Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts

August Goal

My August goal is to finish at least one more round of my For the love of geese quilt.
Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal August Link-up

I will also do all the cutting for the Morewood Mystery quilt.  You can still join in the QAL. Cheryl writes great patterns, there is a very active Facebook community, and best of all, it is free!

 Another project I will work on during August and September is Maeberry Square's Water Drop pattern.  This is a great project to join in on if you want to perfect your half-square triangle game and/or try making 32 HST at a time.  The pattern releases tomorrow!  There will be a QAL starting next week as well.  Sign-ups start tomorrow.  

 There's a few behind the scenes projects too. Meanwhile, I'll still be quilting as much as possible. I'm really hoping my new robotics shows up SOON. I've been watching all the training classes in preparation.  

 Last week I got to quilt Annie's Unity quilt.  As you may recall, the Unity quilt was a quilt along hosted by Bonnie Hunter earlier this year.  Annie and I started at the same time.  She got hers done.  I stalled after the central unit--aka the first block!  Anyway, check out this beauty!  She had me quilt it with Knit One, Purl Two, and it is just beautiful.
My friend had a birthday last week. I made her an ultra-tiny mini, a 6" mini, and included a wooden ruler box and a seam presser my husband made, a charm pack, Wonder Clips, and threw in some food goodies as well. It was so much fun to put together a surprise and sneak it onto her porch, though I wish in-person get-togethers were an option. 
I have my closet mostly under control now.  There's a lot of large bins I need to go through, but all the quilting fabrics are sorted by color and/or projects. The kids and I sorted my scraps into baskets by color. Based on what was there, I use shades of blues and whites the most. We also sorted all the batting scraps into totes by our best guess at type (not pictured, but stacked up on the right side of the closet).  I need to make an effort to seam and use them on smaller projects.
Switching gears, we've had several smaller green bean harvests.  We had a sizable one the other night and I thought this picture was quite attractive.  My husband thinks it's weird that I take pictures of food from our garden. I think the veggie pictures are pretty. 
Finally, in the weird category, I happened to look out the window at just the right time to see this crazy chipmunk.  Chipmunks have been wreaking havoc in the flower gardens this year and now this one has discovered the oriole feeder.


Next week I'll be discussing scrap management, so be sure to stop by and see some of the crazy things I've tried.

 Linking with For the love of geese and My Quilt Infatuation.

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2020 Planning Party and Best of 2019

This is a year in review-type post. I am combining Meadow Mist's best of 2019 and Quilting Jet Girl's 2020 Planning Party into one.

 Here are my top five posts, chosen simply based on what I was proud of.

 1.  Updated blog look with custom domain name.  Originally I was going to run my long arm business from the same page, but in the end I updated the blog and made a completely separate page for the business.  I am really proud of how the blog came out because I learned a lot about how to customize the look and the html. I have more work to do on the business page.


 2.  I made a video.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd make and post a video, but I did.  I even figured out the majority of the editing on my own, with a bit of help from my tween son.

3.  Binding tutorial.  I made this a free download on the blog.  There is also a free "how to have nice, flat borders" document available for download that I made this year.  I'm an educator at heart, I guess.

 4.  I finally finished my cross quilt. I'm glad I stuck with it.  I took it almost all the way back apart during piecing and I ran short on backing while it was on the frame.  But it is done and I'm using it every evening.

Also, there is a recap of the guild charity quilts we made this year on this post. I'm also really proud of the work my guild did on the charity quilts.  A lot of money was raised.

5.  I worked on several customer quilts this year.  I am linking to the post that has my friend Denise's quilt in it because her quilt is by far my most-liked Instagram picture of the year.

 This year I finished 20 quilts, mostly on the smaller side. You can see them in my 2019 finishes tab.  I also quilted 10 quilts for other people, including binding three of them.

 Moving on to the goals and reflection portion of the post, last year my goals were:


  • move into my new sewing room
  • long arm quilt for others 
  • take better, more consistent, photos
  • update my blog look and/or blog address to reflect these changes  

I'm happy to say that I accomplished the majority of these goals.  I still have more work to do on the photos, however, I did learn that Blogger resizes the photos I post and that was part of the problem.  I was uploading clear photos and they were making them not look so good.  I learned how to edit the html to make them look more crisp.  

