The start of a new year means it's time to look back at how I did with last year's goals and to set some new goals for 2025. I'll be linking this review/goal setting post with Yvonne's Quilting Planning Party at Quilting Jetgirl.
To start things off, how did I do on my 2024 goals?
1. Keep making small quilts
As of my mid-year review, I had made 3 small quilts. Since then, I made another 6, if we count the Stay Cozy cushions and Brianna's purple butterfly cushion as quilts...which they are, just with extra pieces for the back of the cushion instead of binding. The other three were my Merry Mini quilts made during the Christmas in July QAL (and finished during WIPS-B-GONE).
I did, but not much. I made myself two new shirts sometime around the spring/early summer. I used the Cachet pattern from Sinclair Patterns and a waffle knit fabric. I've made the Cachet several times before and really like it, but it didn't work as I expected with the waffle knit. I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to making clothes, and I didn't know that waffle knit tends to fit larger than the jersey knit I'm more used to working with, so the shirts are larger than I was expecting. They're wearable, but not fabulous.
I enjoy wearing the clothes I've made, but find the fitting process frustrating, especially when a change of fabric can make such a difference to a pattern I thought I had fitting well. I think that's part of why I haven't made any other clothes this year.
3. Moments with Jesus Easter QAL
I so enjoyed hosting my fourth QAL and Devotional Journey leading up to Easter! Now if only I could get around to quilting at least one of the 8 (!!) quilt tops I have hanging around waiting from all the QALs 😂 I want to release the patterns in my shop, but need finished quilts for the covers before I can do that... Hmmm, maybe that should be a goal for 2025!
4. All things Stash Artists
This year there were 6 Stash Artists patterns, plus the Joy BOM pattern, and I increased the virtual Sew Together Sessions so we're now sewing together monthly. I love coming up with scrappy and stash-friendly patterns to share in the membership, and getting to sew with the members who join in the virtual meetups is always fun. If you love scrappy and stash-friendly quilts, too, join the waitlist to be notified when the membership doors open again in the spring!
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| Is that another unquilted quilt top, you ask? Yes, yes it is 😅 |
5. WIPS-B-GONE 2024
I loved hosting this annual WIPs finishing challenge again this year! Instagram has made changes to how hashtags work, making it harder to see everyone's posts, but it's still great to focus on finishing up old projects together.
6. Finish my Hexie Rainbow top
Happy, happy dance! The Hexie Rainbow quilt top is finished! Not only that, it's also basted and I've started the big stitch hand quilting. More on that below.
7. Regular workouts and 300,000 steps a month
Well, this one is a yes and a no. When I set the goal, I was aiming for 2-3 strength or yoga workouts a week (from Youtube), plus the 300,000 steps a month. I was also still in childcare, and walking most days with the littles.
In June I transitioned out of childcare and started work as a virtual assistant for another quilt pattern designer, which I did not see coming at the beginning of the year. It's so quiet! I haven't changed a diaper in 6 months! It's so good! The one thing I do miss from the childcare days, though, is my daily walk. We didn't go very fast, but we got out as often as we could. Now, since I'm sitting at my computer the whole time I'm working, I'm finding it harder to get my steps in. All of that to say, I didn't hit 300,000 steps very many times this year. I crushed it in August, though, when Paul and I spent a week hiking in the Rockies for our anniversary 😊
Just before school started in September, I realized that if I got up the same time I used to when I had to be ready for the littles to be dropped off at 8, I'd have time to do one of the Nourish Move Love strength workouts before getting ready for work. I started doing that and I love it! I've consistently done those workouts Monday-Friday since September, except for the few I missed when I was sick and over Christmas week. I do their Strong 20 and Stronger 25 programs, and I'm looking forward to starting their brand new Perform 20 program on Monday.
If you want to get into strength training, but you're a little intimidated like I was, I highly recommend NML. The workouts use only dumbbells or your own body weight, and the exercises aren't complicated. Plus they show you ways to modify to make the exercises easier (which is what I have to do most of the time).
The strength workouts haven't made a difference to my weight or how my clothes fit yet, but they've made a huge difference to how I feel in my regular daily movement. They've also made a big difference to the back pain I've been struggling with for years.
And now, on to goals for 2025...
1. Keep making small quilts
This is just an ongoing goal at this point, but I never seem to run out of those scrap batting pieces. I've even pieced together frankenbatting to fit a couple of throw size quilts this year, and the scrap batting box is still full! Of course, it used to be 2 boxes, so I have made progress.
2. A Roman Adventure
This year's Easter QAL and Devotional Journey will be traveling through the book of Romans. The quilt design is finalized and I'm itching to get started once I have the fabric in hand. I'm working on the devotions, too. Easter is later this year, so registration will open in early February. If you want to be sure you don't miss when it opens, sign up for the Bulletin and you'll be among the first to know! Here's a little sneak peek at the quilt design.
You read about my growing collection of unquilted quilt tops, right? I need this annual challenge as much as anyone else (if not more!), so it will definitely be returning this fall.
4. Quilt the cover quilt for These Three and release the pattern
I might as well put it on the list of goals! Getting this one done would leave me with only three previous year's QAL tops to get to...unless this year's ends up being unquilted, too. I need more hours in my day for quilting!
It has been a long time since I bought a quilt pattern, because I have so many of my own I want to make (anyone have a lead on finding those extra hours for my days? 😂). When I saw the new Night Court pattern from Cotton and Joy, though, I bought it right away. First of all, it's a beautiful pattern. Second, I love that it's connected to, and officially licensed by, Sarah J. Maas and her ACOTAR books. I love reading, and I'm looking forward to having a quilt that is reading-adjacent without depicting a bookshelf or book. I plan to hang it in my sewing room...eventually, lol.
6. All the Stash Artists things
There will be another 6 patterns this year (the next one releases to members on Monday), plus a new BOM that starts Monday, too. And our monthly virtual Sew Together Sessions will give us a chance to connect despite the physical distance between us. Remember to join the waitlist to be notified when the membership doors open!
7. Go to Quilt Market
This one feels like a huge stretch, but I'm writing it down anyway. I've wanted to go to Quilt Market for years, but working in childcare got in the way, plus it's a big expense. Well, I'm not in childcare anymore, so that's one obstacle removed. I'll be working to grow my pattern business enough to cover the expense, and I think going to Quilt Market will also be a big factor in helping to grow the business.
8. Keep working on the Hexie Rainbow
The quilt top may be finished, but I'm still a long way from finished finished. Since I'm doing big stitch hand quilting, I expect I'll be working on this quilt for a good while yet. I already know I won't work on it during the summer when it'll be too hot to sit under a quilt. I want to be sure I don't set it aside and then not pick it back up again when the weather cools off, though, so it's going on the goals list. As of right now, I've quilted the center black hexie flower and the red ring. That's 37 of the 1,999 hexies quilted 😂 Here's how it looks from the back so far. How far will I be by the end of the year, I wonder.
9. Keep doing the strength workouts and get that step count a bit higher
Like I said last year when I set the fitness goal, I feel so much better when I move regularly. I've been pleasantly surprised by how good the strength workouts make me feel, so I'm going to keep going with those. Right now my daily average for steps over the last 12 months is 8,300, which isn't actually bad. I'd still like to see it higher, though, so I'm going to set the goal at averaging 9,000/day.
I've started saying I could probably fill every day 2 or 3 times over, and looking at that list of goals fits right in with that. At least I won't be bored this year!
