Every post needs a photo so here is Little Bear again to say hello!
Here I am, thinking out load again and looking at my New Year's Goals to see how I am doing. It helps me to take a look at them periodically to remind myself of what I am trying to accomplish.
1. This year I will bite the bullet and arrange to teach a class in cq. Something a little more adventurous than just at my local guild. The main obstacle is my shyness and how to teach when my tendency is not to speak above a whisper!
As good as done! I have one class firmly set for early winter for the Continuing Education and have been requested to teach one by the Calgary Guild as well.
2. The group, Quilting on a Budget, has something going for next year called `Homemade Christmas`. During discussions on the group we realized that if you made two gifts each month, you would have 24 gifts ready next Christmas. Not just that you have made something from the heart, but avoiding a good part of the annual Christmas panic! I am resolving to do this and will post photos of them as I get them done.
I give up on this one. As soon as I make something suitable for a gift I give it away so i'm not going to have any type of backlog of gifts for Christmas. This just doesn't work for me so I'm cancelling this goal, for this year at least.
3. This year I will make, or at least make a good start on, an actual crazy quilt - not just single blocks.
Oh darn it - I would still like to do this and I haven't started yet. Guess this one stays on the list.
4. This year I will enter at least four competitions with my stitching - that`s one every four months so it sounds not too intimidating!
This one takes some thinking about since my definition of competition is pretty loose.
A. I entered the EAC Notecard Contest (didn't win);
B. When I donated my art bra to The Way to Women's Wellness there was a possibility of it being chosen for the calendar - it wasn't - but in my mind that qualifies as a competition;
C. When I sent my Alzheimer's quilt in to AAQI, I made sure it got there in time to be comsidered for their exhibit so that counts for me. Especially since it was chosen!
D. Hmmm... no 4th one yet? Will have to think about this some more.
5. This year I will write about crazy quilting and stitching and submit it for publication somewhere. Let`s see.... twice! So at least two separate things will be submitted for publication.... somewhere. I don't expect them to be accepted or anything - but just the writing of them will help me clarify my teaching techniques, right?
Well, yes, I still want to do this and no, I haven't done it yet. So I guess this stays on the list.
6. I will create and give at least one item a month to charity - this will be my service project for the year. I will post pictures to keep myself honest. lol Some of the groups I would like to do some work for are Grandmothers for Grandmothers (the purse auction), Aids Angels, The Toy Society, Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, and of course I'll take part in CQI's Making Memories project again this year for Breast Cancer. In addition I'll be doing small things on a local basis like baby quilts and baby sets for the hospital gift shop (profits go to the Ladies Hospital Auxiliary) and knit caps for the newborns at the same hospital as well as placemats for Meals on Wheels. There are actually a lot of things you can do locally if you look around. Even the local library is in need of book bags for the local literacy program.
I know I donated the art bra, the AAQI quilt, and a baby set to the hospital off the top of my head. I am going to have to put my thinking cap on to see if I can think of anything else I have done. One a month adds up to twelve a year so if those are the only three I have done then I need nine more by the end of the year to keep myself honest. I know I have some in the works still so I'd better get to work on them - easier once I am home with the sewing machine.
7. I have decided, because I am a terrible procrastinator, that I will stitch a minimum of 15 minutes per day. Once I start I am likely to carry on longer, but starting is the difficult part for me.
This goal has been a lifesaver! I highly recommend this one for anyone. Since I suffer from depression in recurring cycles, and since anything creative is the first thing to suffer for me, attempting to stitch at least a little every day helps me to keep the creative dry spells at bay. It is true that a little stitching usually leads to more, so actually I am getting a fair bit done. I have to say that I consider this goal well met.
8. I will organize and clean out my sewing room so that I can actually work there! And find things! I'll work on this one hour a day (minimum) until it is accomplished.
What looney-tune decided an hour a day was the magic number? Oh yes, that was me! roflol Well, I made good progress in the spring with unwanted furnishing going out, and more suitable items going in the room so the progress is certainly evident... and you can open the door now and actually walk inside... and a lot of things are more easy to locate...
Moving to the lake for the summer forced me into a break in this project but I hope to finish it before the end of the year, once I get home again.
In the meantime, the weekly giveaways here on my blog are reducing the excess stash. So, give me a hand with this one and enter my giveaways! From my stash to yours! lol
I am always surprised when I get to the end of the list and realize there were only eight goals! It seems like so much more in my mind! A couple of these I had completely forgotten about, so thanks for listening while I go through them again. You make a great sounding board, dear reader! I am already thinking of things I want to put on the list for next year!
