Yvonne (Quilting JetGirl)’s 2020 Planning Party linkup is underway! I participated last year and found it very helpful to really think about my quilting goals, which then became part of my overall yearly goals.
2019 Recap
I did pretty well on last year’s goals, I’m happy to say! Here’s the update:
2019 Goal #1. Finish 5 quilts I’d started in (or before) 2018. I completed four of them: Sun and Shadow, Earth and Sky; Calamitous Portents; The Color of Time; and Bright Sisters. The fifth, Hello Seattle! (my Tula Pink City Sampler from the #100days100blocks2018 sew along), is still waiting to be sandwiched and quilted. I’m also hoping to sneak in one last finish: Interwoven, which I made during the sew-along early in 2019. Not bad!
Sun and Shadow, Earth and Sky 
Calamitous Portents 
The Color of Time (front) 
Bright Sisters 
Hello, Seattle! (My Tula Pink City Sampler)
2019 Goal #2. Finish and deliver my commissioned piece, Wheel of the World. Done!
2019 Goal #3. Make Boomerang for my brother. This one is not done. I’ve pulled the fabric, though, and I’ll be moving it to my 2020 goals.
2019 Goal #4. Make an improv quilt from some of my scraps. I made a few starts, but I didn’t get into this as much as I hoped. My interest has faded a little so I’m putting it on the back burner for now.
2019 Goal #5. Make progress on two of my long-term projects, both appliqué quilts. I didn’t move this goal forward in 2019, but I’m adding part of it to my 2020 list.
2019 Goal #6. Enter at least one quilt show or competition. I entered two! Wheel of the World was included in the Everett Quilt Show in April. I also entered Wheel of the World and Jude’s Foxes in Quiltcon 2020, but they were not selected. I’m proud of myself for submitting them, though!
2019 Goal #7. Practice free-motion quilting on my domestic sit-down machine until it feels comfortable. I am so pleased with my progress on this goal! The last quilt I finished this year, Bright Sisters, is a gloriously densely quilted beast using lots of different free-motion quilting designs. I’ve even started experimenting with rulers!
2019 Goal #8. Figure out how to take good photos of full sized quilts and tops. Done! For my birthday, I asked for and received a collapsible photography backdrop stand. It’s perfect for hanging big quilts so they are straight and flat and easy to photograph!
I’m feeling pretty good about the quilting progress I made in 2019. In 2020, I want to keep up the momentum while allowing for the likelihood that I will be back in the workforce to a greater extent than I was this year. I also want to stretch myself in new ways. Here are my 2020 quilting goals:
- Finishes. Finish Hello, Seattle! and another top I started in the fall of 2019 using a pattern by Kathryn Jones from Down Under Quilts (issue #178, 2017) called Saturday Morning. Hello, Seattle! is a huge, king-size quilt, so I’m a little worried about wrestling it through my machine… but I’d like to give it a go. Saturday Morning is a little more manageable in size.
- New quilts. I want to complete Boomerang this year. I also have some patterns I’ve been waiting to try, including Postcard from Sweden by Kelly of JeliQuilts, Precession / Fuschia Fade by Yvonne of Quilting JetGirl, and at least one of the two quilt kits I purchased in 2017 but haven’t touched yet.
- Appliqué progress. I’d like to complete four blocks for my large appliqué project, Simply Delicious by Piece o’Cake Designs. I’m going to try to complete one in each quarter of 2020. I subscribed to the block of the month program the year my son was born (he’s, um, 20 now) and I’ve only completed two of the blocks. But I love it and want to finish it!
- Enter at least one quilt show or competition. It’s scary, but I’m going to keep at it!
- Take a quilting workshop, class, or learning sew-along. In 2019 I joined the free-motion quilting challenge Help! How Do I Quilt It? hosted by Angela Walters and I learned a ton. I’d like to keep learning in 2020.
- Write a pattern for an original quilt design. I have created a couple of original quilt designs, and I’d really like to try my hand at pattern writing to see if I like it.
I’m looking forward to 2020 and to making progress on all these quilting goals! Thank you to Yvonne for sponsoring this planning party, and I hope that everyone who is reading this post has a wonderful new year!
