New Beginnings

I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t really like the New Year’s Holiday. I think it was because to me it signified Christmas was over (oh how sad I was to see my mom take down the Christmas tree) and school was starting up. I didn’t like school a whole lot as a child – I would much rather be at home!  Anyway, New Year’s wasn’t my thing, that’s for sure.

Now it is signifies a clean slate, opportunity, and a new beginning. While I do love putting the tree up and decorating for Christmas, by New Year’s Day, I am ready to take it down and clean the house. Time to embrace the new year and the awesome opportunity that lies within!

For 2017 I have a few major goals:

  1. The first of which is to greatly expand my Etsy shop. I have a plan blocked out for this but I believe I will save the details for another post. I am excited to share this with you but need to finish a few things up before I do. Now you’re all curious, right??
  2. The second goal is to continue to improve my free motion and long arm quilting skills. I feel like I made great strides in 2016 and want to keep the momentum going. To this end, I am plan to:
    • Make some smaller projects (baby quilts and several minis) because I can quilt those with ease on my home machine which provides lots of practice.
    • Additionally, last night I made a stack of small-ish quilt sandwiches to practice on. Using batting scraps that I stitched together and old fabric, I pinned four sets to be used strictly for practice. For whatever reason, I usually think I need to actually “make” something before quilting. Really, I just need to practice. Using up scraps and weird fabrics will be an economical, quick way to get some practice in.
    • I have two larger quilts planned for this year which will be provide practice on the long arm that I am able to rent. Also, I still have one quilt in my UFO pile and will quilt it on the long arm as well.  (It is the Harmony quilt that was made for a wedding gift for my nephew. He was married in September and I still haven’t finished this. Not for lack of trying though!  I have made two different appointments to rent time on the long arm but both times woke up with a migraine and had to cancel.  Lucky for me, they are very kind about these things. Hoping to schedule time later this month to finish this up and then I can mail it off to the newlyweds.
  3. Next on the list is to fit in a few garment projects. I have several really nice patterns that I would like to make. These are patterns I have picked up while collecting product for my Etsy shop.  Refining my skills in actually fitting a garment would be wonderful. Seems like the main thing that holds me back from making clothing is the difficulty around fitting the pattern. There are a billion tutorials for this, many of which are found at www.collete.com. I subscribe to their newsletter and follow their blog. This year I am going to actually implement some of what I read on their site! First off, there is a vintage fabric I found a long while back. It is a border print and I think it would be cute for a simple skirt. Wish me luck!
  4. Last on the list is time management. There is SO much I want to accomplish. The best way to ensure I can do this is by managing my time wisely. Between sewing, blogging, my Etsy shop and taking care of the house, I seem to run out of hours in the day. To achieve this I plan to:
    • It is my hope to use the Quilter’s Planner even more this year. (I was fairly good about using it last year too.) If I can set goals for each week and plan blog posts out for a few weeks at a time, that would be great. Last year I tried to sketch my week out each Sunday. This year I would like to sketch out farther than one week at a time.
    • Stop multi-tasking. Seriously. This is my downfall every time. If I start one thing, invariably I stop to “just do one quick thing” and then I don’t finish the first thing. I need to stay put. Finish the quilt block, complete the Etsy listing, write the entire blog post, etc. Finishing what I have started would be hugely advantageous. Texting is a big distraction. Turning off the sound on my phone is very helpful
    • Meal plans also help. I do love to cook but if I don’t have a plan for the week’s meals, it feels like a chore. Trying to come up with something at the end of the day often results in dinners like omelets (thanks to our ever diligent hens).  Let’s just say Julia is sick and tired of eating eggs! I love knowing what I plan to make for dinner. It allows me to put more energy into the rest of the day, especially if I prep meals ahead.  Meal planning is something that I do sporadically. It would be so helpful if I planned at least four meals weekly – so that is the goal here. It makes grocery shopping much more efficient as well. I make more quick runs to the grocery store when I don’t have a meal plan. (This is actually a fallacy; from my house to the grocery store is a 14 mile round trip which  means there is no “quick run” to the grocery store!)

