2019 Goal Setting – BrownPaws Quilting

2018 is nearly done so it’s a good time to look both back and look forward.  Quilting JetGirl is hosting another yearly planning party, so I thought I’d take this opportunity between holidays to reflect.

Looking Back – 2018

For 2018, my word of the year was Grow – as in build or develop.  Apparently I felt like I had set up a good base in 2017 and was ready to branch out.  Honestly the whole year felt like just more and more change, so ‘Just Hang On’ was likely a better motto!

Long Term Goals

  1. 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!  I did reasonably well with this, with the exception of September (which was lost to work stuff 🙁 ) and the whole losing some pounds thing.
  2. Continue to try new things with my quilting.  Learn new skills, make things that are outside my norm and my comfort zone.  I did reasonably well here too.  I enjoyed the class I took with Bill Kerr which taught me a lot of things, and kept practicing my longarm skills.  I think I’ve tried new things and improved my quilting skills.

This was the quilt I designed during the Bill Kerr Workshop:

 

I went kind of crazy practicing different designs on the first Angela Walters FMQ Challenge Quilt:

Short Term Goals:

  1. 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.  My first instinct is to say that I didn’t do very well here, but in retrospect I did ok.  I really didn’t like the block I designed for my Bee, but I did design a few things that I did like – my All Red and Over the Edge and Blueberry Orange Peel quilts.  I also have a few ideas in the works for next year.
  2. 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.  Nope, not at all.  Not one!
  3. 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.  I had 4 customer quilts in 2017 and did 8 in 2018.  The ones I did in 2018 were much larger, and I feel a lot more comfortable working on other people’s quilts. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a huge customer base due to the day job, but I do enjoy quilting quilts for people.
  4. 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 did take a few classes and kinda sorta know how to use my camera, but I am by no means an expert.  I still have to fight myself to pull out the DSLR to take quilt photos rather than just use my phone.  

Projects on the list:

  1. Finish the Bee-u-tiful Quilt along quilt – it is on the frame now and close to done. DONE!
  2. 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!  This was the Glass Plus Quilt, and it is DONE!
  3. My Hazel the Hedgehog quilt. DONE!
  4. My Hawaiian Batik blocks – need to figure out how I want to put these blocks together and get the top done.  On the frame now!
  5. Another baby quilt – I think I have until June…? DONE!  this was my One Fish Quilt.
  6. Finish and quilt up my Dog quilt from the 2016 Bee Inspired group.  DONE!
  7. Work up the Cat Quilt.  Totally forgot about it!  Oops.
  8. From there, my docket is clear to design new things.  Now to just generate some ideas…?  Also finished Bjorn the Bear, two Angela Machine Quilting Along quilts, All Red and Over the Edge, Red and Blue Squares, and my Blueberry Oranges quilt.  Also finished the Summer Sampler quilt which still  needs to be quilted.  I finished a total of 11 quilts of my own this year, along with the 8 customer quilts that I quilted.  I think it is safe to say I spent a lot of quality time in the sewing room during 2018.

It is hard to pick a favorite from this year – I’m actually really proud of all of the quilts I finished.  I think I’ll go with the Dog Quilt (pictured here with my furry dog-kids):

The Bee Quilt:

And the recently completed Blueberry Oranges, because I’m really happy with the quilting:

Looking Forward – 2019

I’m trying to come up with a word for the year and all I can come up with is Settle In – again…?  I had hoped that last year would one where I would see less change and get to grow, but I wound up having even more things happen last year than the year before.  I’m hoping this year will be one with less movement where I can settle in to what I’m doing – both in work and with my creative life – and just figure things out.  Though we are talking about buying a new house, so that would be quite a project.  We shall see!

Long Term Goals – Still like these goals to use for 2019!

  1. 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 still wouldn’t be a bad idea!  I had a lot of problems with my right foot during 2018 which really limited my ability to move.  I’m hoping that I’m getting that under control so I can get walking some more…or I need to buy a bike.
  2. 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:

  1. Design more quilts.  I do want to continue to push myself to design my own quilts, but I don’t want to get as hung up about it as I did during 2018.
  2. Enjoy making stuff and use my stash – even if they are blocks/patterns I see somewhere else.
  3. Build my long arm customer base.

Projects on the list:

  1. Finish the Hawaiian Quilt – it is on the long arm now!
  2. Finish my smaller Hawaiian wall hanging – I figure I might as well do it now after I’m comfortable doing the larger one.
  3. Quilt the Summer Sampler
  4. Grunge HST quilt – I’ve had my husband working on a random HST generator program and I want to make a quilt from the program.
  5. Spinning Stars – finish the blocks and figure out a setting.  I could use more practice working on quilts with a lot of negative space
  6. Finish my Sweetwater Feedsack quilt from almost 3 years ago…
  7. From there I have ideas for new projects:
    1. a bird quilt
    2. a mainly black and white quilt
    3. a strip quilt to practice long arm quilting patterns in strips
    4. some sort of scrappy kids quilt – maybe dog or cat blocks?
    5. I’d also like to look into more outlets for charity quilts.  I think I could make a bunch of kids quilts, or I might look into a local Quilts of Valor chapter.

 

Here’s to a great 2019!  Thanks to Yvonne for hosting the Linkup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “2019 Goal Setting – BrownPaws Quilting”
  1. It certainly sounds like you had a busy and productive 2018. I hope that you have a great 2019 as you work on your goals and that when you look back next year you will feel more settled. Thank you so much for sharing and linking up with the Planning Party!

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