2024 Goal Planning

It's that time of year again...time to look back to see how I did on my 2023 goals and look ahead to what I want to do in 2024. Yvonne, at Quilting Jetgirl, is holding her annual planning party again this year, so you can write a post of your own and link it up there. The extra accountability of sharing goals publicly really helps with motivation!

So, how did I do on my 2023 goals?

1. Keep making small quilts

In my mid-year review at the end of June, I said I had made 5 quilts that were baby size or smaller. Since then, I've made another 9 small quilts, for a total of 14 small quilts this year! Woo hoo! I think my two Merry Mini quilts might be my favourites of them all.

2. Make new placemats

Oops. I still haven't done this.

3. Learn to sew pants

Nope. In fact, I don't think I made any clothes at all this year.

4. Release 4 new patterns

Close! I added three new patterns to my shop this year. They were the Merry Mini pattern, plus Scrappy Playground

and Illusion.

5. Women of Wisdom Easter QAL

Yes, and it was one of the highlights of my year! I love connecting with you over a quilt and devotions as we get ready to celebrate Easter.

6. WIPS-B-GONE 2023

Yes! We wrapped up the third annual challenge at the end of November. There were soooo many great finishes again this year! I had three finishes, one of which I still haven't blogged. The other two were my Proverbs 31 mini and my Tilted Flowers baby quilt.

7. A secret project

The secret is out, and the Stash Artists membership opened its doors for the first time in June! Sewing over Zoom with members has been wonderful, and I've shared four stash-friendly patterns in the membership so far, including Scraps Take Flight. If you'd like to be notified when the Stash Artists doors are open again, join the waitlist here now.

Overall, I'm very happy with how I did on my goals this year. Of course, I'm always thinking about the next quilts I want to make, so I have no shortage of things planned for 2024. Here are the goals I'm setting for the coming year.

1. Keep making small quilts

Using up those smaller scraps of batting feels great, plus small quilts are fun to make. Maybe a set of placemats will finally make an appearance, too.

2. Sew some clothes

I love wearing the clothes I've made, but some of them are starting to look worn, so it's definitely time to make new ones! I have the patterns and the fabric, I just have to pause the quilt making sometimes to make the switch to garment sewing. As a bonus, making clothes is much faster than making quilts. Well, that's true once I get the fit right at least. I'm not setting any specific goals for what I'll make, just that I will make clothes throughout the year. Will I attempt making pants? Your guess is as good as mine 😂

3. Moments with Jesus Easter QAL

Of course there will be a 2024 Easter QAL! The quilt is designed, and I'm planning to make the test version over the Christmas break. This year the devotions will focus on the stories of people who interacted with Jesus, and what their moments with Him then can teach us about our moments with Him now. Join the waitlist now to be sure you don't miss it when registration opens in mid-January! Here's a sneak peek at part of the quilt design.

4. All things Stash Artists

In 2024 there will be 6 new Stash Artists patterns (the first one is almost ready for its January 1st release!) and 6 Sew Together Sessions. I can't wait to spend the year sewing with members and making scrappy quilts together! Here's a little sneak peek at the January pattern, Blooming Beautiful, and yes, I did use all those threads - and more! Remember, you can join the waitlist so you don't miss it when the doors are open next.

5. WIPS-B-GONE 2024

This is just a given at this point. I love connecting with the people who participate in the challenge, and I love putting the focus on my own WIPS for two months.

6. Finish my Hexie Rainbow top

I started my Hexie Rainbow in 2016, and here's what it looks like right now. It's about 63" wide and 71" long.

The bottom right corner is finished, and I'm working on squaring up the bottom left corner. There are still hundreds of hexies to go, but I think it's within the realm of possibility that I'll have the top finished in 2024. Then I have to decide if I'm doing big stitch hand quilting or machine quilting. Right now I'm most tempted by the hand quilting, but we'll see what I'm tempted by when I actually get to that point.

7. Regular workouts and 300,000 steps a month

I definitely feel better when I move more, so I'm making that an official goal for 2024. I've been trying to get 300,000 steps a month for a few years (an average of 10,000 a day), but not hitting it as often as I would like in 2022 and 2023. Time to step up the commitment (see what I did there? 😉😅). As for the workouts, I've been enjoying Yoga with Adriene and Nourish Move Love's strength training workouts, both on Youtube. For 2024, I want to do 2-3 Youtube workouts per week, and since they're usually 20-30 minutes each, that should be doable. With the walking that will be needed to reach 300,000 steps a month, that will have me enjoying some kind of physical activity most days.

One thing's for sure: I won't be bored in 2024! What are you hoping to accomplish in the next year? Do you set goals, or do you just follow your interests in the moment?