I've read several others' posts on their goals and their words of the year and stuff.  I'm impressed with the thought they put into it.  I guess I'm not that ambitious.  I don't do a word of the year.  My goals are fairly modest.

2020 will be a year of change for my family. I could go with a phrase or two--expect the unexpected and roll with the punches.  That sums up how the last few years have gone for me and I'm guessing 2020 won't be any different.  

Here are my 2020 goals:

1.  Finish more things and use more stash.
2.  Continue to quilt for others.
3.  Exercise more. 
4.  Try to design at least one quilt per month in EQ8.
5.  Continue to make charity quilts.
6.  Enter at least one quilt in the IHQS show.

I am linking with Meadow Mist and Quilting Jet Girl.

 Note:  I suddenly am unable to comment on any Blogger blog, including my own.  Any workarounds out there?
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December OMG

My December OMG is to quilt and bind this mini.  I was hoping for something a little more ambitious, but looking at what's left of the month and what my schedule looks like, I'll be lucky to completely finish this.  


This mini is made from the leftovers of a guild swap mini I made.  Yes, I somehow managed to make double the amount of blocks I needed for the swap.  The mini for the swap was on point, so I did a straight setting on this one.  I felt like it needed borders, so I added those.

 The top currently measures 23.25" square.  I am custom quilting it using my QCT software to practice block placement.  I will probably mix in a bit of free motion quilting.  The biggest hurdle will be learning how to place borders using the software and then just sitting down and actually binding it before the end of the month.  December is sneaky in regards to passage of time, is it not?

 Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal December Link-up.
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One Monthly Goal November

In an effort to finish all the things, I've decided to join in on the One Monthly Goal this month. My November goal is to finish at least the top for the Pink Grapefruit quilt by Coleen Merte.  

 I am taking a class with her through one of my local guilds this week. I am not quite done with the required precutting--I have more white pieces to cut. The seed shapes will be cut during class. Those will be the solid blue and solid green fabrics.  Fabrics are Kona white, unknown green text, green polka dot from JoAnn, Architextures Blueprint text by Carolyn Friedlander, plants by Paula & Waffle for Dear Stella (one of my favorite prints ever), Velvet Sky Netorious by Cotton + Steel, green with arrows Greatest Adventure from Riley Blake, Moda kelly, and Moda sapphire. Oh, and unknown green print. The backing will be the plant print. Unsure on the binding; think I want to wait and see it all done first.
Also, you may be able to tell from the fabrics in this picture that I am once again going to need a new iron. For the last 3-4 years, I have purchased the same Shark iron three times.  The first one malfunctioned and literally melted down.  The second one quit heating, as has the third one.  One of them the cord went bad too. Can't remember if it was the first or second. I don't feel super bad about this since they are only $25, though it is disappointing that a product would have such a short lifespan.  And I feel a lot better spending $25 rather than $100 on something that only lasts a year. But still.

I feel like it's time for a change of iron model, but I'm stumped as to what to buy.  I don't use steam, so that's not an important feature to me. I know I don't want cordless and I don't want something that's super heavy. What's your favorite iron?

Linking with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal.
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2019 Finish-A-Long Quarter 4 Goals

I thought I'd try something a bit different to help me finish some of my WIP.  I seem to be much more productive when I have firm deadlines.  So I looked through my pile of works-in-progress and made a list of some I'd like to try to finish in the next few months and I'm linking up with the 2019 Finish-A-Long Q4 to try to get more done.

 Here is my list of proposed finishes for Q4.

 1.  Pink Grapefruit quilt

 I am taking a class with Coleen Merte in November.  Everything for the quilt needs to be pre-cut before the class, so surely I can finish a quilt top in a short amount of time, right?  It will just be the quilting and binding that will take some time.  But definitely doable.

 2.   FQS mystery BOM

 It just needs the binding stitched down.

 3.  Kimberly Einmo class quilt

 I want to do custom quilting on this one.  I just haven't worked out what exactly yet.  The goal is to quilt and bind it.

 4.  Polar Bear quilt

 I was planning on quilting this last week until I noticed that it is super wavy and crooked.  So it needs to be ripped apart and re-sewn.   Then quilting and binding.

 5.  Lucky charm quilt

 Another that I want to custom quilt but can't decided on a design.

 6.  Cross quilt

 This one needs to be quilted and bound.  I'm not in love with the backing fabric I bought, but can't find anything to coordinate with the top.  I do have a quilting plan already, so that's a plus.


