New Year, new goals

     Let's start this off with this RWB brick quilt pinned on the wall for inspiration ready to piece.

     This year, I am not numbering my goals, but grouping them. Maybe this will inspire someone to write theirs down and think differently.
MAKE:
- Comfort quilts- at least one full package a month (quilt, bag, book, card). Get another person on board with me.
- 6 Red, white and blue quilts completed for veterans
- Art quilts- Denim landscape, Batik landscape at least 3' x 4' without fusibles, figure out how, experiment with small work
- New leader/ender
- One challenge/block swap
FINISH:
- Sea Urchin (paper pieced), Gray Squares kit I bought in Ithaca that has to be sewn different from instructions (tedious) to look good, Calico Rose Quiltalong (Wedding Dress Blues), Border on Mystery Quilt, and quilts listed in my binder
- All quilt tops on hangers to be quilted!
LEARN:
- 2 classes, (don't know any yet) Would love a longarm one
- 2 new techniques
- 3 quilt retreats
- 1 Big show (maybe the Erie one)
MAINTAIN:
- My machines
- Clean others vintage machines
- Scraps- cut, sizes, strips, squares- no piles!
- Fabric- new shelving/storage all in one place
- Daily sewing log in spiral notebook
TEACH:
- Will work for fabric, I just love teaching people new or quicker ways to work, get them inspired and take a leap.
- Techniques/patterns/tips- to guilds or any small group

Goal lines

Not Niagara on the Lake, but where we cut down our tree the week before Christmas. Gray then also.

     My husband and I usually go away for at least a day between Christmas and New Year's to Niagara on the Lake in Canada just across the US border. It is just such a lovely little town. It sits on the Niagara River right at Lake Ontario. The architecture is so cozy and relaxing except for the McMansions. Normally I take a lot of photos, but it was totally dark and grey all day so no photos. When there, we go over all our goals for the past year, plan new ones and evaluate all areas of our life away from distractions. 
     Last year, my goals were guiding lines, but not all done. Comfort quilts are continuing to be made, but I have not found anyone else on board with me to make them. My mom continues to sew strips for me.
     I did poorly with art quilts. Because I want to make landscape quilts at least 3' x 4' without fusible, I am stalled and don't know how to proceed, so I didn't. Want to make denim and batik ones. 
    Blogging continued, but I want to do a better job- at least 3 times a week. I finished the mystery quilts except for the border I want to add on the guild one and Grand Illusions blocks were gratefully given away to Sarah Craig for her group to finish and give away. I made three quilt retreats, was in one show in Rochester, went to AQS Paducah (loved the city and show- never will ride a bus again) and the AQS show in Syracuse, NY.
    I made 2 leader ender quilts, learned new techniques from classes I took with Sujata Shah and John Kubiniec, completed a bow tie swap, cleaned people's vintage machines and kept up my own. I rescued a purple Kenmore and bought a hardly ever used Kenmore 158.1345. 
    Made a huge jump and bought a Nolting longarm, first a used one and then traded up to a new 20" one. 
     I was able to teach some workshops at my guild and helped make a lot of kids quilts for Camp Gold Star and Camp Purple. Cut lots and lots of scraps with my Stripology ruler.
     New goals coming up.

In with the new goals!

      New Year, New Goals here it goes:
1.   Comfort Quilts. Aim for one done per month and given away. Find a quicker way to get names of recipients. Get 2 more people involved in making them with me.
2.   Art quilts: Larger landscapes, denim landscapes, find good non-fusible methods to construct.
3.   Blog minimum three times per week. Get more readers, possibly linking to other bloggers.
4.   Watch Angela Walters Craftsy videos, other on line videos to improve my Free motion skills. Practice, practice.
5.   Paper piecing: finish Sea Urchin, buy fabric and make Art Deco pattern.
6.   Finish Mystery Quilts: from guild and Grand Illusion.
7.   Go to AQS Paducah in April. Bus trip booked. AQS Syracuse in July.
8.   Three quilt retreats. One booked in March, find 2 more.
9.   Find opportunities to teach others quilting, machine maintenance even as a freebie.
10. Equipment:
      Research, try and buy a long arm due to neck issues. Sell/trade Bailey.
      Continue to reorganize fabric/scraps. Look for better storage containers.
      New ironing board cover.
11. Fabric: fill out colors yellow, blues, greens, blacks, and reds.
12. Learn 2 new techniques.
13. Sew 4 purses.
14. Continue to make minimum 2 leader/ender, scrap quilts
15. Quilt all tops in closet.
16. Treadle Quilt challenges: Modern Twigs and Rectangle Island
17. Serve my Guild
18. Keep Machines serviced. Rescue/clean other people's machines.
19. Take 2 classes. I have found none yet.
     

