New Year's Resolutions

It is the beginning of 2014.  Do you use this time to reflect on the past year and make goals for 2014?  Before I can set goals, I find it helpful to understand where I am currently at with my various quilt projects.  My various stints in Weight Watchers (along with my salaried job working with Six Sigma) have taught me that tracking is key to making progress on any goal.  When I track what I eat, I eat less.  Writing the information down or entering it into a computer program holds me accountable. 

My first inventory of works in process was taken in January 2011.  I also decided to categorize my "inventory" as follows:

• Kits (fabric selected or purchased but no work done)
• Fabric cut
• Blocks in process
• Blocks completed
• Top completed
• Quilted
• Binding in process

Much to my amazement I had 82 projects on the list.  The largest # were "tops completed" -- waiting to be quilted.  I figure that meant I started about four projects each year that I never finished or got back to.  Based on the inventory, I made some conscious decisions to finish, re-design and/or give away projects.  When I re-inventoried everything a year later I was down to 61 items.

While writing this post I decided I should do an inventory for this year.  I am currently at 51 projects (15 kits, 2 fabric cut, 9 blocks in process, 10 blocks completed, 15 tops completed, 3 quilted but not bound).
 

Based on this, I've decided that my New Year's resolutions will include:

• I will quilt at least 4 tops in my inventory (one by March 31, one by June 30, one by September 30 and one by November 30).  
• I will either give away, re-purpose or actually start the quilt for at least 5 of the kits currently in inventory. 

I think that is achievable – and still gives me opportunity to do new stuff. 
 
Do you have any quilting New Year’s resolutions? 

Happy quilting.

Kari Schell

On Point Quilter