adventures of a quilting diva » goals

to do in 2008

laura west kong — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:52:00 +0000

Here’s what I hope to accomplish in 2008. This is not a list of resolutions, properly-worded measurable objectives for a government grant application, or a business plan. It is simply a list of things I want (or in many cases need) to do. That way I have some direction when I step into my studio for an hour or three. Hopefully I won’t ever have to wonder, “What should I do now?”

1. Complete all writing/designing commitments for Citrus Belt Quilters ( CBQ) and Cotton Spice.
2. Continue teaching throughout the year and develop a new quilt embellishment class.
3. Finish writing my jewelry book manuscript and move closer towards getting it published.
4. Complete my first self-published embellished quilt pattern.
5. Learn to free-motion quilt correctly.
6. Be prepared ahead of time to fill a table at the CBQ Holiday Boutique.
7. Create accessories for both the CBQ California Dreamin’ and the 2008 Hoffman Challenges.
8. Explore felting.
9. Actually start making Quilt M.
10. Participate in a few Fast Friday Fiber Challenge mini quilt challenges.
11. Always have a hand-work project available for idle moments.
12. Blog more.

2007 in review

laura west kong — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:47:00 +0000

Last January I listed 7 quilty goals for 2007. Here are the stitch-by-stitch results:

1. Challenge: For the Fast Friday Fabric and 12x12x12 Portfolio challenges I did not complete all 24 (Twenty-four! What was I thinking?), it was more like three and a half, but I put my whole heart and soul into those 3-1/2 miniature quilts, so I loved the way they turned out in spite of their small population.

2. Enter: Z éphirine Drouhin was juried into Road to California and Houston in 2007. I also entered two of my Fast Friday miniatures (Penny for a spool of thread I and It’s not easy being green) at my guild show and Penny won a prize. Four quilts at three shows exceeded my goal of entering two shows.

3. Finish: I wanted to finish 3 UFOs. In actuality, none were completed in 2007. I was very prolific in the UFO creation department last year though. (No, I’m not going to count them up for you, I don’t really need to know myself.) I’m taking a machine quilting class this summer, so at least I’m going to have interesting things to practice on afterwards. Getting the quilting done is probably the main bottleneck stopping me from finishing quilts.

4. Give: I wanted to complete and give at least 6 handmade gifts, which includes community service quilts and presents for family or friends. I know I gave at least a couple, several others are still in progress. Same as above, when I can quilt, I can finish more. When I finish more, I can give more.

5. Learn: I wanted to learn to do real hand-quilting, needle felting, and Shiva paintsticks. After two great classes and hours of practice, I can now hand quilt well enough to quilt a good quilt with, even a quilt for competition. Now the trick will be making a quilt that is hand-quiltable. I also learned to needle felt. What fun! (See my first practice piece below.)

6. Teach: Hmm. I wanted to teach 4 different classes. I taught quite a few classes (well over four), both formal and informal. Most of them were fabric-related.

7. Write: My goal was to write one article. I have a column, The Diva of Quilts Presents, at Cotton Spice, and wrote three last year, plus four Block of the Month articles for Citrus Belt Quilters, and a manuscript proposal.

What’s on the table for 2008? Tune in to find out.

seven for 2007

laura west kong — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 15:41:00 +0000

Here are my quilty goals for 2007:
1. CHALLENGE: Complete all 12 each of Fast Friday Fabric and 12x12x12 Portfolio challenges, and finish at least half of them on time.
2. ENTER: Submit my work to 2 quilt shows, contests, or other exhibition venues.
3. FINISH: Finish at least 3 UFOs.
4. GIVE: Complete and give 6 handmade gifts.
5. LEARN: Learn to do real hand-quilting, use the Clover needle felting tool, and Shiva paintsticks.
6. TEACH: Develop and teach 4 different classes.
7. WRITE: Write 1 article and submit it to a suitable quilt magazine for publication.

I scaled the requirements back somewhat in deference to my one resolution:
Be balanced.
Be healthy but not fanatical…
Not too messy, not too neat…
Work hard, but also play, etc.

In reality though, the goals do overlap a lot. Any of the pieces I complete can be used as gifts, the basis for a new class, or a show entry; a class outline can be rewritten into an article, and so on.

have a creative and productive new year!