S.M.A.R.T. Goals

So my morning hasn't gone quite as planned. I slept in - a LOT. I must STOP watching those darn baking shows as they keep me up later than usual, and I woke up in the night for a couple of hours. Hence, I'm tired this morning. 

I was a bit miffed because I thought my first presentation was at 10 AM, and I had some work to prep, but it's at 1 PM, so I'm good! However, I do have a quilt to quilt today and to pack for the retreat. 

We had a great time at Monday sewing. I accomplished so much. I realize that I forgot to take a picture. OK -- I just went and took a picture. 

This is my Enchanted Autumn. I finished ALL the blocks. All the piecing is done! All the applique is fused in place, and some blocks need stitching.

Enchanted Autumn

It's incredible what can happen when I actually have time to work on my own stuff! That's so exciting!! I'm thrilled with my color choices - a lot of oranges in the middle of the bottom section. I'm OK with that. I might move some of the leaves around to distribute the colors, and I must do that soon before I start sewing it together and forget!!

I had some time after my presentation last night that I decided to start the stitching. There's a LOT of stitching to do, and my goal is the end of the year. 

I completed one block last night. One block is one block more than was done in the morning. I'm happy!! No, I'm thrilled!!!

One applique block - DONE

All I can say is that there are some fantastic features on my Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 (and on other HV machines as well) that make applique a dream. There is the needle down, the sensor foot (which lifts the foot slightly for pivoting), the stitch restart, the FIX, and I'm sure there are others - well, the excellent stitch quality for one. 

Look at that blanket stitch! It looks so beautiful, and well, I'm a happy camper. All those points, curves, and straight-away lines are easy to do. Don't forget to use your open-toe applique foot. 

The stitch quality is number one!

I really should do the larger blocks first, then it'll be "easier" mentally. 

During Monday sewing, we talked about goals for next year. Hmm -- Mary had started last year with a list of 21 quilting things to accomplish in 2021. She was an overachiever and put 42 on her list. Double the goal, and she's been making significant progress. Cindy has been making a list of goals for 2022 that include some non-quilting things. 

I'm tempted to make similar lists. I have my UFO lists, which I am a bit behind on and should focus on getting and keeping those up-to-date. But I have a LOT of small things that probably need an hour or less to complete. Those are the kind of things that I would put on my 22 things for 2022. As I tidy up and sort for the rest of the year, I might just make such a list, but it will contain projects that need quick work to finish.  

The problem with most of our projects is that we forget what needs to be done if we don't have a list (or lists). I know that's my problem. Then we get caught by some shiny new thing, and we're off. Well, I'm no longer distracted by the new, but I do forget some of the old. 

I think it would be a good idea to continue the UFO list. It's been helpful for me, and it's working beautifully. I may be behind, but those projects are getting worked on, and more importantly, they are NOT forgotten. 

A lot of the projects on the UFO list are HUGE. When I started the Enchanted Autumn quilt, one applique block was partially done, and two more blocks were partially sewn. So -- for me to get this done or almost done is HUGE. If it wasn't on that list, it would still be sitting in the box. 

And I like the idea of the list of small projects that could be finished in one sitting. YES -- I'm going to make that list as well. As I'm sorting and tidying, I want to try and put all the UFO stuff in one place and put the quick finishes in another. 

The final list will be things I want to accomplish next year. If you are making goals - don't forget to make them SMART   -- they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. You can read more information here. 

I don't think I need more goals in the quilting world, so I have several things that I want to learn next year, and those will go on the list. 

Oh -- one of the tasks for the 22 in 2022 is to LABEL all my projects. I didn't choose that one - it got selected for me. That is NOT a quick task, but it's something that needs to be done. 

I pulled those project boxes off the shelf. 

Projects to be labeled

And I pulled out the label maker, which needs new batteries. So while I put new batteries in the label maker, I'd better put new batteries in the lock on the front door.m as I'm getting notifications that the battery is low! 

That's a LOT of batteries

So think about those goals and things that you really want to get done! I think this is going to be super important when I eventually retire. If I don't have goals, I won't get anything done because I won't be working to a deadline. It's super easy to fritter the entire day away, and I certainly don't want that. I don't want to be insanely scheduled, but I want to have goals, so I have something to look forward to - even if it's as simple as crossing a task off a list. 

Well, that's it for me today. I've got lots to do, but in a relaxed atmosphere - only two presentations today, but packing and a quilt to quilt so I won't be slacking off. But that applique is calling to me. ACK!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!