As we are coming to the end of 2020 (a year we all want to end), I am thinking about my goals and plans for 2021. At this point in my quilting life, I have two kinds of quilting goals – personal goals and business goals. I try to limit myself to three of each. My first personal goal is to complete three 100-day quilting projects in 2020. I find having a project that only requires a few minutes a day, but that leads to a complete quilt top in 100 days is an awesome way to keep my momentum quilting. The act of sewing a few minutes a day has also become important in taking care of myself. I spend a few minutes doing something I want to do, no matter how crazy life gets. My second goal is to address my UFO list. I want to get it down to no more than 3 UFOs and up to 3 works in progress (WIPs). I actually cleared four projects off since the beginning of November, one by finishing, one by reworking, one by sending it to a long-arm quilter, and one by sending it to our service quilters to finish and donate. I am combining my first two goals by moving forward on my Irish Chain Quilt. This was listed as my Quilt-Your-Weight-Off quilt. When I thought about it, I realized that while I have lost (and maintained) 35 pounds, and I may lose more, I am not likely to get to the 121 pounds needed for the 11 by 11 blocks in the quilt design. I really love the traditional double Irish chain and the fabrics, and I have 45 blocks done, so I can do one or two blocks a day for 100 days and finish the top!
My third personal goal is to complete one of the cruise-inspired quilts. I have a design in mind. And I know I can break it down into a 100-day project. You will hear more about it later in 2021.
My business goals are easier in some ways because I know I need to stay flexible with them. If I have learned nothing else in 2020, I have learned that flexibility is an absolute necessity. My first goal is to post on this blog at least four times a month. I would love to say I will blog faithfully every week, but I know I may miss a time or two. I hope you will bear with me when I have busy weeks. I also hope to get more tutorials posted.
My second goal is to publish at least three quilt patterns. I have two already in mind and I think that planning on one more is reasonable. It doesn’t matter if I self-publish or if they are published elsewhere – I just want to get them from my head out into the world. One will certainly be the Singapore Sling pattern I submitted to EQ8. I have all of the fabrics, so this will be a priority.
My last goal is to work on one technique I need to improve to make some of the quilts I have in mind. There are a lot of skills I need work on – free motion machine quilting, foundation paper piecing, hand piecing, hand applique. I am leaning towards focusing on foundation paper piecing, but hand applique is also something I want to learn soon.
I have no doubt this will keep me plenty busy, along with my jobs and my family. I am definitely looking forward to what 2021 will bring.
Do you set quilting goals, or do you work on projects as they arise?
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