Friday, December 20, 2019

Reflecting on 2019 and Welcoming 2020

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a wonderful time to reflect on goals accomplished and to set new ones for the upcoming year.  I'll be linking up to the #2020PlanningParty!

Special, a birthday gift for my sister

(To be honest, I write this post mainly for me.  It is a way to keep my focused for the year.  I thank you in advance if you take the time to read it.  But no worries if you don't.  I've included some eye candy of my favorite finishes to give you something to look at!)


Spin, my first experiment with small piecing

In December of 2018, I set my goals for 2019 (see that post) and I feel good about the results.  My word for the year was balance and I wanted it to apply to physical things (think removing clutter) as well as to how best to focus my day and time, specifically - 
  • Balance my day with writing, exercise, quilting and family
  • Find homes for finished quilts
  • Deal with my scraps - plan a project or find a home - and buy fabric only to support a project 
I feel good about the overall balance in my days and will continue this into 2020.  I definitely moved fabric and quilts from my home to their forever homes.  Still a bit more of this to do but a bit difference from a year ago.

My underlying goal for the year was to try things I'd not done before - presenting to my guild, collaborating with another quilter on a project - and am happy to have done those things.


My Hand Pieced QAL quilt

I gave myself very specific goals - here is how I did :

Goals accomplished
  • Develop and teach a quilting class or guild workshop - I presented an overview on Modern Traditionalism at my guild and shared some of my favorite quilts
  • Create a new quilt for submission to QuiltCon - I created two!  Neither got in but I'll submit them again next year.
  • Submit new quilt designs for publish - I submitted 2!  Linked was published in November and another will be published in 2Q 2020.
  • Collaborate with other quilters/bloggers on a project - Kristin and I ran a very fun and successful Hand Pieced QAL.  (Shhh - we might just be working on one for 2020!)
  • Publish tutorials at least quarterly - In addition to the series of hand-pieced QAL tutorials, I published six tutorials including tips for burying threads, hand-pieced pumpkins,  a faced bindingfabric coastersblocking your quilt, and hand-piecing curves.
  • Improve my design skills through practice - I made good progress on this creating at least 5 quilts with very original designs that really pushed me as a designer.
A Favorite Block - a challenge quilt

Goals partially or not achieved -

  • Encourage participation in One Monthly Goal - While I'd give myself a passing grade on this one, I fell way short of what I hoped to do.  OMG will be back in 2020 (see the announce post!) so I can tackle this one again.
  • Develop a social media approach - I still need a strategy for how best to use Facebook
  • Practice and perfect a new FMQ design  - My practice quilt top is ready to go but, alas, I've not even started
  • Develop a better curated Instagram  - Didn't happen. 
  • Practice my photography and improve the flat shot  - Only minimal progress on this goal
  • Do more with the fabric I already own - I was successful in using my own fabrics for smaller projects and also managed to sell or donate fabrics I was confident I would no longer use.  For larger projects, I tended to buy fabric.   I'll give myself a passing grade. 
Dizzy - quilt created specifically for QuiltCon 2020 challenge

My word for 2020 is boundaries - as in set them to find balance in my day AND break through them to push myself to use try different colors in my quilts and work hard to improve my skills in my quilting, in my writing, and in my daily exercise.   (My words for the year have been balance (2019), bold (2018) and brave (2017).

Maui, gifted to my sister in celebration of her new home

For 2020, my specific goals are similar to 2019 but there are changes - 


Create
  • Participate in a group quilt for submission to QuiltCon 2021
  • Submit new quilt design for publish
  • Improve my design skills through weekly challenges
  • Keep pushing my boundaries on color
Motivation and Inspiration (my blog tag line)
  • Collaborate with other quilters/bloggers on a project
  • Encourage participation in One Monthly Goal
  • Figure out how the purpose of the ESQ Facebook group
  • Publish tutorials at least quarterly
Improve my skills
  • Practice and perfect a new FMQ design
  • Practice my photography flat shot
  • Do more with the fabric I already own
  • Improve my technique in quilting and in my exercise
Welcome Home

Happy New Year!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

9 comments:

  1. Taking the time to look back at my year and goal set goals for the next are really important to me. I printed out my 2020 goals and have them on my magnet board just above my computer where I can see them daily. I look forward to seeing how your 2020 evolves as you work toward these goals.

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  2. Congrats on the achievements and growth in 2019. Good luck with your 2020 goals.

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  3. Your quilts are beautiful. Good luck with your 2020 goals, and congratulations on the progress you made in 2019.

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  4. All so pretty Patty. I still favor the blue quilt for your sister though. Your Hand Pieced is also a beauty. Best wishes in 2020. Looking forward to seeing all of your creations.

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  5. I haven't chosen my word for 2020 yet, but I can tell you that you've already made a start on achieving the goal of more participation in OMG. I think that would really help me in attaining MY goals, so I look forward to joining this year. Thanks for all you do! Your blog is the most inspiring one I read.

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  6. Patty it was good to read you 2019 achievement and your new 2020 goals. I am glad the OMG is a part on 2020. One of my goals is to set a goal each month!!

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  7. Thank you for sharing your reflections and goals along with the 'eye candy'! Reading your post has helped me to begin reflecting on 2019 and to think seriously about plans for 2020. Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2020.

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  8. Beautiful quilts, and a great list of resolutions/ goals for 2020!

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  9. Love your list. Thank you so much for sharing the details. Well done on your 2019 work. Looking forward to moving through 2020 with you and continuing OMG! Happy Holidays!!!

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