2020 Planning

After Yesterday's retrospective on 2019, I now feel ready to plan my quilting strategy for 2020.

Rather than do a total mea culpa and list every UFO now in my possession, I pondered the following questions:

• What storage areas are full to bursting?
• What projects can be made into small quilty things (pillows, placemats, table runners, tote bags, etc.)
• What projects can quickly be put into flimsy stage?

So, here is where storage is overflowing:

1. The Selvedge Bin

I can't resist saving them. Those little dots of color remind me of those candy dots on a strip of paper that we sometimes had as kids. (Is anyone else that old?) I made one tote bag from selvedge squares a few years ago, and that's it.  Hopefully my rate of selvedge acquisition has slowed, since I am trying, in general, to quilt from stash.  

Goal #1: Loosely stated, the goal is to make a significant dent in the selvedge stash.  At least be able to get the lid to snap on the bin!

2. The Orphan Block Box

Been tossing blocks and partial blocks in here for quite a few years. I shall refer back to the excellent series on orphan block strategies from Louise this year.

Goal #2: Make at least one orphan block quilt for charity.

3. The squirrel's stash of bits and pieces for wild and goosey paper piecing.

Odd sized triangles, etc. live here along with the foundation papers. But the lid barely fits. I have another tidy little bin of completed pieces--but they aren't all depapered. Some weeks when I was working and travelling during the week, a few of these on a Sunday afternoon were the only quilting time I had before packing up to leave early on Monday morning. So I really should forge ahead and finish up a wall hanging of these. Just as a tribute to the fact that I survived my career, if for no other reason!

Goal #3: 8 paper pieced blocks her month for wild and goosey.

4. : Strings

I seem to be generating strings faster than any other spare parts. I have a little collection of string blocks stashed away so there are a few goals for this one.

Goal #4: Finish my Crooked Courthouse, be it quilt or wallhanging....

Goal #5: Make at least one string quilt for donation.

And that brings us to some non storage related goals.

Goal #6:  Finish a quilt and send it to Covered in Love. I have been cutting some of the pieces from leftover strips for Frolic and plan to deliver a finished quilt from the current block drive. I love doing the block drives whenever I can, but it just makes more sense to save shipping to send a whole quilt when possible.

Goal #7: Finish Frolic. Enough said. I have plowed through and finished every quiltville mystery that I have participated in.  

Goal #8: Make at least six charity quilts. Intersects some of the previous goals. 

Goal #9: Participate in RSC 2020. I think some of the starts from 2019 may also get to the flimsy stage via this route.

Goal #10: Keep up with scrap wrangling and don't let the quiltorium get too too messy.  This is a behavioral aspiration, but I have been doing well so far during the mystery quilt. I have been cutting squares, strings and tossing the leftover triangles into the goosey bin as I go through the clues, and this is helpful in keeping the cutting area somewhat tidy. 

Well what do you think? Is this realistic? Any tips for sticking to it? How about an appropriate self-reward (fabric purchase?) if I complete five, 8 and 10 goals? Anyone want to be an accountability partner first one to say yes in the comments is stuck with prodding me along. 

I am linking up to the 2020 planning party hosted by Yvonne, who is another quilting engineer. Hi Yvonne, I started my career as a chemical engineer, and ended it as a technology/management consultant when I retired, then did some freelance tech writing for a while. 

Thanks to Louise again for pointing me in this direction.