How about those goals?

     People thought I was nuts last year when I made 21 goals for 2014. My husband and I make goals every year together for ourselves, things together, financial and house projects. We take a couple of days to do this. My husband saves all the goals which we write on yellow paper and keep in separate file folders. This year, we did not accomplish what we decided was most important. I think because we were not specific enough and did not write down how we were going to do this and what strategies. We go away for a few days between Christmas and New Years and work on this over coffee. We usually go to Niagara on the Lake which is so peaceful and gorgeous. 

Just staring out at the Lake helps refocus and reflection

Great Skies

Shot through the window at Harbour House.
Knew I could not make it outside in time.

Past goals for 2014:
1.   Make more comfort quilts. I would like at least one complete with bag per
      month. Ideally, I would like to have others join me somehow.
     I continue to make and give quilts. I have a lot of unquilted tops. I buy the tote bags by the dozen. Only my mother is helping- she sews strips and all around squares that I cut and assemble into quilts. 
2.   Make a paper pieced quilt. 
     I started Sea Urchin by Judy Niemeyer. My friends, the twins, who are extradinary paper pieces taught me using the Charm Elements pack by Judy. I also helped with our guild's raffle quilt which is a paper pieced Karen Stone.
3.   Get a lot better at Free Motion Quilting. 
      I continue to get better. I use designs from Leah Day, the Inbox Jaunt, and am taking Craftsy classes with Angela Walters.
4.   Blog- regularly with information to help others along. Gain more readers.
     I would like to be consistent at least 3 times a week. I did get a lot of readers once based on a Giveaway link from Vicki Welsh. I have 15 followers which is up.
5.   Attend quilt retreats
     I went on retreats in February, May, and November.
6.   Take at least 4 classes.
     One block wonder with Cathy from my guild, Hudson Valley Art workshop with Rayna Gillman, QBL, Bonnie Hunter Crumbs class in September, and a Scraps class with Lynn Roddy Brown in Houston.
7.   Go to Houston for the International Quilt Festival in October.
    Done and totally overwhelmed. First time west of the Mississippi.
8.   Quilting by the Lake in July, class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe. Find a roomate.
     Was assigned a suite where I met Lynn Roddy Brown, Lisa Mason, and Encyclopedia Brown. Took 5 days of classs, met wonderful quilters and learned so much from Victoria.
9.   Teach people some quilt related skills, techniques.
     Did one workshop at my guild on the exploding squares. Was a guest blogger on Sarah Craig's blog. Want more opportunities 
10. Cut out, sew, quilt my daughter's choice of wedding quilt.
     All done, given on Christmas, at home on the bed in Meadville, PA
11. Equipment changes: one new large sewing table for machines, better lighting   (ceiling), better way to photo quilts, more fabric organization (did some scrap organization recently- photos to come), treadle cabinet refinish and machine installed, new large cutting mat.
      Bought a Bailey Home Quilter for the sewing table in May, new ceiling lighting. two Jansko lamps from Ikea, started using Bonnie Hunter's scrap saving system, refinished the treadle cabinet- just needs assembling as I can't figure out the spring mechanism, got a Martelli mat for my Christmas present, got a Featherweight for Christmas
12. More fabric- scraps, batiks, strips
    Did my share of shopping and lots of scraps and fabric donated to me for comfort quilts. Need to do more to keep on top of this and be better organized.
13. Serve my guild.
    Did a workshop, demo, worked on raffle quilt, worked on comfort quilts
14. Learn at least 3 new techniques.
     One block wonder, y seams, Lemoyne star, using Companion Angle, Easy Angle, Shape Plus cutter, paper piecing, made fabric
15. Sew purses/tote bags. I did a few, but want to expand.
     Only two
16. Do denim art quilts. One started on design wall.
     Need to cut the foam board to mount the backing and for pinning. Experimented with liquid thread instead of fusible. Learned some techniques from Grace Errea on the Quilt show. Got more denim. Pinned lots of denim ideas.
17. Make more scrap quilts.
    Lots more exploding squares, made fabric, Good Night Irene, strip quilts, Lemoyne Star, leader-enders
18. Do a challenge.
    Doing a guild mystery quilt, Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion, Vicki Welsh's HST challenge
19. Treadle more.
    Some, for made fabric, need to do more.
20. Do more art quilts- incorporate fibers, landscapes.
    Only managed a few small ones and ones for cards. Need to figure out how to make larger without fusible interfacing.
21. Keep my machines maintained and help others with vintage ones. 
   All machines are up to snuff. I cleaned/fixed two 66, a 401, a 301, an old Kenmore, two Whites, and my husband's grandmother's Red Eye treadle.

