Happy New Year

Do you have quilty goals for 2013?  For me, having such goals is a great way to renew my inner spirit.  I don't beat myself up if I don't accomplish all my goals, but I do use them to help prioritize my focus for the year.

Here are my goals for 2013:

• Be a better person.  Use kind words.  Be supportive and encouraging to help others reach their goals. 
• Improve my binding skills
• Dust-off my piecing skills and strive for precision piecing.  Research and take as many classes, read as many books, and watch as many DVDs as I can find on precision piecing.  2013 precision piecing activities will be kicked off by using the Quilter's Academy books, by Harriett Hargrave.
• Complete more UFOs than I start!  
• Attend the CHA Winter Trade Show in 2013 to research and learn.
• Attend the Road to California Conference and Quilt Show, attending FMQ classes with Cindy Needham and Sue Nickels, as well as admiring quilts with beautiful FMQ on exhibit.
• Attend Fall 2013 Quilt Market
• Create more designs using EQ7...and stretch myself by writing more tutorials.
• Host the 2013 Golden Quilter's Awards to help give recognition and thanks to those in the business for their contributions.
• Host a Blog Hop for quilters with a charity fundraiser to increase awareness and raise funds to benefit a variety of charities, as identified by the participating blogs.
• Host Spring and Fall theme blog hops that promote awareness of those in the quilting, sewing and machine embroidery business, as well as create fun, inspire, and share tips and tutorials.
• Make more hand-made gifts!

Improving my free-motion quilting skills will continue to be one of my goals for the new year.  In 2011 I began with a goal to simply see how much I could learn by focusing on FMQ for a year.  I was so delighted that I wanted to encourage others to do the same, which led me to host the 2012 FMQ Challenge.  Many have asked if SewCalGal will host another such event in 2013?  While I'll be sharing more insights on this topic, later this month, I do want to touch upon my goals in this area:

I want to continue to learn/improve my free-motion quilting skills by way of taking as many classes as I can, watching FMQ DVDs, reading books on FMQ, following blogs that share insights on FMQ and continuing to practice, practice, practice.  And, I want to recommend others interested in learning/improving their FMQ skills to do so too!  The obvious....take advantage of all the great tutorials that FMQ Experts shared with us in 2012 and spend more time with them, till we master them and can apply them with ease to our own projects.

SewCalGal will host at least two FMQ challenges in 2013, but details will not be announced until after I've been able to wrap up the 2012 FMQ Challenge.  Each of these FMQ Challenges will build on tutorials that FMQ Experts shared with us in 2012, so I want to encourage everyone to go back and practice with any tutorial you may not feel you have yet mastered.  One of these challenges will also benefit a charity.

I also want to encourage those interested in FMQ to participate in the 2013 Free-Motion Quilting Project with Leah Day.  She has released a post and video that shares insights on her plans for this year and I think everyone that participants in it will have fun, learn and improve their FMQ skills.





Once I make my goals, I also look at the calendars for my local quilt guilds, quilt stores, as well as quilt shows, and strive to attend workshops and shows that will also help me build on my skills that I've prioritized in my annual goals.  Again, I don't beat myself up if  I don't accomplish my goals.  But, I do use them to help prioritize where I want to spend time and money.

I hope you also set your own quilty goals for 2013.  And, I hope you have a very happy and healthy 2013 too!