A Clear View of 2020 Goals

It's not that I (Teri) have too much time on my hands, because I don't. But I do have a propensity to procrastinate and run down unnecessary rabbit holes—which explains this slightly creepy meme of me and Kara. But the sentiment holds true: we do wish you a happy 2020, and we hope that you will be able to fit some fun stitching projects into your year.

For my part, I have decided to look at my list of goals and make them public. Many of them are new projects; at least one is years in the making. Did I mention that I procrastinate? Kara is a much better "finisher" than I—oftentimes, I am ready to put a block aside when I complete the last stitch. I guess I'm more of a "blockmaker." Kara is not satisfied until it becomes a project. I wish that would rub off on me a bit. So to that end, I am hoping that you all may help to hold me accountable to complete my goals for this new year. 

Here goes!

(1)

We have a new series in the works—a set of seasonal cottages, which we hope to be ready to release and teach by springtime, or sooner. All the models are appliquéd, and they are ready for the embroidery of wreaths and flower boxes. And then they need to become more than just blocks. Watch for more about these soon!

(2)

The first two blocks from our new quilt, Woodland Reverie, are complete and will be the focus of our class in Williamsburg at the Academy of Appliquè this March. We are plugging away at some of the other blocks, hoping to have more to share soon. Or at least by March! Kara is doing the blocks on a black background, which offers quite a different look; it is fun to see the variety that the different colorways offer. (See A Woodland Walk to the Academy and It's Almost Time!)

(3)

Our Floral Elegance vase, wool appliqué with ribbon flowers and embellishment, needs to become more than just a pretty block. We have the perfect fabric to frame it for a wall-hanging. And of course, it needs to be quilted—not really my forté, but it's a small project that should give me some good practice. We are teaching this in Nebraska at Baltimore on the Prairie in September, so it would be nice to have a complete project to share. 

(4)

The other class we are teaching in Nebraska is our Baltimore Fraktur. Kara and I are both working on completing small quilts with this block as the center medallion. Our two designs are similar, but vary a bit. Suffice it to say, we will be "putting a bird on it." Beyond that, you will have to wait and see our final outcomes. Kara, of course, has a huge head start on me with this project! (See We Are Heading to the Prairie!)

(5)

Remember our Fairy Tale Album? Think waaayyy back. At the time, I thought it would be fun to make a redwork quilt using some of the motifs from that quilt. I did all the embroidery. Twelve blocks. I picked fabrics for a simple patchwork block to make as a setting for those embroidered blocks. I made the first block and put them in a pile, which then got moved to a bag. Three years ago. In my defense, I packed a house I'd lived in for 25 years, moved to a rental, moved to my new home, and....need I say more?! Excuses, excuses. It's time to make a quilt! (See Fairy Tales Through the Needle's Eye and A Magical Year.)

(6)

My mess. You see evidence of at least seven or eight projects here, either in piles, baskets, or tote bags. If I were a "finisher," I could put everything away when the project is complete. But I move from one block to another, keeping things organized and grouped for when I get back to it. I'd like to think that my brain isn't as messy as my space, but one couldn't convince my ever-tolerant husband of that. I have always been a juggler of many things. Since we have an empty nest, now I just juggle my stitching endeavors. It seems I always choose stitching over organizing and cleaning, but I am feeling the need to step back and create a clean slate may be in my near future. (See From Chaos to Order to see what this space CAN look like.)

(7)

And in my spare time—copious amounts, to be sure—I would like to continue to work on my Baltimore Album quilt with the blocks I have made for my class models. Five blocks do not make a quilt, so I'll need to keep stitching! Who knows what year this goal will be achieved, but that doesn't mean I can't be thinking about what block I might stitch next.

So there is my list. If you are a regular reader of our blog, then you will hopefully see updates as I check goals off my list. Or partial goals. 😊

What about you? Do you have some stitching goals that you hope to accomplish in 2020? We would love to hear about them! Please feel free to share in the comments below.

May your new year be filled with stitches!