We are heading in to the New Year, so time to set some goals for 2018. Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl is hosting a Linky Party for 2018 Goal Setting, so I’m spending some time reflecting on 2017 and looking forward to 2018.
Looking Back – 2017
Going into 2017, I said that my word(s) for the year were ‘Settle In’, as I had a lot of change in 2016 and really wanted to get into a routine and into a groove. I wanted to find some balance, make time to sew, and get really comfortable and skilled with the things that I was doing. Now, at the end of the year, I think I’ve done pretty well. My ‘new’ job, after a 23 year career at another employer, is now almost a year and a half old and I’m getting adjusted to my routine. At the end of 2016 I had also just bought a long arm, and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable with it as well.
These were my goals –
Long Term Goals:
- Find a good balance between work and life and make sure I keep making time to sew. Getting a bit more physical activity and losing a few pounds wouldn’t be a bad idea either! UPDATE: I’m doing pretty well finding time to sew. I have NOT done well with the physical activity/losing pounds thing. I’d really like to find a way to get back to doing yoga.
- Continue to try new things with my quilting. Learn new skills, make things that are outside my norm and my comfort zone. UPDATE: I’ve done pretty well here too. I’ve worked a bunch with my long arm, and taken a lot of classes – online with Craftsy, in person with Angela Walters, and I joined a monthly long arming club at my local shop that focused on rulers. I have also been playing with EQ7, and now EQ8, to try and get more into design.
Short Term Goals:
- Long arm, long arm, long arm. I want to get very comfortable and capable with my new big machine! I’m taking an Angela Walters class in March that should help. UPDATE: I did really well here. I love my long arm and am happy with the work I’m doing. I set up my business, Brown Paws Quilting LLC and am looking for customers!
- Figure out something to do with all of these quilts! I will be making some donations, but I’m also considering opening an Etsy store. UPDATE: I’ll be making a Project Linus donation and hope to set up an Etsy shop in 2018.
- Do less BOMs and quilt alongs this year and do more of my own designing. I joined a monthly design group that should push me to do this. UPDATE: No real progress here. The monthly group wasn’t as helpful with the designing as I hoped it would be. I’ve done a few things, like my plans for my cat quilt, but mostly I’ve been wrapped up with finishing a bunch of older projects and practicing my long arm.
- Keep up with my Bee group. I’m in a group with some great folks from my New Blogger’s group. I’ve never done a Bee, so it should be fun. UPDATE: This went really well, and we are planning another year together!
Projects on the list:
- Sugar Block Club BOM layout and finish – DONE!
- Splendid Sampler layout and finish – DONE!
- Death Star quilt – DONE!
- Blueberry park Drunkard’s Path – DONE!
- Hawaiian batik sampler – no progress – but I may have a use for it now…
- My embroidered Bee quilt – on the long arm now!
- Other stash projects – I have a large amount of fun bundles I have purchased that I need to get working on (more Blueberry Park, some Alison Glass, Me+You batiks, some Grunge…) – some progress – I’ll do more with these in 2018.
- Long arm practice quilts (rings, funky squares, Circa 1934 Squares, mess-of-a-quilt) – all of these are DONE!
Looking Forward – 2018
For 2018, my word of the year is Grow – as in build or develop. I feel like I set up a good base in 2017 and now it’s time to really branch into some new things.
Long Term Goals – keeping these the same, because they are pretty good ones!
- Find a good balance between work and life and make sure I keep making time to sew. Getting a bit more physical activity and losing a few pounds wouldn’t be a bad idea either!
- Continue to try new things with my quilting. Learn new skills, make things that are outside my norm and my comfort zone.
Short Term Goals:
- Design some quilts. I’d really like to push myself and make some original things this year. I think I have a mental block about designing and am making it too hard. This year I want to push myself to get over this hump. I am the Queen of my Bee group in February, and this year I will design my own block.
- Submit my designs, either full quilts or just blocks, for publication. I don’t care if they are accepted or not – I just want to get them designed, created, and put myself out there and submit them.
- Build my long arm customer base. I’ve started my business and have had a few customers, but I’d really like to do more.
- Learn to use my new camera. I got a new DSLR camera for Christmas to help me take better photos. I have absolutely no idea how to use it, so it fits well into my ‘grow’ mantra for the year!
I’m still playing around with this Cat Quilt idea I sketched out a few months ago:
Projects on the list:
- Finish the Bee-u-tiful Quilt along quilt – it is on the frame now and close to done.
- A secret project that I need to get done by mid-March. I get to use my Alison Glass stash, so it will be cool!
- My Hazel the Hedgehog quilt.
- My Hawaiian Batik blocks – need to figure out how I want to put these blocks together and get the top done.
- Another baby quilt – I think I have until June…?
- Finish and quilt up my Dog quilt from the 2016 Bee Inspired group.
- Work up the Cat Quilt.
- From there, my docket is clear to design new things. Now to just generate some ideas…?
I’m looking forward to a good time in 2018, learning new things, and finally getting over the designing hump! Do you have any suggestions or words of wisdom? Leave me a comment!
Linking up with the 2018 Planning Party.
Wow, congratulations on settling into your new job and still accomplishing so much in your quilting. It sounds to me like you had a very successful 2017. I hope you have a lot of joy as you work on your projects and goals for 2018. Thank you so much for linking up!
Thanks Yvonne, it was a busy year and quilting does continue to bring me joy. Thank you so much for hosting the link up every year!
Well it looks like you did really well on meeting your goals last year. Good luck meeting this years goals.
Thanks Lisa, I think I did do pretty well. This year seems like more of a stretch, so we’ll see how it goes! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Great goals! I just caught up on your long arm journey, seems tome that you’ve become really accomplished in a year! Happy New Year!
Thanks so much! I’ve really enjoyed the long arm and look forward to doing more with it this year. Hopefully I’ll get my dog Bee Inspired quilt from 2017 on it soon! Have a very Happy New Year!