog/lets-meet-up-in-2019/en.md

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+---
+author: "joostdecock"
+caption: "As an introvert I don't say this often, but I'd actually like to meet you guys."
+date: "2018-12-10"
+image: "https://cdn.sanity.io/images/hl5bw8cj/site-content/8b5fdb232675b32c7c08b59ffc57e9b9da31f02f-1920x1078.jpg"
+intro: "Let's meet up in 2019! And other end-of-year musings"
+title: "Let's meet up in 2019! And other end-of-year musings"
+---
+
+
+Because nobody likes a deadline on New Year's Eve, freesewing traditionally 
+wraps up its year on December 10th. Which means that now is the time to 
+reflect on the past, and look forward to what lies ahead.
+
+## How do you feel about meeting up?
+
+I'll jump right in: In 2019 I would like to organize a get-together 
+of freesewing supporters and contributors to discuss the future of the project, 
+exchange ideas and experiences. The invitation is open to everyone, so feel free
+to share this post with others.
+
+I can't give you any details yet. Not because I'm lazy (which I am, but that's a 
+different story) but because I want to hear from you what you'd like to do/hear/talk 
+about.
+
+So if this sounds like something you'd like to attend, 
+please share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. I've created
+[a GitHub issue for the matter](https://github.com/freesewing/meetup/issues/1)
+so that's a good place to leave your input. But social media is a good place too.
+
+Input on what, you ask? Well, here's some questions that need answers:
+
+ - When are we going to do this? Next week? August? The last blood moon before the reckoning?
+ - Where are we going to do this? Your mom's basement? The parish hall of Oostrozebeke? London? Paris? Montreal? Mar-a-Lago?
+ - Is this going to be a 2-hour thing, a Thursday afternoon, or a full weekend?
+ - What are we going to talk about. What are we going to do? What would you like to see or hear?
+
+
+Once again, nothing is set in stone, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you guys how
+we could make this memorable.
+
+So don't be shy, just share.
+
+## freesewing 2.0
+
+We have done a lot of work since freesewing.org was launched (only) 
+16 months ago. We've added new patterns,  built a new website, and we've 
+translated freesewing.org into 4 additional languages in order to remove 
+knowledge of English as a barrier to using the site.
+
+But we actually did much more this year. For the last 6 months or so, I've been 
+working like crazy
+on [freesewing 2.0.](https://github.com/freesewing/freesewing). 
+It's a complete rewrite of pretty much 
+every aspect of the project. My reasons for doing so are simple: With the project 
+growing as it does, the fact that I only have two hands and 24 hours in a day is 
+quickly becoming a bottleneck. For freesewing to thrive we must make it simpler 
+for other people to [dive in](https://developer.freesewing.org), and get involved.
+
+As such, I have embarked on a journey to tackle technical debt, and simplify our 
+technology stack. The first big hurdle 
+was [rounded in August](/blog/announcing-freesewing-library) when the JavaScript 
+port of our core platform reached feature parity. Since then, I have 
+ported [several patterns](https://github.com/freesewing/patterns), 
+and currently I am working 
+on [a new backend](https://github.com/freesewing/backend) and [website](https://github.com/freesewing/website). 
+
+The new setup will be faster, more modular, and easier to extend and wrap your 
+head around. Which is crucial for our long-term growth. 
+
+Unfortunately, this is one of those scenarios where nothing works until everything works. 
+So while you can go 
+to [beta.freesewing.org](https://beta.freesewing.org) now and kick the tires, 
+it's probably going to be a bit of a downer as so much is still broken, or unfinished.
+
+So please bear with me as we continue this important behind-the-scenes work. 
+Because while I can't tell you when it will be ready, 
+I really feel it's something worth looking forward to.
+
+## Oh, and one more thing
+
+I'm more of a looking-forward than a looking-back kinda guy, but as I reflect on the year, 
+it is clear to me that the most important thing we did with freesewing, was to team up 
+with [our patrons](/community/who/patrons). 
+
+Twelve months ago
+, [we launched our patron project](/blog/calling-all-patrons). Since then, 65 patrons 
+— spread roughly equally among our 3 tiers of patronage — 
+have [stepped forward to support freesewing](/patrons/join). 
+The knock-on effects of these people making a commitment to support our work have surpassed 
+even my most optimistic hopes.
+
+You may or may not know that I 
+have [made a pledge](/docs/various/pledge) to donate all income from freesewing to charity. 
+So this morning I transferred our entire revenue for the year (**3162.14 euros**) 
+to [Médecins Sans Frontières](https://www.msf.org/) (Doctors Without Borders).
+Money that will go towards bringing relief to some of the most vulnerable people on this planet.
+
+You made that happen, and if it brings a fraction of the joy to your heart as it does to mine, 
+you'll understand how much your patronage means to me.
+
+I have, for several years now, put a lot of time and effort into freesewing. 
+And I can honestly say that I've never worked harder on this than I am doing now. 
+But at the same time, it has been easier than ever for me to find the motivation to do so. 
+Every contribution, no matter how small, is like a small patch in a warm blanket of support 
+under which freesewing can thrive.
+
+So thank you for all this. And let's try to do (even) better next year.
+