With these goals listed, I have a plan. Each objective is easily broken down into steps which makes achieving them much more likely. Go 2017!!! I am off to begin reaching for these goals. Later this week I will share the book that I selected for the Winter Book Share. Stay tuned! Happy New Year everyone!

 

29 thoughts on “New Beginnings

  1. Stephanie @Quilt'n Party

    Such a great post Bernie! I like your plan to focus on your long arm skills. I need to do the same. There is a quilt shop in my area that rent’s out time on a long arm machine, you just have to take their class first. I plan to do that this year, just need to figure out when with work. Excited to see your plans for your Etsy store. Happy 2017!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Maybe you could find a class when you have a three day weekend? If not, it is totally worth a day off. I really enjoy it and it is so much faster than quilting at home. Mostly I like it because I don’t have to fight a large quilt through a small space. I hope you find time to take the class. I bet you will really enjoy it.?

      Reply
  2. Wendy

    You have some well thought out goals, Bernie! I’m with you on them, except for the Etsy shop (which I don’t have). I could send you some of my minis for practice 🙂 (then I wouldn’t have to) – ha! No, I do need to practice FMQ but it’s definitely a discipline for me. And meal planning too; I love it when I get my crockpot going. If I don’t, it’s a pretty dull meal, like grilled sandwiches. My grocery store is about 5 minutes away, and I still dislike going. Here’s to 2017!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      I used my crock pot today for beef stew. It was perfect. I had a zillion errands this afternoon and jua had a dr appt that ran late. It was so nice to come home and have dinner done and the house smelled yummy. Let’s both hold each other accountable for the FMQ practice, ok? We will be pros by the end of the year!

      Reply
  3. Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl

    I am so excited for your new adventures and look forward to when you can share more details! And skipping around… meal planning is a huge time saver for me. Because if my husband and I don’t meal plan we just stare at each other when we get too hungry because we are too hungry to make a choice. Plus we use our food so much more efficiently when we meal plan. All the best to you in 2017!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      That is a funny thought- you and your husband too hungry to figure out a meal for dinner! ? I am so much happier when I think to make a plan. Yes, you are right in that it makes me much more efficient with the food I buy and the amount spent on groceries. Absolutely!

      Reply
  4. Allison

    Great post Bernie! I can identify with it all. I am a terrible ‘butterfly’ flitting from one task to another without finishing anything. I’m intrigued to see how you tackle your Etsy expansion – my shop has suffered from neglect but it is something I’ve resolved to freshen up in the first quarter of this year. And I’m working on my fmq skills too!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Happy New Year Allison. I was emailing back and forth one time with Abbly Glassenberg of http://www.whileshenaps.com San I asked her how to grow my shop into a ‘real business’. She said that I needed to work at it like it was already a real business and continue until it became one. Meaning that I need to devote real time to it on a regular basis as oppposed to my making a few things and listing them wherever I remembered. Last year I tried to be more diligent and I believe it paid off. This year I am taking it a few steps further which I will share soon. Another thing that helps is to pin your product to a board on Pinterest. Pinterest seems to really drive a lot of traffic. There is a Pinterest group called Etsy Sellers. You need to request to be added but a jillion Etsy Sellers pin their product there and I feel like I get a bit of traffic from that source. Good luck with your shop!

      Reply
  5. Rosemary Bolton

    wha?? but but but I always do a zillion things at the same time.
    I do not know how to function otherwise lol
    Meal planning? Ugh, I do not like cooking. So, I make big meals, and freeze them.
    And, we eat a lot of pizza 😀

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Haha…. I always think I am being really efficient doing 52 things at once but I make myself nuts and only actually finish three things. The other 49 remain incomplete. So maybe I can try to work on that.
      I love when I remember to freeze leftovers. I have no problem eating left overs I just have to remember to cook a large batch so I can save back some for another meal. (We love pizza too!)
      Hope your holidays were happy. I am sure it was tough for you and your dad.❤

      Reply
  6. Mari

    Great goals! I know you’ll reach every one of them. If it was me, though, meal planning would consist of which restaurant to get takeout from, so I admire your goal. Excited about the expansion of your shop, too. Happy 2017!