1. This year I will bite the bullet and arrange to teach a class in cq. Something a little more adventurous than just at my local guild. The main obstacle is my shyness and how to teach when my tendency is not to speak above a whisper!
As good as done! I have one class firmly set for early winter for the Continuing Education and have been requested to teach one by the Calgary Guild as well.
2. The group, Quilting on a Budget, has something going for next year called `Homemade Christmas`. During discussions on the group we realized that if you made two gifts each month, you would have 24 gifts ready next Christmas. Not just that you have made something from the heart, but avoiding a good part of the annual Christmas panic! I am resolving to do this and will post photos of them as I get them done.
I give up on this one. As soon as I make something suitable for a gift I give it away so i'm not going to have any type of backlog of gifts for Christmas. This just doesn't work for me so I'm cancelling this goal, for this year at least.
3. This year I will make, or at least make a good start on, an actual crazy quilt - not just single blocks.
Oh darn it - I would still like to do this and I haven't started yet. Guess this one stays on the list.
4. This year I will enter at least four competitions with my stitching - that`s one every four months so it sounds not too intimidating!
This one takes some thinking about since my definition of competition is pretty loose.
A. I entered the EAC Notecard Contest (didn't win);
B. When I donated my art bra to The Way to Women's Wellness there was a possibility of it being chosen for the calendar - it wasn't - but in my mind that qualifies as a competition;
C. When I sent my Alzheimer's quilt in to AAQI, I made sure it got there in time to be comsidered for their exhibit so that counts for me. Especially since it was chosen!
D. Hmmm... no 4th one yet? Will have to think about this some more.
5. This year I will write about crazy quilting and stitching and submit it for publication somewhere. Let`s see.... twice! So at least two separate things will be submitted for publication.... somewhere. I don't expect them to be accepted or anything - but just the writing of them will help me clarify my teaching techniques, right?
Well, yes, I still want to do this and no, I haven't done it yet. So I guess this stays on the list.
6. I will create and give at least one item a month to charity - this will be my service project for the year. I will post pictures to keep myself honest. lol Some of the groups I would like to do some work for are Grandmothers for Grandmothers (the purse auction), Aids Angels, The Toy Society, Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, and of course I'll take part in CQI's Making Memories project again this year for Breast Cancer. In addition I'll be doing small things on a local basis like baby quilts and baby sets for the hospital gift shop (profits go to the Ladies Hospital Auxiliary) and knit caps for the newborns at the same hospital as well as placemats for Meals on Wheels. There are actually a lot of things you can do locally if you look around. Even the local library is in need of book bags for the local literacy program.
I know I donated the art bra, the AAQI quilt, and a baby set to the hospital off the top of my head. I am going to have to put my thinking cap on to see if I can think of anything else I have done. One a month adds up to twelve a year so if those are the only three I have done then I need nine more by the end of the year to keep myself honest. I know I have some in the works still so I'd better get to work on them - easier once I am home with the sewing machine.
7. I have decided, because I am a terrible procrastinator, that I will stitch a minimum of 15 minutes per day. Once I start I am likely to carry on longer, but starting is the difficult part for me.
This goal has been a lifesaver! I highly recommend this one for anyone. Since I suffer from depression in recurring cycles, and since anything creative is the first thing to suffer for me, attempting to stitch at least a little every day helps me to keep the creative dry spells at bay. It is true that a little stitching usually leads to more, so actually I am getting a fair bit done. I have to say that I consider this goal well met.
8. I will organize and clean out my sewing room so that I can actually work there! And find things! I'll work on this one hour a day (minimum) until it is accomplished.
What looney-tune decided an hour a day was the magic number? Oh yes, that was me! roflol Well, I made good progress in the spring with unwanted furnishing going out, and more suitable items going in the room so the progress is certainly evident... and you can open the door now and actually walk inside... and a lot of things are more easy to locate...
Moving to the lake for the summer forced me into a break in this project but I hope to finish it before the end of the year, once I get home again.
In the meantime, the weekly giveaways here on my blog are reducing the excess stash. So, give me a hand with this one and enter my giveaways! From my stash to yours! lol
I am always surprised when I get to the end of the list and realize there were only eight goals! It seems like so much more in my mind! A couple of these I had completely forgotten about, so thanks for listening while I go through them again. You make a great sounding board, dear reader! I am already thinking of things I want to put on the list for next year!
Comments
Anyway...you've got a good handle on yours. Congrats on being able to teach a class. I know about having to overcome shyness myself! Been dealing with it all my life. So, if you have managed to get over that hurdle you will do a great job. I have found if you know your subject matter and are passionate about it you will do just fine. You will, you know.
Rah, rah, Kerry!