2020 Non-Planning Quilting Goals

Non-Planning? Is there such a thing as planning to not have a plan? I think so.

2019 was an especially odd year in a string of odd years. For years, I happily collected fabrics and patterns, planning someday to get it all done. But as my eyes continued to deteriorate last year, I started to realize that I will NEVER use all the fabric I have, and quite possibly never finish all the quilts I have started. It doesn't help that we are still working on the house and most of my sewing room stuff is in the attic, still boxed up somewhere. I thought I had all my fabric unpacked when I came across two more boxes yesterday, and there is probably more.

My goal for the remainder of 2019 is to clear out a workable sewing space in the attic.

My goals for 2020 are:

1. Have a stay-at-home quilting weekend just for me. Hubby takes his hunting trips, so this is my equivalent and I have some catching up to do. I am going to start New Year's Day and the following day. No cooking, no cleaning, no running errands, no helping Hubby with whatever project he has going. Just me, my sewing, and a full fridge.

2. Finish UFO's as I find them, and work on them until they are finished. My quilting weekends should help with that.

3. Do something every day that moves a project forward, whether it takes 5 minutes or 30 minutes, and whether it is actual sewing, or buying batting, or oiling the sewing machine so it can keep sewing.

Even though these aren't specific goals like most quilter's make when they plan the upcoming year, I am going to link to Quilting Jet Girl's 2020 Planning Party.

March's One Monthly Goal and Year Goals Review

I decided to work on a quilt that isn't even on my January Goals list. But according to that list, I should have made a quilt for the RV in February and that one didn't get done either. So I am giving myself permission to work on a UFO that I have in hand rather than search through boxes for one that is on the list. For my March One Monthly Goal, I want to get Jacob's Ladder to the flimsy stage, and get the back made. I am not even going to attempt to quilt it.

This morning I took it out of the box it has been in for fourteen years. I didn't take a picture again this morning, but this 36" x 84" section is the part I started working on.

It is not quite as bad as I remembered it, but not as good as I am happy with today. I decided to take off the bottom part and use it to make this a throw size quilt. Then it can be a donation quilt. So my first work on this UFO was with the ripper. I should have a ripper hidden up my sleeve like the bad guys on old tv shows had a derringer that suddenly springs into their hand in an instant.

In reviewing my 2018 Goals (tweaked at the end of January), I can see some things that are working out well and some that still need prodding, and some that just need to be canned.

1. Organize my sewing space. Still no real sewing space here, but I have added some shelving to hold projects, batting, and other things as I unpack them. When we moved here last April, I bought several wire modular shelving cubes to make a big, indoor catio. With workmen in and out, I didn't want to worry about the cat getting out or freaking out because strangers were in his space. But now that we have somewhere else to put him, and because he despised the catio, I took it apart and had it stored in the attic. But now it made the perfect storage for bulky batting and project boxes. So I'm still reporting success here but not complete.

2. Find and list my UFOs. It's possible I have found all of my UFOs, or at least all my known UFOs. I've found a couple that I had completely forgotten about. So success here and I will continue sorting through boxes.

3. Participate in monthly challenges on blogs and facebook to finish these UFOs. My 12 UFOs for both are 1. Cars, 2. Trailer Quilt, 3. Second Saturday Sampler, 4. Christmas Among Friends, 5. Antique Tile, 6. Gairden Walk, 7. Depression Blocks, 8. Baby Bow Tie, 9. Double Irish Chain, 10. Raggedy Hearts, 11. Sweet Sixteen, 12. Summer Crossroads. I am calling this a success, but I do have to revise this list. I can't quilt the larger quilts, so the goal for them will be just to the flimsy stage, and some of these are already there. Also, the facebook group isn't working for me, so dropping that.

4. Pull out fabrics bought to make specific quilts and put them in boxes with the patterns, thread, and everything needed to complete the quilt. I have done this with several projects. It is a lot easier with the wire cubes and project boxes. So success here but not complete.

5. Organize scraps by color and participate in scraphappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I have found all my scraps now, and have a pattern that is QAYG, so this is easier now. I'm also making string blocks, and scrappy English paper piecing, so will call this a rousing success but not finished.

6. Start the cross-stitch quilt block project that first made me want to learn to quilt. Not too late, but I need to get started soon.  So far a fail. 

7. Take up Kate's Life in Pieces now official 15 Minute Challenge. Doing well with this one, so success so far.

8. Limit my current projects to four. I have four going right now and it may be too much. Maybe if I were more organized or had a bigger space it would work better. I'll try it one more month before cutting down to three. So success here, but it doesn't feel successful.

9. Start Christmas projects in June. This is still pending as it isn't June yet but I don't have a clue what I want to do and time is slipping by fast these days.

10. Go to guild meetings. I don't drive at night and Hubby was out of town on guild meeting night, so I couldn't go. So this is a fail.

11. I want to find a sit down quilting machine. There is no money budgeted for this, so this goal needs to be eliminated. Fail 12. Take a Craftsy fitting class.I said I may have to eliminate this one too and that's what I'm doing now. With no sewing space, this one isn't feasible right now. Fail

13. Build something for the house every week until the cabinets and organizers are done. Still a fail here, but with spring around the corner, I can see that this will change soon.

14. Take a scroll saw class. I don't have time for this. It is a fail and I'm taking it off the list.

15. Exercise 15-30 minutes a day. Still a fail but I need to make it a priority. Too bad there isn't somewhere to be accountable.

16. Cut out sugar and find 15 good autoimmune recipes by the end of February. Still a fail but both Hubby and I need to do this even if he won't admit it.

17. Stick to an autoimmune diet in March and then re-evaluate for April. There is still time for this, so it is not getting a rating yet.