    Reply
  7. Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts

    You have set some great goals Bernie and have well thought out action steps for achieving them. A few of my 2017 goals are the same as yours so I’m interested in your progress. My biggest hurdle is self-discipline and I’m tackling that head on. So far, I’ve been successful but it is only 3 days into the year. Ha! I find that I am much more successful in reaching my weekly goals if I plan my week in advance. And meal planning is always a challenge because Hubby works such weird hours and days. There are many evenings I am perfectly happy with a bowl of cereal. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      We can work on it together. I think if we cheer each other on, we will stick with it longer. I know it is only day three but I meal planned for this week, exercised today and did some doodling practice for FMQ. If I can just do this on a mostly regular basis, life would be grand(er)!

      I also cheat when my husband isn’t home. Julia makes mac and cheese (from a box) and I eat grilled cheese. But that is ok. It is when we want real dinner and I don’t have a plan, that makes me nuts. Or we spend money on take out (which is fine sometimes but not so often) Here’s to 2017!!

      Reply
  8. Kristi

    Awesome goals Bernie! Before I had my Juki on the frame, I learned to FMQ on my little Brother sewing machine. I made several quilts in the quilt-as-you-go method, which allowed me to quilt one-block-at-a-time. The small size helps you get the feel of the motion without having to fight with a big bulky quilt. I watched a lot of Leah Day’s videos online. I did a different design on each ‘foreground’ part of the block with the same design on each ‘background’. I got really good at small paisleys! I made those blocks into several quilts, but you could easily make placemats, bags, or pillows with each one instead of a big quilt. From there it was natural to transfer the FMQ to the frame (long arm). There are a few differences to FMQ on a machine vs. a frame, but I think those are mostly stylistic choices. Happy Quilting!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      I have not done a QAYG project but have often thought it would be a fun thing to try. I have quilted a number of quilts at home – my Janome has a decent sized throat (I think 11 inches) – I do love quilting standing up at the long arm for a large project because it is much easier on my neck (which gives me grief when I quilt a lot) Your stitching looks really nice (from the pics on Instagram) 🙂

      Reply
      1. Kristi

        Exactly the reason I purchased a frame!!! I could FMQ small ‘blocks’ on my Brother, but a big quilt was just too hard on the body! Thanks for the compliment! I’m glad you like my stitching, that makes my heart smile!

        Reply
  9. Kristi

    My favorite ‘Meal Planning’ option is a stocked freezer! 🙂 Mostly my freezer is full of various soups, chili’s etc…that are heat-and-eat meals. (Living 30 minutes from ‘town’ makes take-out more difficult!) The day we returned from our long road trip, I took 2 portions of black bean soup and muffins out of the freezer. Steamed up some fresh veggies and we were good to go!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      I do love keeping food in the freezer. I am not always good about keeping it stocked but I try. We have an extra freezer in the garage for all the veggies and fruit we freeze during the summer. I usually have shredded beef or pork for Mexican meals and fresh spaghetti sauce. I freeze half the batch when I make chili too. It is wonderful to thaw something out. So easy!

      Reply
  10. Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow

    I always dread the grocery store. Probably because even with my list in hand, I’ll get to ailse 8 and realize that I forgot to get ketchup in ailse 2 ( JUST did this yesterday 🙂

    Whenever that happens, each and every time with something or other I remind myself that it is exercize walking back and forth 🙂

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Yep, it all counts for steps. SOmetimes I check my fitbit at the beginning and end of a grocery store run and it is a surprise how many steps it can be. When I think of it, I try to park at the far end of the lot too. It adds up. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Diana @ Red Delicious Life

    These are some really great goals Bernie. You’ve hit on a few points that got me thinking. First, is Etsy. I’ve been thinking for a while now about starting an Etsy business, but for whatever reason, I’m a bit intimidated by the whole thing. One of these days, I need to grab a hot cup of tea and have an online chat with you about it. 🙂

    I wish I could get better about meal planning but it’s such a struggle in my house because I have a 6-year-old who eats only 6 foods and a 44-year-old who eats like a 6-year-old. For someone who loves to cook, it’s torture.