 7.  Strawberry quilt

 This one is for my daughter and she wants custom quilting, so I've been dragging my feet for a very long time.

 8.  Summer book club blocks

 I started making some blocks this summer but got busy doing other things.  I need to make a ton of blocks and then figure out from there what to do.  It's unlikely this one will get done this quarter, but a girl can dream, right?
 



9.  Churn dash mini

 This one needs borders of some sort and then quilting and binding.

 10.  Range kit

 Cut, sew, quilt, bind.  I can't wait to make this, but I've been holding back because I feel like I need to get more things finished first.

 11.  Antique blocks

 If you've followed my blog recently, you have read about these several times.  I think they are now sufficiently cleaned and the smell has gone away, so I will need to tear some apart and re-sew the center seam, then create a quilt top with them. If I am going to do this one, it will need to be done before February, so it seems like a great one to add to the list.

 12.  Purple flower quilt

 Quilt and bind.

 13.  Crabby mini

 Fabric has been pulled and pattern prepared forever.  I just need to do it.  I find so much of paper-piecing to be so intimidating.  Not the sewing itself, but the figuring out the right way to put the fabric and then removing all the paper at the end.

 14. NASA quilt

 The binding needs to be sewn down.

 15.  American Jane Cupcake Mix 3

 There is no way this will get done since one of the fabric lines I want to include doesn't come out until February.  I am listing it here because I am currently working on it and am intending to continue working on it throughout quarter 4.

 Clearly I have a lot of quilting to do.  You can see I'm great at making tops, but not so quick at turning them into quilts. Let's get quilting!


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2017 In Review

This year I wanted to finish more quilts.  I didn't do as well as last year, but I had more responsibilities outside my sewing bubble.

 I finished nine large quilts and six minis.  I gave away nine of the 15 quilts I finished this year.  I also finished several cross stitch projects (and gave away one) and one knitting project.

 I had also hoped my sewing room would be finished, and it's not, although it's definitely further along than at the start of the year. We are hoping to start priming this week.

 My big accomplishment for the year was losing 25 pounds.  I'd like to go another 15.  We'll see how it goes.

 Goals for 2018:  finish the sewing room, finish more half-done projects, start a long arm quilting business, lose a few more pounds.

 I hope your holiday season was nice and that your 2018 is filled with peace & prosperity.
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Year in Review/Goals for Next Year

Looking back at the goals I set for myself this year, it seems I didn't accomplish much.  I had three sewing goals and five household-type goals.  I did okay on the sewing goals--I did finish more quilts, though maybe not as many as I'd like.  I finished 10 regular quilts and 12 minis.  I used up a small amount of stash, but not as much as I added, so net gain in fabric.  I also wanted to be more proactive in business sewing.  Well, I'm not sure how successful that was, but I did go back to being fully independent.  I may not make as much money, but I'm a lot happier and less stressed about it, so I'll consider that a win.

 On the household side, the five goals I had were:  fill nail holes, refinish dressing table, manage recipes better, have a yard sale, and reorganize the kitchen.  We made minimal progress on four of the five, so I guess that's something.  The big success was the yard sale.  We did not make a ton of money, but we did sell and/or donate everything we wanted to remove from the house.  That felt really good.

 There were other things we got done that weren't on my goal list.  This reinforces my thinking that setting goals is great, but you can't single-mindedly pursue them and forego living.  Roll with the punches (and at times it seemed the punches were many this year).

 In 2016 I participated in Fig Tree Quilts' Mystery BOM and the 365 Challenge, where you make a quilt block a day for a year.  These projects were both much more time-consuming that I initially planned for.  I have a bit more to do on each, but I am close to completion on both.  I'm not planning to join any project of this type in 2017.

 I just want to finish more works in progress and use more of what I already have.  Realistically, I know more fabric will enter the house, but I so want to reduce what I already have.

 We are still working on the basement.  The project grew larger than finishing just a sewing room and it is done as my husband has time around his other responsibilities.  I am still hopeful for completing this project in the coming year, as we are getting close to the drywall point.

 I'm super excited to have my own sewing space rather than having it spread all over the main floor.  I know that I also probably won't get quite as much done since I'd be sequestered in my own space rather than with the family.  But it will look so much tidier upstairs!!!  And I think it will help with my goal of using more of what I have, since it will be accessible again.

