Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Celebrate the Past, Anticipate the Future

A lofty blog title isn't it?  Unfortunately I don't think my 2013 accomplishments and 2014 goals really live up to it, but you should start off the new year in the most positive light possible.  That's one of my non-quilt related personal goals this year, be more inclined to see that the glass as half full rather than half empty as my family tells me I'm most likely to do.  So I will celebrate my 2013 accomplishments and look forward to doing even better in 2014 You'll see when you get there that I well may be building 2014 on a house of cards.  (Well darn it, that half full glass stuff is going to be harder to pull off than I thought!) 

For 2013 there were just 3 major goals

  • Finish 10 quilts
  • Start 8 quilts 
  • Manage the stash
I finished five quilts in 2013.  


Two of the five finishes were actually on my "to be finished" list.  There were 8 other quilts on that list that didn't get done.  But the five finishes this year are definitely better than just the three finishes in 2012.  Now that I have momentum on my side, 2014 will be even better.  

Being a faithful follower of Cat Patches' 2013 NewFO Challenge, I started 12 quilts this year.


That's four more quilts than I had planned to start this year, which is also four more than were started in 2012.  I stuck pretty close to my list for 2013, only one quilt on the list wasn't started.  I finished two of the new starts this year, while none of the 2012 NewFOs got finished in 2012.  So even more momentum for 2014. 

Applying the glass half full stance to the Stash Management goals is a bit hard, I didn't meet a single goal.  But I did use more stash in 2013 than I ever have before, so that's definitely a bright spot.  I didn't buy as much fabric as I did in 2012, so there is definite momentum moving into 2014 on that front as well.    

The 2014 goals look a lot like that 2013 goals:

  • Finish 10 quilts (5 UFO's and 5 of the 2013 NewFOs)
  • Start 8 quilts as part of the 2014 NewFO Challenge (list is here)
  • Stash Management
  • Use 75 yards
  • Buy less than I use
  • Organize what I have
 Starting the 8 quilts will be the easiest goal to meet.  Finishing 10 quilts would be a personal best, the most I've ever finished in a single year is 7.  But I'm hopeful, one quilt just needs the binding added, another is pieced and just needs a back, one other has all the blocks made, it just needs to be set.  I'm joining Lynn's "Something Old, Something New" challenge for 2014.  I'm not too sure about the something new part of the challenge, but I am going to use the something old part of the challenge to keep me motivated to tackle those UFOs. 

I'm linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict's Goal's for 2014 linky party.  Stop by and wish everyone a successful 2014.  

11 comments:

Kymberly said...

I love the quilts you've made. The purple lone star is very beautiful.

Maria said...

You finished a lot more quilting projects than I did in 2013; they are gorgeous by the way!

HeatherK @ A Reformed Heath'n said...

Great goals! I read an article at Sew Mama Sew that encouraged large goals to get stuff done--even though you didn't meet all your goals, you accomplished more than last year AND probably more than you would have without those goals. Keep up that momentum :)

Jasmine said...

I hope you are able to keep that momentum going. Any improvement is great in my book. ;)

Barbara said...

Great job. Finishing that many quilts with your busy life is a big accomplishment.

make.share.give said...

Five finishes are a lot to celebrate! Happy New Year!

Shay said...

5 beautiful finishes Kate. And 12 new projects to keep you motivated. With more inspiration in the wings with your plans to start new projects in 2014 ...

I think given that your life is just one big ball of crazy (work, DT’s commitments) you did really well in 2013 !

Sarah Craig said...

You had a good 2013, Kate, and it looks like you are all set to have a spectacular 2014! Good luck with your goals!

By the way, I love that red quilt you finished in 2013!

AnnieO said...

You spent a lot of time in the sewing room and worked on a lot of terrific quilts! I hope to accomplish a lot in 2014 too

seabreezequilts said...

Wow you did great I only managed one quilt last year. I made no quilt related commitments

seabreezequilts said...

Wow you did great I only managed one quilt last year. I made no quilt related commitments