Tis the season to make quilting goals for 2023. I am not organized without a list. The weather here has been cold and windy – which means a great time to clean up the sewing room.

I like to have a paper list that I can cross off items as they are completed. Here is a PDF of a simple list you are welcome to use – it is the one I made for myself.

I keep the list hanging on the bulletin board in my sewing room. This allows me to see what my goals are and stay at least somewhat on tract.

I can’t speak for you, but I find myself constantly distracted by new quilt ideas. This can include other quilts that I have seen, or new ideas, or some project other quilters are working on. So many ideas and so little time.

I get busy creating some new quilt and make a mess looking for fabrics to use. Then there are the quilts I got back from the machine quilter two weeks ago that got put in the stack to bind. Back in the fall, the whole room got moved around because I painted it.

As I cleaned and organized, I found all kinds of treasures. Yep, and lots of UFOs. And another box of quilt photos and notes from days gone by. Thankfully my hubby will scan these into computer for me, but this means taking time to make more files of quilts on the computer. While easy, it is time consuming.

Blogging takes time:

None of us have time for everything that we want or need to do. So, decisions have to be made about what is important. In my own life, I am very conscious about time, and I really try not to be wasteful. I enjoy this blog and sharing with my readers, but it does take time away from actually quilting.

An average week find me using 8 to 15 hours working on this blog. That means taking photos and downloading them. It means writing the post. Time should be spent checking FB and Instagram. I should add quilt photos to Pinterest. And then there is the email account for this blog. Finally, there is any research I want to do for the blog – this could include looking at other quilt blogs or You Tube channels.

None of those 8 to 15 hours include actual sewing time on projects.

First the goals from 2022:

The year 2022 was a complete disaster for reaching my quilting goals. First, I did not make any list. It was sticky notes as I thought of something. Then I lost or threw away the notes. The one thing I stuck to was working as much as possible from my own scraps and stash.

The year 2022 was very difficult for this household. Quilting was my solace more so than normal and I just went with what made me happy.

I did complete the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt for 2022 – a win! And I did cross stitch tags for the 12+ quilts waiting on binding – so another win! Most of my fabric budget for the year is stashed to go on a road trip (hopefully Paducah Quilt Show in April 2023) – another win!

I am hoping to start 2023 on the right foot and get some quilting goals done. The world will not end for me (or you) if those are not all done, but it is a good place to start for our own satisfaction. I don’t know what your quilting goals were for last year, however, if you completed them or not it is fine. The important thing is to keep working toward those goals.

Blog and quilting goals for 2023:

• Complete the 2023 Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. I am currently on part 3.

• Add tags and bind the 6+ quilts piled in the extra chair of the sewing room.
• Be better about getting on FB, Instagram, and Pinterest at least once a week (I have added to the to- do list weekly)
• Add 1-2 items to my Etsy store weekly.
• Monetize this blog
• Get caught up on the reader quilt gallery
• Continue working on computer files of quilts
• Make smaller quilts for my office wall at work. They need to be less than 24″ wide.
• Keep working from my stash and scrap bins.

What about other goals for 2023?

• Continue to walk a mile a day
• Do 15-30 mins a day of exercise in addition to the walking
• Loose another size
• Less carbs and more vegies, fruit, and meat
• Read a good mystery weekly
• Keep my flower beds looking good
• Unwanted/unneeded items to Goodwill

Thoughts:

I will be glad to see 2022 gone. It has been a very hard year. I am glad quilting was there to help me through it. The Lord is good always, but quilting is a physical thing I can do and see. Quilting does not require my faith, just action.

I hope this post encourages you to make some goals for your quilting and other areas of your life. Try to complete some of those goals – if for just your own personal satisfaction. Do not beat yourself up if the list does not get done. We are only human and can only fit so much into each day.

All of us are at different stages in our lives. My kids are grown, and I am enjoying the grand-daughter. I still work full time, but I am privileged to be able to work a day or two a week at home. We are downsizing stuff and talking about retirement in a few years’ time. The life journey goes so fast.

Enjoy the stage of life you are in.

Kids grow quickly and are gone. Job responsibilities change with time and experience. Taste in household decoration style change. Color choices change with time. Spouses divorce or die. Health can change quickly. Our lives do not remain the same.

Find joy in the journey – even the hardships.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

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