A New Tuesday Archives Post: 2017 Word of the Year and Goals

Happy New Year!

 



This week, Val over at Val's Quilting Studio is asking everyone to post their goals for the New Year in the Tuesday Archives link up.  I am more than happy to oblige in this annual quilter's "right of passage" as we hope for a productive quilting year.

Word of the Year:  Prioritize

Since planning is still my big goal, setting my priorities is a first step to that.  I've found in the past that I need to get better, on a day to day basis, of considering and setting priorities.  I've come to understand that priorities can (and sometimes have to) change day to day, week to week and month to month regardless of the overall goals set.  So the push this year is to manage that better.

However, that doesn't mean that there won't be those times when "what I WANT to do" will override "what I NEED to do"!  I just need to make sure I take note of that when I re-do the list.

APQ and TBQs

American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine is once again doing their UFO Challenge for 2017.  You make a list and each month they pick a number and you try to get that project done.  If successful, that's (potentially) twelve projects off your "To Do" list by the end of the year.

When I sat down to make my list, I realized that outside of projects that have specific deadlines, all but one of my UFOs were "TBQs" -- that is "To Be Quilted" or close to it because they  need the backing prepped.  I decided to try to give this a whirl.  The first number has already been picked so if you want to join in, make up your list now, go here and get your UFO goals for the year started!

This Just In!  While checking on links for this post, I found out that Judy Laquidara over at Patchwork Times is also doing a UFO List pick.  She's has also picked her first number and ironically, on my list that just so happens to be a quilt designed by her!  However, I believe my APQ pick would be easier for me to finish and a finish will keep me motivated so I'll stick with them on that one.  I will be joining Judy for her monthly Quilt-A-Thons but if you'd also like Judy's help picking your UFO projects, find out what her first pick was here. 

Staring Down The Bucket List

My next big and admittedly ambitious goal is to finish the last four items on my original bucket list.  Why ambitious you say?  Well, those projects consist of some pretty heady quilt designs:  Double Wedding Ring, Lone Star, Complex Applique (in the vein of a Baltimore Album) and a Hand Quilted Wholecloth!  The plan right now is to devote attention to one of these projects each quarter. 

I'll start the wholecloth first since once it's in the hoop, I can take a little time each week for the rest of the year stitching it up.

The Double Wedding Ring is  already half done -- the last time I worked on it, I only got as far as cutting out the border strips for it.  Let's hope this year I can get the border applique done, get it layered up and quilted! 

In some ways I feel the Lone Star is the easiest to piece (can be done by strip piecing) but not to choose!  I've got at least five different versions I want to try (and fabric already in house for at least two) so the one that gets made up (yes, definitely won't be more than that this year!)  might not be a "traditional" Lone Star. 

Up to now, I didn't really know exactly what I wanted to do for my "Complex Applique" project.  That's why it pays to shop your stash or shelves!  Long ago I fell in love with Robert Callahan's applique samplers when they appeared in McCall's Quilting magazine.  At the time they came out, they were soooo beyond my abilities, I could only dream.  However, that didn't stop me from setting up a box and occasionally throwing some "starting stash" into it. 

Now that it's many years down the road, applique is not the scary prospect it was back then.  I'm finally ready to tackle one and try to get that stash box off the shelf once and for all. 

 

All that said, while I'd give better than average odds that at least one of the Bucket List items probably won't make it all the way to the finish line this year, starting is still that much closer to finishing!

But Wait There's More!

Other big projects I want to get to this year are:

Finish my Label Pledge (So far two down, six to go!)

Finish my (first two) Quilts of Valor (and hopefully start on that during this week's Quilt-A-Thon with Judy at Patchwork Times).

Make a Tote Bag For my Featherweight (kit and supplies are already in house)

As noted earlier, I've got some "specific deadline" projects, mostly gifts and for decorating at particular times of the year so have to schedule those accordingly.

Oh and did I mention that I'm trying for the first time to do one of Bonnie Hunters annual mystery projects -- this year it's called "En Provence"?  Well, it's actually not a mystery any more since the reveal came out on Sunday.  I've had the stash set up for a while but the aborted "Holiday Quilt-A-Thon" put a wrench in an early start so at this point I'll be playing catch up. 

The good news is that from what I've read over the years, that's par for the course for most people for her mysteries so I'll be in good company!

As usual, I think I've lined up too much but out of sight, out of mind!  If you'd like to see what your other fellow quilters have in store for their year, hop on over to Val's at Val's Quilting Studio and peruse all the lists!  Have a Very Quilty New Year!!!