 So 2017 will be my year of finishing half done projects (I hope!).

 I finished two quilts this month and those have both been added to the 2016 finishes page.

 I hope 2017 is calm, peaceful, and prosperous for you.
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Goals for 2016

I make lists all the time.  I'm not at the point of having lists of lists, but probably not too far off. At every year end, I make a list of goals for the next year.  Last year I made eight sewing goals and accomplished three.  Most of them were business related and I pretty much tanked at working on my cutie pie & me stuff this year.  I did, however, update my entire back pattern catalog (goal #5) so that they are all uniform and all have digitized pattern pieces.  And honestly, that felt like making the patterns all over again.  And I got burned out and just wanted to quilt instead.  Also, when things aren't selling from my shop, I feel less motivated to make more.  Vicious cycle there.  Plus, many people seem to make and list doll clothing for pennies on the dollar compared to the time and materials put into them, so many customers aren't willing to pay the seamstress a living wage for her time.  I am unwilling to work for free or next to free.  That being said, I am going to try to be more proactive with my business this year.

 We are planning to finish a sewing room in the basement this year.  As I've said before, all my stuff is spread through the house.  The main living space always looks messy because all my stuff is in it.  And we all know, even when sewing is picked up, it still tends to look cluttered.  So, once we get the room done, my next goal is to bust through my stash.  That may take a few years, but I am trying--hey, I finished three large quilts this year and used up my stash of nasty old polyester battings.

 So my sewing goals for the year are:

 1.  Be more proactive with business sewing.
2.  Finish more quilt tops.
3.  Use up stash.

I also made eight general goals and accomplished four.  Actually, I'm going to say 4-1/2, because I did learn a little bit of Photoshop but I'm sure I have a long ways to go.  I'm pretty proud of the general goals that I did accomplish, especially the gardening and exercising.  I do really want to finish the other general goals I set, so I will keep those the same for this year plus add a little more:

 1.  Fill nail holes in trim (really, we've been in the house three years and this should be done already!).
2.  Refinish dressing table for my daughter.  She's at the age I think she needs it.
3.  The recipes.  I cannot figure out a good way to manage this.  I have tons of recipes torn from magazines.  I need to try more recipes and organize the chaos into a manageable system.
4.  Yard sale.
5.  Reorganize kitchen. 

 I've been trying to be more organized this year.  I'm trying a planner; I'm trying to make prettier list systems and trying to take care of paperwork in a timely fashion.  I'm seriously hoping that having all the sewing mess contained in one room will help the upstairs look tidier and help the office space function better.  Hopefully it will help me with the stash busting too.  Easier to use it when you can actually see it!

 Lest you think I am too down on myself this year, we also accomplished some things that I didn't have on lists here.  I did reorganize the upper cabinets of my kitchen.  My husband finally got my pantry table finished, so the pantry is almost done.  I think we need to add some upper cabinets to store a few more things behind closed doors.  I learned how to can pickles and relish of various types, some more successful than others.  I also canned a ton of applesauce again.  We cleaned and reorganized the garage, which was a huge and somewhat costly undertaking.  We finished our in-floor heat in the basement.  We added a huge garden to our front yard.  The deck got mostly finished.  You can plan all you want for how you think your year, day, life, etc. will go, but when you're actually living it, things change and you just have to go with the flow.
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Goals for the New Year 2015

Sewing Goals:

 1.  Finish at least two partially finished quilts. (see Instagram for photos)
2.  Make at least 5 new doll clothes sewing patterns.  I have sketches for about 20 ideas     right now.
3.  Make at least 3 knitting patterns for dolls. (3/15--one published, one in progress)
4.  Finish at least two unfinished projects. (finished napkins, pin cushion)
5.  Update previously published patterns so that all have digitized pattern pieces.
6.  Make the top for the bird quilt (tutorial found here).
7.  Make bedding and quilt for doll bed.
8.  Make and list doll clothing on a more regular basis.

 General Goals:

 1.  Organize recipes in a better way.
2.  Finish (strip and repaint) dressing table & mirror for daughter's room.
3.  Take better care of the flower garden.
4.  Reorganize the office closet--okay, the entire office.
5.  Keep a better cleaning schedule.
6.  Fill all nail holes in trim.
7.  Learn Photoshop.
8.  Exercise more.
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