18. On days that are over wind chill over 50 degrees, work on landscaping 15-30 minutes. I changed this last month and I'm going to have to change it again to read "dry" days. Every day in February that was warm enough was either rainy or the ground was soggy. So, not really a fail, but not a success either.

19. Join a book club. Well, finally. Still doing this. It is a success so far.

My results this month were 8 successes, 7 fails, and 3 pending out of 19 goals, and that is a little better than last month. 2 of those failed goals will be removed from my list, which will help next month.  I didn't add any goals this month either.

2018 in the Sewing Room

Yvonne, at Quilting JETgirl hosts a goal planning linky party every year. Most people go over last year's goals and then make new goals. Since we were living in a tiny duplex and all my quilting stuff was in storage, I didn't make any goals for 2017. I barely sewed anything in 2017! But that must change in 2018 even though I don't officially have a sewing room here yet.

Since I don't have any 2017 goals, I'll go straight to the 2018.

1. Organize my sewing space. I cannot work in disorder, and proved it to myself this month when I tried to make a quilt in a short time. And failed. Even though this is my number one priority, it is also going to be the hardest, so will not likely be the first thing completed. I know I need to put together some shelves, possibly even build some. (See, there is a good reason to be both a woodworker and quilter!)

2. Find and list my UFOs. I have no idea how many UFOs I really have because they are tucked into spaces here and there, and of course, still packed away too. Once I find all them, I need a plan to finish them. Melissa, from Sew Bittersweet Designs used to host a monthly UFO finishing party, and that helped me a lot a couple of years ago. I need to find someone else hosting a UFO finishing party to make me work harder.

3. Pull out fabrics bought to make specific quilts and put them in boxes with the patterns, thread, and everything needed to complete the quilt. I hope that will eliminate all the last minute trips to town and gnashing of teeth when I want to work on them.

4. Organize scraps by color and participate in scraphappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. My scraps are totally out of control and I need to use enough to get the remainder in tubs that will fit on the shelves.

5. Participate in 2018 Monthly Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen.

6.  Start the cross-stitch quilt block project that first made me want to learn to quilt.

7. Take up Kate's unofficial 15 Minute Challenge. I find when I make myself put in fifteen minutes, it soon turns into thirty and my lagging enthusiam is back.

8. Limit my current projects to four. Any more than that going at one time and I get overwhelmed and scattered. Current month machine project, scraphappy'sRainbow Scrap Challenge forleaders and enders project, hand quilting project, Patterns By Jen for BOM.

9. Start Christmas projects in June.

10.  Go to guild meetings.

11. Last, and most challenging, is that I want to find a quilting machine. I've decided that a Sweet Sixteen fits my needs best.

Other sewing goals:

12.  Take a Craftsy fitting class.

13. Make a clothing project once a month.

Woodworking goals:

14.  Build something for the house every week until the cabinets and organizers are done.

15.  Take a scroll saw class.

Now for other goals:

16.  Exercise 15-30 minutes a day.

17.  Cut out sugar and find 15 good autoimmune recipes by the end of January

18.  Stick to an autoimmune diet in February and then re-evaluate for March.

19.  On days that are over 50 degrees, work on landscaping 15-30 minutes.

20.  Join a book club.

I would set goals for the house build, but since Hubby is doing the wiring right now at his pace, there is really nothing I can do to speed it up.  So for house building goals, I'll reserve the right to add my goals when that is finished.

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Quilting Gail is also having a UFO completion challenge. Hers is called PHD in 2018 for Projects Half Done. Her challenge is a bit more, um, challenging as we have to completely finish the quilt, right through the label and binding.  I hesitated to tell her I wanted to do it, because I just don't have a machine that will quilt anything bigger than a twin. But since one of my goals for 2018 is to buy a machine that will quilt bigger quilts, I thought it was worth a try. Details for her challenge are here. The only thing that might derail me is if my eyes continue to deteriorate or if I have eye surgery.
I'm not sure if I signed up in time to participate in it though.  I'm not on the final list.

American Patchwork & Quilting also has a UFO challenge for twelve quilts. The details for that challenge are here.

Here are the UFOs I want to completely finish this year and the state they are in now:
1. Cars. The flimsy is done, backing bought and washed (it's flannel), and batting bought. I need binding and quilting thread.  DONE
2. Trailer Quilt. I have nine of about thirty blocks made and need border fabric, backing, binding, batting, and thread.
3. Second Saturday Sampler. Eleven of 12 blocks are made. I need border fabric, backing, binding, batting, and thread.
4. Christmas Among Friends. All blocks are made, border is made, and binding is done. I need backing and batting.
5. Antique Tile. All blocks are made. I need two or three borders, backing, binding, and batting.
6. Gairden Walk. The flimsy is done and the backing is pieced. I think the binding is done too. I need batting and thread.
6.  Replaced with: Orphan Glory Box.  I want to make this into a wall hanging.  I need to design borders, need backing, binding, batting, and quilting.  DONE
7. Depression Blocks. Twenty-five of the seventy-five blocks are made. I may have border pieced. I need backing, binding, and batting.
8. Baby Bow Tie. The flimsy is done. I need backing, binding, and batting.
9. Double Irish Chain. The top is a flimsy. I think. I know I need backing, binding, and batting. I may need borders too. DONE
10. Raggedy Hearts. Five of twelve blocks are done. I need borders, backing, batting, and binding.
11. Sweet Sixteen. I have twenty of fifty-two blocks done. I need borders, backing, binding, and batting.
12. Summer Crossroads. I have blocks made, and four rows together. I need borders, backing, binding, and batting.

Pictures for most of these are on the right sidebar. The challenge now is where to find all these UFOs.


Linking up to:
2018 Planning Party at Quilting JETgirl
Quilting Gail