     Now, I need to list my goals for 2015. I think the more specific I am and try to say how I plan to do them, the better the odds at achieving them. 

2014 Goals

    Every year, my husband and I sit down and go over the goals we set the year before. He keeps them in a folder by year. We also list the top 25 things of the year for each of us. We look over our datebooks to refresh our memories. We read them to each other. To do this, we go someplace else rather than home so we don't get interrupted/distracted. Spot Coffee is one of our favorites. Yesterday, the sun was shining on us as we worked through them. We then write goals for the new year in categories. Here, I want to list my goals for quilting/sewing/machines. I was inspired to do that by Sarah from Confessions from a Fabric Addict. I am one of those people who have a lot of projects going at once. I think it is from a career in graphic design and teaching art to many grades each day in public school. I log every quilt into a sheet I made and printed out. I have separate sheets for my comfort quilts. I keep all my sheets, a list of comfort quilts given, quilt patterns, and ideas in a very large binder. If this sheet is any use to you, it is a Word document that I can send you. You can tweak it for your own use. It could be better, I am open to input.

Red dots and cross marks mean the quilt is done.
I write comments in pencil so I can change them.

 I have another sheet, hand done, that lists all open work in three categories: Comfort, regular, and art. 

      I list the progress so I can see where I am. For example, I saw I had a lot of quilts that just needed binding, so I worked on those. 

I remade this today for a clean copy

     I also have a wish list, ever expanding of quilts I want to make.

Twenty one  goals for 2014:
1.   Make more comfort quilts. I would like at least one complete with bag per
      month. Ideally, I would like to have others join me somehow.
2.   Make a paper pieced quilt. I love New York Beauty, but anything like that.
3.   Get a lot better at Free Motion Quilting.
4.   Blog- regularly with information to help others along. Gain more readers.
5.   Attend quilt retreats- one scheduled for the end of February.
6.   Take at least 4 classes.
7.   Go to Houston for the International Quilt Festival in October.
8.   Quilting by the Lake in July, class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe. Find a roomate.
9.   Teach people some quilt related skills, techniques.
10. Cut out, sew, quilt my daughter's choice of wedding quilt. Fabric is bought.
11. Equipment changes: one new large sewing table for machines, better lighting   (ceiling), better way to photo quilts, more fabric organization (did some scrap organization recently- photos to come), treadle cabinet refinish and machine installed, new large cutting mat.
12. More fabric- scraps, batiks, strips
13. Serve my guild.
14. Learn at least 3 new techniques.
15. Sew purses/tote bags. I did a few, but want to expand.
16. Do denim art quilts. One started on design wall.
17. Make more scrap quilts.
18. Do a challenge.
19. Treadle more.
20. Do more art quilts- incorporate fibers, landscapes.
21. Keep my machines maintained and help others with vintage ones.

      What about you? Write 'em down!