Wednesday, December 28, 2022

2023 Quilting Ambitions

With just three more days in 2022, it seems like a good time to set my ambitions for the new year.  Plus it's time for Quilting JetGirl's 2023 Planning Party



I usually review quilting accomplishments after the year ends, so I'm going to jump right into my ambitions for 2023. 

Ambition #1.  Finish some quilts, make progress on some quilts, and start some quilts.  

The last couple of years I've focused almost 100% on my UFO list. That hasn't produced the best results. The plan for this year is to focus on finishing off the 2021 and 2022 mystery quilts first. I've also picked three UFO's to make progress on, but not necessarily finish. The plan includes 4 new quilts for 2023.   



My goal is to finish some old stuff, but play with some new stuff too. My new project diet the last few years just hasn't been a lot of fun and may be one reason why my enthusiasm for the quilting room took a nose dive earlier this year.  Looking back I finish more when I have more new projects on the list. We'll see if this approach leads to more finishes or if it just ups the UFO count by the end of the year. 

Ambition #2.  Acquire a new skill.  Now that I'm retired, I'm hoping I have the time to quilt my own projects.  Plus with the reduced budget that comes with retiring, it will be more cost effective. I probably won't quilt all my projects, but will be more selective as to what goes out and what I keep to do myself.  But first I need to learn how. I'm not sure if I'm going to try for a quilt as you go for my first effort or if I'll jump right in on one of my throw sized UFO's.  I'll decide that later. 

Ambition #3. Continue to strive to stitch on something for at least 15 minutes per day and keep up the associated linky party.  I designed a new button for 2023. 




I'm hoping to do much better on keeping up with my stitching time next year, my goal is to stitch 15 minutes a day at least 75% of the year. 

Ambition 4.  I really need to do a good sewing room clean up, which means getting control of my stash.  My plan for 2023 is to press, cut and sort my scraps. 



I don't have as much as many do, but some of the scraps have been sitting in the bags for 16 years.  

I also want to organize my yardage.  I've been building my retirement stash for years, but a lot of it is in plastic bins that I can't see. Getting it all sorted and into the stash closet would really improve my ability to select fabrics for new projects. 

There is no stash usage goal for 2023. I long ago learned that it's just not a meaningful metric for me.  Maybe that will change this year, I've been tracking my usage for years, it's just never that impressive.  

Those are my main ambitions for 2023.  My work status isn't completely resolved. Right now I'm thinking my retirement is permanent, but things could change on that front. Even if I do go back to work, all the ambitions should be doable. Though my motivation to learn to quilt could be lessened a bit with less available time and a higher budget.  

Linking up with Quilting Jetgirl for the 2023 Planning Party.  Good luck with all your ambitions and goals for the new year. 

12 comments:

Chris said...

Congrats on your retirement for now. It seems I got more done before I retired. I love the new button. How do I grab it for my blog?

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your retirement! It will change your life.

Anonymous said...

Odd. I’m signed in but it doesn’t show. Martidiy

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I hope that setting these goals and referencing them is helpful to you throughout the year. And I hope you have a lot of fun as you work on the new skill of quilting your own quilts; I found such empowerment and joy as I started to learn what I could do and like. I look forward to seeing what you make throughout 2023, and may it be a kind year to us all.

AnnieO said...

Congrats on retirement! I'm hoping 2023 will be my last year of working, but we shall see.
New starts are always more fun than UFOs, however much we still like the unfinished projects. I have similar goals for my quilting as well, but my list is not as neatly drawn out as yours :)
Corralling scraps is a never-finished task. The bin on my cutting table is sky high!

Libby in TN said...

"Ambitions" -- love that word! Less pressure than "plans."

Sara said...

Ambitions - a good descriptive word. My main ambition for 2023 is to reduce the stash to a more manageable size. I would love to learn a new skill too.

Michelle said...

Ambitions! I like that word. I so know what you mean about needing to be able to start new projects. Somehow the creativity from new projects also helps the older ones.

Barbara said...

That’s an ambitious list. My stash really needs some work too. I must have missed when you retired somehow. Congratulations! Be patient with your FMQ as you learn it. Lori Kennedy has some good whole-cloth quilt-alongs on her blog, but it would take some searching to find them.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I am so glad you are doing the linky party again this year. That is a gorgeous button! I agree that starting new quilts helps keep the excitement in quilting instead of a slog. Measuring stash usage actually makes it worse for me, since it reminds me every week that I haven't purchased any new fabric. Keeping purchases in mind tempts me to buy more. My goals are similar to yours, organize the fabric storage, make new quilts and finish up old quilts.

Susan said...

My healing has reached the point where I'm sewing again! I'll be back for 2023!

Jennifer said...

These sound like great goals - a little old, a little new, some organization and building a new skill. As you start quilting, I'd suggest starting with smaller projects (like placemats) to get the feel for it and get comfortable with how to move the fabric before you jump into actual quilts. I took a class years ago and the teacher gave us an 18" or 24" square of fabric, had us break it into 9 sections and put different designs in each section. She said don't even think about quilting a top until this is done. It was good advice in practicing on something you don't care about before you work on something you do care about. Look forward to watching your activities in 2023 and hope that retirement/working gets settled in the right way for you.