2020 Quilty Goals

My goals for 2020 are below.  There will be a lot of changes happening as we welcome this new life into the world.  My time to stitch is going to drop dramatically, but I have reminded my husband to help me remember that I need to do some things for myself also.  The things for myself is doing something crafty as that is what I love to do.

Goal #1 - Keep moving projects towards the completion line.  I have created the 12 UFO's that I would like to work on this year, which all are assigned a number thanks to the #apqresolution for 2020.  I would like to just make progress on them, they do not need to be finished this year, but moving them one step closer to the finish line would be wonderful.

Goal #2 - Make two quilts intended for baby.  The patterns have been chosen, fabric has been bought, but I have not gotten any further than that.  I hope to get them finished before our child is one.  (I have until 2021, but sometimes the hardest part is just starting.)

Goal #3 - Continue to strive for 15 Minutes of Stitching a day and link up with Kate @ Life in Pieces.  I am going to finish the year above 95%, but next year will be different as we are welcoming a child in the first half of the year.  With that thought, my goal is to have a rate of 80% finding time to stitch for the year 2020.

Goal #4 - Organize my sewing area and stash management.  I have yet to really unpack my sewing area, and because of that I bought some fabric in the last year.  I would like to stop buying and start using.  I would rather spend my quilting money on insulation for the house or the small projects to keep getting it organized to make our space the most useful we can.

I hope everyone is excited for their new goals, and progress is made in small steps throughout the year.  Here is to a wonderful new decade we are about to start!

Sharing at:
Jet Girl Quilting

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 51 of 2019

First off Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy Holidays to everyone who does not celebrate Christmas.  I hope your festivities are bright and bring cheer to you and your family for the new year.  Now, let us see how the last week went on the stitching front.

Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in December: 22 out of 22
Days spent stitching in 2019: 341 out of 356
Success Rate: 95.8%
My week runs from Monday to Sunday.

Between holiday prep and Christmas cookie baking I almost missed one day.  Luckily I woke up enough after a busy day to squeak in 15 minutes for the day.  I have been trying to finish the binding on a quilt before Christmas, but I did not.  That is okay, because my new goal is to finish it before 2020 rolls around.  Only a few more days until then.  Now it is time to start the clean up from the holidays.

My fabric order from after Thanksgiving finally arrived this last week.  I hope to make one more fabric order before the end of the year, but I'm not sure if it will arrive before the new year.  By the end of this year I will have gained over 400 yards, but that is okay as this next year I will have very little gained.  I may not be starting the year off strongly, but I plan to finish it off well, which is my end goal.

Fabric out this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric out, in 2019: 49.78 yards
Fabric in this week: 18.00 yards
Fabric in, in 2019: 470.27 yards
Fabric difference in 2019: 420.49 gain of  yards

I hope everyone had a great week!

Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 50 of 2019

Let us see how the last week went on the stitching front.

Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in December: 15 out of 15
Days spent stitching in 2019: 334 out of 349
Success Rate: 95.7%
My week runs from Monday to Sunday.

My stitching time has been the last 15 minutes in bed right before I go to bed as it has been busy.  That is okay, it is getting done.  I am still working on finishing out the year strong, and I'm hoping more stitching time will come during the last few days of the year as things will be slowing down then.

Nothing in and nothing out this week.  I can do that.  The binding I am working on will be counted out when I finish it, whether that is next week or the last week of the year, we shall see.  I missed the destash sale on Instagram, but that it okay.  I did not really need it.  One last box of fabric came from Black Friday, but it came after Sunday, so it will be in next week's numbers.

Fabric out this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric out, in 2019: 49.78 yards
Fabric in this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric in, in 2019: 452.27 yards
Fabric difference in 2019: 402.49 gain of  yards

I hope everyone had a great week!

Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

This last week I was able to make progress on binding a quilt I need to have done for Christmas.  I was able to make the binding, and put it on one side.  I am almost turning one corner, so only three more before next Wednesday.

My goal for this next week is to continue working on the binding.  My the end of the week I would like to have three corners turned, I just need to find a little extra time to really knock it out.  My stretch goal is to totally complete the quilt and wash it in preparation for gifting.

My second goal, which is really a really a stretch goal is to finish the binding on another small quilt I have, that I plan to gift for Christmas to my best friend.  I'm just glad we are not exchanging gifts until after Christmas so I have some time if I do not get to it this week.

My third goal, which will continue to be a goal until it is completely done, is to work on unpacking our house.  Our goal for the week is to prepare for the holiday season, including wrapping gifts, finishing the cookie making, and some general clean up.  My stretch goal is to work on going through boxes in our guest bedroom that has stuff that needs to just be sorted and put away or work on my sewing area.  We will see what mood strikes me.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Sharing at:

Love Laugh Quilt

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

Retirement Quilt Finished!

A quilt that I have been working on almost exclusively since April is finally finished!  I am over the moon to have it completed.  It was a retirement gift for our pastor who retired in July.

It finished at a whooping 68" by 97", which is the perfect size for a guy well over 6 foot.  It is double sided.

