So for 2018 I decided to write down some crafty goals. I have admired a couple friends over the past year who totaled up the amount of fabric they owned and kept track of fabric in and out for the year. So while that’s not in the cards for me this year it pushed me to set some other goals I can work on.

So my goals are based on mostly on monthly completion, because to set all of them yearly I know I will just fail.

Goal 1: Sew something selfish each month that isn’t a quilt

So this could be an item of clothing, a bag, pouch, pillow, anything that isn’t a quilt. Because I realize I have a lot of non quilt projects I want to make but I usually spend my sewing time quilting. So I am trying to break out of that rut.

For January my selfish make was this Catch All Caddy. The pattern is from Patterns by Annie and is great! I made one a couple years ago for a swap and since then have always wanted to make myself one. So I made one for a swap I did recently and made this one for myself at the same time. The pattern is a great pattern albeit not heavy on the visual which was hard for me. I am definitely a visual learner and I found I had to read the instructions multiple times the first time I made this. But for the two I made in January it was a breeze though because once I got through it once I realized how simple it was. I also found out there is a Craftsy class for this pattern so that would be a great option if it’s your first time.

I used mainly Rashida Coleman Hale’s newest Cotton and Steel line Paper Cuts, with a bit of Annabel Wrigley’s Maribel thrown in for good measure.

So that’s my selfish make. I have been using it to carry hand projects around the house, knitting, stitching. But I will definitely be breaking it in as a tool caddy next month at a little retreat I’m attending.

Goal 2: Sew someone a gift.

This is pretty self explanatory. Sew something for someone else. Preferably it will be a random gift to show someone I care about them. But if it’s for a swap that counts too. I used to have this page on Facebook, well technically it’s still there,  were people would nominate others who were awesome and needed a pick me up to receive a handmade gift from me. I did it for 2 or 3 years before I had kids and it was so fun. It fell by the wayside with kids and life getting busier.  I loved sharing and gifting though so I would like to do that more. Who doesn’t love to get a thoughtful gift in the mail just because, so I will be doing some form of that…..

For January I made the other Catch All Caddy for a Swap I did with my traveling Quilt ladies. It was so fun and everyone made absolutely perfect gifts for each other.

I really love the complete difference in these two Caddies based on which fabric I used. This one I made with a Cotton and Steel Sprinkles as the main fabric and I quilted it with loops. I used a Cotton and Steel Kicks print for the handles, and for the pockets on the inside I used a print from Annabel Wrigley’s Maribel, which is one of my all time favorite fabric lines.  I added a little handmade zipper pull on the outside and stuck some sassy glasses on the inside.

Goal 3: Make a Quilt each month.

This is pretty basic, make a quilt each month, not limited to one a month. I just want to set a goal of a minimum amount of quilts for the year. Last year I made 25, whoa, and it may have been to much .:) But this minimum of one quilt a month can be personal, a gift, a custom order, or product for my shop. But it can not be an overlap for one of my other goals. i.e. if I make one for a gift I can’t also use it for my #2 goal, that would have to be a separate quilt or gift item.

In  January I made two baby quilts that were part of a three quilt order for a friend. She had three ladies in her school having babies and wanted to gift them each with a baby play quilt.

I used the backing Rifle Paper Co. for Cotton and Steel fabric on the back as my bases for a slate , coral, and grey color scheme. I went with a simple quarter triangle block alternated with a solid block. It measures 36″ square,  and is the perfect size for a little floor quilt or to throw over the car seat.  I finished it off with some figure 8 loopy quilting.

This quilt was a navy, coral, and grey color scheme and I thought that  triangles would be perfect for this slightly preppy color scheme. I have only done maybe 3 triangle quilts and I feel like this one I found my groove and might want to try it on a larger quilt. It finished at 36″ square and I quilted it in a simple loopy pattern. I love the way it turned out.

This is actually the first quilt of the order of three quilts I made and it was made in 2017. It was supposed to be a gender neutral safari theme, and once I found that out I knew I had to use Ginigber’s Savannah line of fabric. I did simple patchwork with all the coordinates in the line on the front and used the awesome panel fabric for the backing. I used my go to loopy quilting again and it finished at 36″ square.

Goal 4:  Try a new crafting skill.

This is maybe an every other month goal since it will be more time consuming, and could be from screen printing to painting to a new sewing technique etc… It will help me expand my horizons and keep me going.  I haven’t learned a new skill yet this year. I did knit an American Girl doll sweater for my daughters doll but I already knew how to knit, it was just the type of item that was new. Soooo it could count, but this is more a loose goal to help me stretch myself and doesn’t have a specific timeline.

I would love to try pottery on a pottery wheel.

I would love to knit myself a sweater, which seems like it should count even though the doll sweater didn’t.

I would love to try the bias applique for a full quilt.

I would love to make myself pants

I think it would be cool to try dying something… fabric, yarn…

I would love to write more patterns and develop a kids sewing curriculum.

Goal: 5 Work on a business plan for a Fabric store and sewing Center.

One of my goals for when my kids are all full time in school and I could go back to work is to have a quilt shop with an emphasis on teaching sewing and building community.

 

So that’s what I have fleshed out so far for my crafty goals in 2018. I am hoping to do a recap post at the end of each month, so consider this January’s recap.  Otherwise there would be no pictures.

I would love to hear about your crafting or regular goals this year. Do you set goals, big, small….

 

Thanks for stopping by!