    As someone who thrives on multi-tasking I never really thought about how it can actually be counter-productive. You really make an excellent point about committing to something and then just doing it. I guess multi-tasking is better served in a different environment, and now that I think about it, maybe that’s why I typically don’t have more than 2 or 3 WIPS at a time. I can’t handle the idea of unfinished tasks.

    Best of luck to you in 2017.

    Reply
    1. Kristi

      I know how you feel about the 6-foods. My son is picky eater too, he eats everything al-a-carte. He’s 10 now. I realized at some point that to save my sanity, I needed to teach him how to cook his own foods. He can now cook all varieties of noodles, scramble eggs, get his own baby carrots, pour juice etc… I can then concentrate on creating an ‘adult’ meal, while he is working along side creating his own simple one. 6 might be a bit young for stove top things, so you might have to be patient for a bit. Hang in there!

      Reply
      1. Diana @ Red Delicious Life

        Thanks for the suggestion Kristi. I already do a bit of that for breakfast, putting milk and juice into smaller containers easier for him to pour. If I could just get him to try new foods – and I’d be thrilled if any of them were veggies! I’m trying to get him interested in doing some of the shopping too. Baby steps.

        Reply
    2. Bernie Post author

      Like you, I rarely have more than two or three WIP’s going on. It makes me crazy if there is too much in process. I can’t keep track!

      I would love to chat with you about Etsy. Let me know when you want to talk and we can do that. I felt really vulnerable when I opened my shop. It was scary to put myself out there and, scarier yet to place a monetary value on items I had made. Two and 1/2 years later, I have to say I really enjoy it. It isn’t making me a wealthy person but it is very satisfying.

      Email me sometime and we can talk more. Have a nice weekend!

      Reply
  12. Kate

    Very thought provoking Bernie, I guess a to of us have some of this in common. I live too much in thinking mode and then run out of time for the doing part. The computer is a big time consumer, like now when I have to go to work. I like the idea of making small projects for FMQ practice, better than endless sandwiches and a finished result too. This is definitely the year I get into FMQ big time. Have you made a list of everyday meals you would include on your meal planner? I find I make the same meals most of the time so I am developing a list so I don’t forget about meals that we used to enjoy but stopped making because we had them too often. My ideal would be to have about 20 meals on the list and make them in rotation, once a month I would really enjoy broccoli pasta bake, every week not so much.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Kate, I like your idea of making a list of our favorite meals and those that we want sorinkled in between. Out of the time, I dislike thinking of what to make. If I had some sort of list I could scan, that would help. Definitely adding that to my meal planning process. Thanks. ?

      Reply
  13. Val Reynolds

    Happy Happy New Year Bernie! I love that quote by the way and couldn’t agree more! The quilter’s planner should prove to be a good tool for you. I’m so glad we found eachothers blogs this year and I look forward to enjoying your quilty journey.

    Reply
  14. Sandra

    Bernie! JUST this week I realized something else that has occurred since menopause onset: I can no longer multi-task efficiently. I used to be a pro. Not anymore. How you described the affliction fits me to a T! I’ll just do this quickly…famous last words. Love the idea of meal planning; it would also help me grocery shop with purpose! I used the planner religiously last year and really liked it (always have been a lists girl) which was surprising since I’m no longer working full-time. Got another (not the quilters one) and off ot a good start. Good luck with your goals and btw, since I read the newer post first, have a fun, and memorable trip to Toronto! You’ll only be 4 hours north of my home (where I am not because I’m in Florida lol).

    Reply

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