Thursday, December 29, 2016

Goals: Looking Back at 2016 and Ahead at 2017

Yvonne over at Quilting JETgirl is hosting a 2017 goal planning party. I found it helpful to set general goals for 2016 as well as my monthly goals, so I'll do so again for 2017. I do much better with concrete goals rather than nebulous "become a better person" type goals, so mine are more specific.

Let's see how I did overall in 2016:

1. Use at least as much stash fabric as newly acquired fabric. Yes - Used 130-1/4 yards; acquired 104-5/8 yards. Net stash reduction 25-5/8 yards.

2. Complete at least four donation quilts. Completed three: Positively Radiant, Black & White Hands2Help quilt, and Tan & Black Hands2Help quilt. QOV is in work but not completed yet. Also made two tops for Heart Builders.
Positively Radiant

3. Log WIPs and UFOs and finish as many on the list as possible. Or if appropriate, get rid of any project that I'll absolutely never finish. UFOs: Trashed one, donated UFO parts for two others; finished one & gifted it. WIPs: Finished 5 of 8 quilts started in 2015. Also finished 4 additional quilts started in 2016.

4. Complete quilts slated for 2016 Christmas gifts (Maple Leaf Star, Antler Dance, QF Alternate Blocks) Done, gifted, and well received!
Antler Dance

5. Complete Kaffe/Batik Flying Geese quilt. Not done.

6. Participate in Hands 2 Help. Yes, sent Tan & Black quilt and Black & White quilt to Happy Chemo and donated Positively Radiant to local chemo recipient.
Tan & Black Donation Quilt

7. Participate in 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop. Yes, created two monogrammed pillows and wrote tutorial for how to make them.
Monogrammed Pillows

8. Blog at least twice a week. Yes, pretty much, with a few days off here and there.

9. Design a bee block that's forgiving and beginner-friendly. Yes, designed Log Cabin Triangle block and I donated the tutorial for it to Alycia's QOV block drive. Sew Bee It girls made LCT blocks for Eastern MO QOV block drive.  
Log Cabin Triangle Block for QOV Block Drive. Tutorial here

10. Don't stress. Quilting is my hobby, not a business, so don't feel guilty about not doing more to monetize it. Feeling good about this decision now.

Overall pretty good - a few misses, but I feel good about all that I accomplished this year. Creating the LCT block for QOV was very gratifying; hundreds of blocks have been made using my pattern. Finishing and gifting quilts for Christmas was also very rewarding.


Looking ahead to 2017, these are my general goals. They still leave room for any projects that may pop up from time to time.

1. Use at least as much stash fabric as newly acquired fabric: break even or net stash reduction.

2. Complete at least four donation quilts (or tops for Heart Builders).

3. Log WIPs and UFOs and finish as many on the list as possible. Or if appropriate, get rid of any project that I know I'll never finish.

4. Participate in Hands 2 Help.

5. Participate in 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop.

6. Blog at least twice a week; continue posting monthly goals and stash reports because they keep me focused and accountable.

7. Design a block for FabriQuilt or other new block design blog hop.

8. Publish at least one new pattern.

This ought to keep me busy!


Thank you for visiting my blog. I enjoy all your comments and encouragement! Wishing you a happy and peaceful 2017 -
Happy New Year!



5 comments:

  1. Good luck. This is an ambitious list, and I support you 100%. I haven't made an exact list, but I will be posting my goals and word for 2017 in the next few days. I often get orders from people and that comes before other projects, of cousrse because they are paying. Wishing you and your family a healthy and Happy New Year!!

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  2. Congrats on doing so well on your 2016 goals. Wishing you equal or better success on your 2017 ambitions.

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  3. Looks like you had a great year. Congrats on your stash reduction. :) I wish you the best in 2017.

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  4. Well done in 2016! And you are quite organized for 2017! My quilt goal setting in 2016 rather fell apart, and I have not even begun to think of 2017. One of your goals I support whole-hardheartedly is your decision to enjoy your hobby rather than try to monetize it. I think there is a lot of pressure to monetize and brand, but for those of us who are not developing a business, I think it often detracts from the enjoyment of quilting with no benefit.

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  5. I like how you included tops for the Heart Builders as donation options for yourself this year. I am amazed to follow how much fabric you use each year! I hope you have a wonderful 2017, and I look forward to seeing what you create. Thanks for linking up. :)

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