Tag Archives: 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge

• 12 Comments

•

My tradition is to post my goals for the new year on December 31. Plans... Goals... Resolutions... I seem to be in good company with people who are feeling like planning is hard to do at the moment. I seriously considered a blank post here. Hats off to you much more ambitious folks.

Okay, here are some thoughts. They aren't grandiose. In many ways they are continuing status quo.

Life

  • Walk daily.
  • Read daily. (I read 33 books this year which was awesome!)
  • Watercolor and other creative pursuits multiple times a week.
  • Board games 5-7 days a week with the family.

Personal Quilting

  • Finish some quilts.
  • Start some quilts.
  • Use pretty fabric.
  • Give quilts as gifts.

Blog and Newsletter

  • Continue the Show Me Something monthly quilt linkup (of current and past finishes). These will generally be posted the 1st of the month. Or maybe the 2nd or 3rd. ;-)
  • Blog multiple times a month.
  • Get back to a more regularly scheduled newsletter.
  • Update my quilt galleries. (Stretch goal.)

For My Business

In reality, I'll probably set short term goals as time and life allows. Like my current 100 Day Project. It works well for me to have a 15-minute a day sewing goal.

 

2021 Planning Party

 

I'm linking up with Yvonne's 2021 Planning Party and this is my final post for Cheryl's 31-Day Blog Writing Challenge.

• 4 Comments

•

We are seven weeks into the Quilting the Countdown 100 day project. There are 50 days left until QuiltCon. I'm spending at least 15 minutes a day working on my Patchwork City blocks.

I finished two blocks this week. This brought me to 52 out of 75 blocks complete. (I think I'm on track to finish all the blocks by the end of the 100 Day Project.) The finished blocks shown feature Kona Tomato.

This is the only black and white print that I'm using that includes another color. I'm afraid I'll regret it, but I'm going for it.

I started by cutting out all my pieces for there three Tomato blocks, one on each fast food tray.

My first finished block this week, and bits of another block. I often work on multiple blocks (or multiple projects) at the same time. More chain piecing and fewer trips to the ironing board.

Second finished Tomato block.

Cutting the fussy template pieces (including making the butcher paper templates) takes some time.

And some nights I don't feel like sewing, so I start choosing fabrics for the next sets of blocks. Kona Papaya and Kona Wasabi are in the queue.

Last night I realized that I wasn't pleased with the blender fabrics from my block of the month for the Wasabi blocks (first photo above). I was surprised to find multiple viable options in my stash. I think I'll use the bottom three in the second photo since the top fabric I pulled is a little too dark.

So I may be working on three different colors this week, to finish the last Tomato block and dive into some of the Papaya and Wasabi blocks. And then I have that one block I've had cut out for seven weeks that I've been avoiding. Maybe I'll work on that one too.

I'm participating in Cheryl's 31-Day Blog Writing Challenge.

Thanks for visiting!

•

I had three overarching goals for 2020. I know I'm in really good company about how the Covid Pandemic really upended any plans for this year. It's amazing to me that the last time I went anywhere fun was March. I'm thankful to have my family to spend time with and technology for connecting with friends and extended family.

Mostly, I'll be re-evaluating those goals that fell by the wayside and perhaps rolling them forward. (Or maybe not?) This year has mostly taught me to try not to sweat the small stuff. And to focus on the positive, even when it's so easy to dwell on the negative. So here's the biggest positive of those 2020 Goals.

Connecting with the Quilting Community

While this may not have looked exactly like I expected, it played out well. My teaching engagements that had been scheduled for in-person events mostly pivoted to Zoom lectures and workshops. I've stayed involved with my local guilds, Bay Area Modern Quilting and Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association, as well as my Local Connections group of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and my local small quilt group through regular Zoom meetings. I've blogged semi-regularly (though my newsletter took an unplanned hiatus -- one coming later this week!) and have enjoyed staying engaged with the quilting community on Instagram.

Most months I ran my Show Me Something quilt linkup. I will continue this in 2021. What were your favorite themes from Show Me Something in 2020? You can find links to all of them in the sidebar at the right, or scroll down to the bottom if you're on mobile. There's still a couple days to Show Me Something That's a Gift! for December's linkup. (Apologies to participants that my follow-through on posting a wrap-up post each month was lacking. I'm thinking about how to improv that in 2021.)

And come back here Thursday to see my 2021 Goals. ;-) It's my tradition to post my goals on New Year's Eve and linkup to Yvonne's Planning Party.

Just two more days left in the 31-Day Blog Writing Challenge with Cheryl. Thanks for visiting!