Thanks for sharing your 2019 and your 2020 plans. I missed the Quilting is my Therapy quilting challenge. I’m headed there now to see what I missed. I’ll be following along with you this your to see how you progress on your goals.
Thank you! The quilting challenge (and all the past challenges) are still available. If you can, I recommend getting the printed panel to practice on. It makes it much easier to get straight to the quilting! Have fun!
You had a great year, and I hope that you enjoy and have fun progressing in 2020!
Thank you, Yvonne!
Love your finishes and your plans! I would love to get more details on your stands for quilt photography. I’m in the market for something similar. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks, Laurel! I bought the 2880 size of this backdrop support from Cowboy Studio photography supply: https://www.cowboystudio.com/product_p/support_background.htm — I love it. It stores in a small space in the enclosed bag and it’s easy to set up. I chose the green backdrop in case I want to use it for photographing small quilts or other items — the green is easy to drop out in photo editing programs. Good luck!
Awesome! Thanks so much for the info! 🙂
Congratulations on your progress! I’m envious of anyone who can *set* goals, much less follow through and *complete* their goals. You had an amazing year! And I love the quilt earmarked for your brother! I think my favorites in your gallery are the commissioned piece (Wheel of the World) and Jude’s Foxes. Please consider adding design instruction to your blog! You’re such a great teacher and design is not intuitive to everyone…
Thank you, Sonja! That’s a good idea, and I’ll think about how to do more of that next year. Happy new year!
A great 2019 for you. So many beautiful finishes. Good luck in 2020 – I also want to finish up some UFOs and will be using the AQS worksheet (you list 12 UFOs, and each month AQS selects a number from 1 to 12 and that’s the one you work on).
Thanks, Nancy! I didn’t know about the AQS worksheet. What a great idea!
So many lovely quilts finished. It is nice to be able to look back and see what was achieved. Good luck on achieving your goals in the coming year.
Thank you, Karen!
Sounds like you’ve had a very productive 2019! Good luck reaching your goals in 2020 🙂
Thank you, Leanne! Same to you!
Awesome goals. and such beautiful quilts! Best of luck in 2020.
Thanks, Danice! Have a great year too!
It’s neat to see your 2019 goals and how they influenced your 2020 goals! Just building one step on top of the next – so good! Also, congrats on putting yourself out there and submitting your quilts to shows! It doesn’t matter what response you get in the end – it’s about the confidence in believing your piece is deserving of being in that show and your work clearly is! Good luck with your 2020 goals!
Thank you, Jessica! That’s so kind of you to say. I will keep on submitting quilts for sure. It’s good practice! Have a wonderful new year!
You made excellent progress on your goals in 2019! I wish you well on your 2020 goals. I am going to be wrestling a full size quilt in the DSM shortly. I agree that continuing to learn – it adds so much to life.
Thank you! Good luck with that full size quilt, too… 😉
Wow! You’re really organized! Looks like you did great on last year’s goals and have a well thought out set for 2020, too. Your work is really lovely and I’m glad we connected through Yvonne’s link up 🙂
I am too, Louise! Thanks for the information about the rainbow scrap project. I look forward to seeing what you make in 2020!
Nice job on your 2019 goals! I love the colours from your Interwoven top; can’t wait to see it finished. Good luck for your 2020 goals!
Thanks, Olivia! I’m hoping to have it finished before the end of the year… it’s very close 🙂 Wish me luck!
Hi Rachel, it sounds like 2019 was a very good year and that you’re well on your way to making 2020 a success! Your FMQ is looking really good – I’m going to go read your Bright Sisters post. Feel free to link your posts to Free Motion Mavericks. It’s so great to see other quilters’ FMQ.
Thank you, Andrée! Thanks for the tip about Free Motion Mavericks. Have a great year in 2020!
Congrats on all of your finishes! I love all of the bright rainbows colors in so many of them.
Thanks, Cheryl! I just can’t resist a pretty rainbow. Even my fabric stash is organized by color! Happy new year!
Great list – of commplishments and goals both. Funny thing – I just bought a similiar photography stand – I will test it soon. Hope I like it as much 🙂 All the best for 2020! xo Melanie
Thanks, Melanie! I hope you do like your photography stand. I’ve found it so useful. Happy new year!