Wednesday, December 23, 2020

2021 Quilting Ambitions

As 2020 winds down it's normal to look ahead to what the plan is for 2021.  Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl is again hosting her yearly planning linky party, so it's time to commit to a written plan for next year. 



2021 Quilty Ambition #1:  Finish 8 Quilts in 2021

I've been aiming to finish 12 quilts in one year pretty much since I've started writing up annual goals.  The most I've ever finished in a given year is 7. 


As long as I'm working full time, it's doubtful I'm going to manage 12, but I might be able to manage 8.  That's a lot more realistic than  setting the goal so high only to keep falling so short. 

To stay accountable and on track, I'll be following along with Quilting Gails 2021 PHD program.  
 

PHD is short for projects half done or projects that have to be done.  Since I'm not likely to finish the required 12 quilts, I'm going to work towards my MS (mostly sewn) for 2021.   

2021 Quilty Ambition #2: Stay focused

One thing I learned this year, is that to finish quilts, I have to focus on fewer projects.  Before 2020, my usual mode of operation was to work on 5 or 6 projects at at time.  



Working on that many projects at a time means you don't really make good progress on any of them.  This year I started selecting a priority project to finish.  That becomes my number one priority for the week/month when I write out my weekly To Do List.  Linking up with Roseanne and Sue (Home Sewn by Us) each week has helped keep me on track.  I strive to limit the weekly to do's to no more than 3 or  4. 

Another part of staying focused is to limit the number of new projects. I only started three new projects in 2020. Due to college graduation coming up in 2022, I need to get going on graduation quilts, so next year the plan is to only start 4 new projects.

2021 Quilty Ambition #3: Continue to host the 15 Minutes To Stitch Linky Party



It's sometimes hard to get into the sewing room, so challenging myself to work in 15 minutes of stitching time a day is still important.  I'm going to adopt my 2020 goal of stitching 85% of the days for 2021. I've successfully managed 90% a couple of years, but with work having ramped up the last year, I don't want to make myself miserable. The idea is to encourage myself to go sew, but not punish myself if life has other ideas. 

That's my three quilty ambitions for 2021.  There are no ambitions around stash management or blogging.  I've learned over the years that I ignore the stash management goals (I just like fabric too much) and blogging depends on how life is going at the moment. My focus  is to dramatically work down my UFO list. If I do that, fabric usage will take care of itself.  

Good luck with your quilting ambitions this year! 

17 comments:

Mary said...

I totally get the challenge with working full-time and trying to get a lot accomplished with your quilting projects. Morning is my best time when interruptions are fewer. I also have prioritized working on fewer projects and trying not to get too tempted by cool projects posted by other quilters. But sometimes I just can’t resist! Here’s to a happy and balanced 2021. Take care, Mary.

maggie fellow said...

it's wonderful what you accomplish each year - very inspirational for me

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I don't really make out a list of what I want to make because I tend to change my mind. Why do you want to set your goals to 12 a year - do you have a reason - I would say make what you can enjoy working on while you work full time - why push it so much

The Joyful Quilter said...

Honing in on what's really important to you and setting manageable goals is SEW smart, Kate! Best of luck on meeting those goals for 2021.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

I like it! and I like that your plan fits you, and what works for you! And your quilts - oh - they are so amazing!!

Sara said...

I've been working on my 2021 goals too. I've been thinking that one of my goals should be to give away a LOT of stash that I'm not likely to use. I've begun to gather some things to donate to our church quilting group for future projects.

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Love the new button for the link party ;) I have added it to my 2021 list.
Great goals, manageable.

DawnyK said...

Love your goals for 2021. I also like having obtainable goals as work is such a big push. I also am starting 2 new work projects in 2021 and have to wait and see how the client involvement shakes out. Looking forward to continuing every week with you no the 15-minutes to stitch. It helps me get small things done which always roll up into larger things. Thanks so much! Enjoy the Holidays!!!

Rose said...

You are sew describing me with your Ambition #2. I tend to roll a die on Thursday to see what I will be working on starting on the weekend. Like you, I work full time so weekends are my main sewing days.
I have watched your 15 minutes to stitch posts but will join in this year. Good Luck with your goals.

Cheryl said...

These sound like very reasonable goals for 2021. I was guilty of starting too many new projects in 2020 so in 2021 I need to get them finished before I start too many new things.

Emily said...

This is a great list of goals! Good luck to you in 2021 and Happy New Year!

chrisknits said...

Good luck with 2021! I am thinking Focus will be my word for the year. Joy took a hit with the 2020 year we've had, LOL Merry Christmas to all!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Those are wonderful goals, even if I have selfish reasons for saying so. 8 is a reasonable number, especially considering that your quilts aren't simple ones. Good luck with the focus goal. It does help get to the finish line faster. Thank you for continuing the 15 minutes to stitch. 85% is an excellent goal. That's where I am landing this year. I wish you the best with all of your goals. Here's hoping 2021 will be better for all of us.

Preeti said...

My ambition is to have fun :-D plans be damned. However I do wish you good luck in achieving your quilty goals. Have a Happy New Year!!!

Helen Anne said...

Good luck with the goals. Sounds like you've been very reasonable. I identify with focusing on a project rather than jumping from one to another and with completing UFOs to reduce the stash. Although some of my UFO boxes actually have released a bunch more fabric to the stash on completion :(

Melanie said...

Your diagramm of finished quilts is awesome! Also: How do you keep track of whether you did the 15min sewing daily?

Good luck with your goals!
xo Melanie

www.mellmeyer.de

Jennifer said...

That sounds like three great goals!