2019 Quilting Ambitions - Midyear Check In

So the first half of the year is over (wow that was fast).  I just finished performance reviews at work, basically a check in meeting with the supervisor to say what's on track, what's not and how do you get back on track. I don't have a quilty supervisor (thank goodness!), but it does help my accountability to post on the blog how well the quilty year is going.  Back in December 2018, I participated in Quilting Jetgirl's 2019 Planning Party by posting a list of my 2019 Quilting Ambitions.  So what's working and what's not from my ambitions list?     

Quilty Ambition #1:  Use a quilt plan

The last two years I've played along with the American Patchwork and Quilting's UFO Challenge on Facebook. You select 12 UFOs, they pick a number each month and you work on that UFO. I did that in 2018.  And though I made progress on all the projects, I didn't do so well on finishing projects.  So this year the plan was to focus on one project till it was finished, then move on to the next project.  I've used the approach in the years where there's been a lot of sewing to deadlines (graduation quilts) and it seems to result in more finishes.  Here's this year's project list.

Quilts #1, #2 and #3 are all finished.  Quilt #4 just needs two border strips added before it's a finished flimsy.  Looking back at 2018, only one quilt was finished by midyear.  That would suggest that focusing on one quilt from the list till it's done works better, at least for me.  So even though I've not finished six quilts in six months, I'm doing better than last year, so in my book that counts as on track for this ambition. 

Quilty Ambition #2:  Stitch 15 minutes every day

As of June 30th, I'd manage to fit in 15 minutes of stitching 157 out of 180 days for a success rate of 87.22%.  My goal is 90%, so I'm a little off track on that goal.

Quilty Ambition #3:  Sew from the stash

I didn't set any goals for fabric in or out this year.  Out of the 9 years I've been tracking fabric usage there's only been two where I used more than I bought.  The focus here is on using what's in the fabric closet on new projects.  Wild and Goosey is this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge project and it uses up lots of those small cut off triangles. 

Storm at Sea uses a teal that's been in the stash forever. 

  

While Daisy Chain used up left overs from a couple of other projects.

I've added to the stash a bit this year, but not on the scale I have some years.  As of the end of June, there's more in than out, but I'm close to break even there. With six months left in the year, as long as I continue to ignore all those fabric shop emails, there should be more going out than coming in. That would be a success.  

Motivators

These are those blog based quilt programs the can provide some structure and accountability to fulfilling your ambitions if you choose them wisely and play along faithfully.  

I talked about the America Patchwork and Quilting Facebook group that was the inspiration for my quilt plan.  I'm also working on my quilting PhD with Quilting Gail.  

I'm not doing so hot on that front.  I've done a bit on the finishing UFO part, but you also have to finish all the quilts you start in a given year.  I'm pretty sure Daisy Chain and Storm at Sea will get completed, but Wild N Goosey is going to be a longer term project. I'd say getting my quilty PHD in 2019 is probably a long shot. 

Participating in the One Monthly Goal this year has been going well. 

I've been more careful this year to match up my monthly goal with the time I've got available each month. Work has impacted my schedule more this year than last, so I have to be realistic about what is really achievable each month.  Last year was a pretty crappy year on this front (5 out of 12 OMGs met) and it was demotivating.  It feels much better to have met six out of the six goals so far this year.  

The last motivator is the 15 Minutes to Stitch linky party that I host each Sunday.  

For some reason it's always been a big motivator if I have to post progress on the blog.  Knowing that I'll have to report out my progress on Sunday is sometimes the only thing that convinces me I really do need to get in those 15 minutes. There's been 26 posts so far in 2019 and they've all gone up on Sunday.  Sometimes not as early as I would have liked, but they all got up.  There are 9 to 10 bloggers that link up most every week.  It's motivating when someone else is doing well and making progress.  It's also comforting when someone has a not so successful week of finding time to stitch. We all have those weeks where life just gets in the way. It's good to remember for most of us quilting is a hobby and it's OK to have an off week or a week we just want to go do something else.  So thank you to the 15 Minute to Stitch  regulars, you really do make my week.

So the year hasn't been perfect, but it's shaping up to be a better than average year on the stitching front. That works for me.