The front has signatures and messages from the congregation, and the back has a Thank you and years he served our church, plus his favorite songs, retirement quotes, and words to describe him.  I love how it turned out, and I am proud of it.  Yes, it is not perfect by all means, but that is okay.  I found a mistake in the back after I finished binding it.  Oh well, what can I do?  Nothing!

I quilted it on the longarm at my Local Quilt Shop with a simple stipple around the borders, but not on the written parts on the front.  I bound it with the red that I used for the border, which gives it a nice clean appearance.

I started this quilt on April 22, 2019 and finished it on December 8, 2019.  This is the first quilt I have finished this year, and it is the first large quilt I have made in under a year.  Wow that feels great!

This was number 54 in my Finish-a-Long set in October.
Sharing at:
Alycia Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 49 2019

Let us see how the last week went on the stitching front.

Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in December: 8 out of 8
Days spent stitching in 2019: 327 out of 342
Success Rate: 95.6%
My week runs from Monday to Sunday.

This week was easy to find time to stitch as I was trying to finish a quilt under a deadline.  I was able to finish the quilt in the knick of time.  I am doing well in December to find time, so my goal is to find time every single day this month so I can finish the year off strong.

I finally succumbed to buying a kit that I have admired for about 9 months.  I saw it when it first came into my LQS, then they went on clearance about 3 months ago, and they still had three or four kits, so one came home with me.  I still have an order from Black Friday that will be arriving next week, and I want to purchase some things from a destash sale on Instagram.  Then I am officially cut off.  I did have a lot going out due to a quilt backing, and binding for a different quilt.  We will see where I end up at the end of the year.

Fabric out this week: 4.06 yards
Fabric out, in 2019: 49.78 yards
Fabric in this week: 8.08 yards
Fabric in, in 2019: 452.27 yards
Fabric difference in 2019: 402.49 gain of  yards

I hope everyone had a great week!

Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

This past week I was finally able to finish a quilt!!!!  It feels amazing to finally have a project knocked off my list, and even though it was six months late, it is better late than never.

I was even able to take pictures of it inside my church as it was for our pastor who retired at the end of June before gifting it.  I finished binding, washed and dried it and gave it away all Sunday morning.  Come back on Friday to see more shots of the quilt, and some details.

       

Now that my long term goal has finally been finished, I need to think of a new goal or two.  Good thing I have a quilt to finish before Christmas.  My goal for the week is to prepare, make, and start binding a Christmas gift for my Mom.  I was able to trim it up last week, and it is going to look fantastic once the binding is on.  I need to start looking for my labels as I'm not 100% sure where they are at the moment.

My second goal, which will continue to be a goal until it is completely done, is to work on unpacking our house.  Our goal for the week is to prepare for the holiday season, including wrapping gifts, starting the cookie making, and some general clean up.  My stretch goal is to work on going through boxes in our guest bedroom that has stuff that needs to just be sorted and put away or work on my sewing area.  We will see what mood strikes me.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Sharing at:

Love Laugh Quilt

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 46 through 48 2019

Let us see how the last three weeks went on the stitching front.

Days spent stitching in the week: 19 out of 21
Days spent stitching in November: 27 out of 30
Days spent stitching in December: 1 out of 1
Days spent stitching in 2019: 320 out of 335
Success Rate: 95.5%
My week runs from Monday to Sunday.

The last three weeks have been busy, and I kept missing the deadline to put together a post.  Oh well. The first week did not go very finding time, I was just exhausted and was not motivated.  The second and third weeks I found time every day, even if it is just 15 minutes of binding right before bed.  I love seeing the progress I'm making, which makes me want to continue as I see the end for a quilt.

In the last three weeks I have just purchased and received fabric for my Bonnie Hunter Frolic mystery quilt.  I'm excited to get working on it, as the colors are my jam!  I did succumb to A Black Friday fabric sale, and will be participating in a destash sale.  My fabric difference by the end of the year will be a gain by about 425 yards.  I'm okay with that, as I do not have the urge to buy much anymore, and I'm making goals/milestones so I can do things for around the house that I want to get done, if I do not buy fabric or yarn....my reward system.

Fabric out this week: 0.32 yards
Fabric out, in 2019: 45.72 yards
Fabric in this week: 14 yards
Fabric in, in 2019: 444.19 yards
Fabric difference in 2019: gain of 398.47 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!

Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Monday

The last two weeks have run away from me.  With Thanksgiving so late this year, and hosting it for the first time last week was a little busy with preparation.  Now it is time to prepare for Christmas!  I can not believe we have entered the last month of the year, and tomorrow is our anniversary of owning a home!

In the last two weeks I have quilted two quilts at my LQS, trimmed up one of them, and started to put on the binding!  I have been busy, but it has been productive.

       

My goals for the next week are pretty simple as this is our busiest week/weekend of the season.  I want to finish the binding on the quilt, plus wash it and deliver the quilt, as it was a retirement present to our Pastor back in June.  It is time to finish it!

My second goal, which will continue to be a goal until it is completely done, is to work on unpacking our house.  Our goal for the week is to prepare for the delivery of our washer and dryer, and work on the box that is driving my husband insane, which is in front of his bookcase.  My stretch goal is to work on the garage, and donate the things that did not sell at our yard sale a month ago to Goodwill.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Sharing at:

Love Laugh Quilt

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina