2015…GOaling for it!

Before I left home this year…or rather last year…I set some monthly goals for myself…which is something that I NEVER do!  I didn’t Blog about it as I didn’t know if they were realistic or even achievable goals…and I hate failure!  AND I didn’t set the goals for the whole year but rather just for the three month period that we would be Snowbirding…I thought if I started small and kept my list handy, VISIBLE and fairly short that I could stay focussed and on task. 

I have to say that it has worked!! As I said, I kept my list short with only FOUR goals…(a fifth goal got added along the way….)

Here’s what I achieved for the Month of January~

1. My first Goal was to paper piece TEN wee HOUSES (4 1/2”) per month…I completed eleven!

2. My second Goal was to prep and hand applique TWO rows of Clam Shells per month…CHECK!  But I have to admit, this was by far the hardest to attain…I don’t know why, it just was!  Maybe because it takes so long to prep the actual clams, plus I needed a large area to glue it together in preparation for hand applique…and I was forced to use the floor…ugh! I’m too old for that!

It is starting to LOOK like a quilt which is exciting!

3. My Third Goal was to complete one UFO…I finished the Winter Solstice Quilt (by Country Threads)…she is machine quilted, big stitched and bound and I LOVE it! 

4. Goal Number 4… Make a Quilt (to be gifted) by the end of March…  Well…I have found the perfect pattern and the fabric has been purchased.  So that’s a start! Rome wasn’t built in a day!  I ended up ordering the same fabric that was in my daughter’s wedding signature quilt.  It’s hard to mess with perfection…and that’s what this fabric is!  It’s called ‘Horizon’ by Kate Spain it is beautiful!  Very West Coasty…light blues and mauves with a splash of green and very fresh and clean looking.  I will team it up with plain white Kona cotton for an even fresher look.

5. Goal Number 5 was added at the beginning of January when I joined the Face Book ‘Winter Wonderland Stitch-A-Long’…it’s OK to have a weak moment and I’m so glad that I did!! :o)…I got this month’s blocks stitched…

…complete with beautiful birds (you can’t tell but it’s mottled wool stitched onto cotton homespun)…

…and I have even prepped the block for February…the sweetest wool angel!  So…Check and check!  This is a Norma Whaley (Timeless Traditions) pattern!  This was a gift from Norma and it was waiting for me when I arrived at The Sands RV Resort…what’s a gal to do…but rush out and buy fabric and wool and fly at it! :o)  It is such a gorgeous pattern…and there WAS this Sew-A-Long….

Not part of the Goals but finished none the less…(I call this the GRAVY!) …I finished the Old St. Nick quilt top which I started in December 2014…hey that was just last month!  This is unheard of!  I know it’s not quilted BUT it will be machine quilted on my mid-arm when I get home!

This is it spread out on the floor of our RV…and it is massive!

I am so happy with it!!

So I am THRILLED with the results of my goal setting…I think it was SEEING the goals written down, in black and white, that kept me focussed, motivated and on task.  My fingers are crossed that all goes according to plans for February!! And I think they will…I have another UFO ready and waiting, I cut more clam shells to be prepped for stitching, the roofs are made for 10 more houses, the wool applique for the Winter Wonderland is ready for stitching…and tomorrow is February FIRST! I say bring it on!!  And let’s hope there’s some GRAVY… lots and lots of gravy!:o)

What about YOU?  Are you GOaling for it in 2015?!

Have a super Saturday and happy stitching!~P