It’s time to check in on my goal progress since the year is half over. I wrote the initial post here as part of Quilting JETgirl’s Planning Party.

I’ve listed my goals below as they appeared on that post and updated with my progress in blue.

My Blogging Goals for 2018

1. Continue to write interesting posts. Hopefully, averaging at least one per week. I’ve written 49 posts so far this year which averages almost 2 per week. So far, I’m doing good on this one. From your 1,117 comments and 409 likes so far this year, I gather that many of you find my posts interesting. I was featured on the Sew Can She blog for my post on my table topper, on Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication, and Wednesday Wait Loss for the elephant quilt.
   

   I was surprised to read that my table topper was featured on Sew Can She.

2. Finish those loot posts, my visit to The Quilted Ceiling in Valley City, and other posts still waiting to be started and those that need to be finished. This one is a fail. I haven’t finished them yet and I’ve drafted a few others that need to be finished. What can I say…things are happening so fast that I can’t keep up writing!
3. Continue to seek sources of new blogging material. In other words, continue to wake up each morning, sew, quilt, eat, and travel. I work on this one every day, some days with more zeal than others.
4. Participate in Blog Hops and linky parties. I participated in Put a Little Love in Your Quilt, Small, Smaller, Smallest, Modern Plus Sign, Quilt Qwazy Queens, 30 Blocks in 30 Days, Sew Much Fun’s Bind It Up and Making Time for Sewing, Wish Upon a Star, Art with Fabric, and Where Flowers Bloom.
   

   My Art with Fabric entry titled Tu-Na Gothic.

   I’ve signed up for a couple more this month and one next month. I link a post to several linky parties each month such as Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River, Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and more.

5. Participate in the New Quilt Bloggers Hop again. My blog celebrated it’s one year blogiversary in April so I’ll be able to join again. I joined this hop and became a member of the HSTs (Happy Stitching Team) and posted my intro post here.
6. Continue to read my old favorite blogs, find some new ones, and find out what happened to one of my favorite blogs but that’s the subject of yet another unfinished post. I continue to read my old favorites and have found a couple new ones to follow but I haven’t found out yet what happened to that blog.

My Quilting Goals for 2018

1. Keep up with the online quilting bees that I’ve joined. I only joined two for 2018: Stash Bee and Bee Inspired. As of the end of June, I was all caught up with my bee blocks although I haven’t posted about them here on my. You can read about my stash bee blocks on the Stash Bee Blog January block, February block, March block, April block, May block, and June block 
   

   

   

   

   

   

   and my Bee Inspired blocks on the Bee Inspired Blog  Ann’s Block and Sharon’s Block, Shamrocks and I-Spy, German Chocolate Cake Block, and Woven Star.

   

   

   

   

   

   
2. Design another block or two. I’ve got a start on one. Well, I haven’t done anymore work on the one that was previously started but I have designed another one that will be available on my blog on Sept. 4th as part of the Fall Into a QAL. Here’s my latest post that contains links to all the others. Every two weeks a new block is released.
3. Join in a Quilt-a-long. I plan to do a couple of projects for SoScrappy (the coneflower I designed last year and Melva’s dragonfly) (I did not start this particular one), and signed up to do the mystery quilt at my quilting group in AZ (I sewed 2 of the 4 days on the mystery quilt sew-in but didn’t finish the quilt, yet). I still want to do at least one other QAL online. I joined a group called Partners in Design which are some members of the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers and am hosting the Fall Into a QAL which started May 20th with the Hedgehog, May 29th with a basket, June 11th with a Bonfire, and June 25th with a sunflower that includes Tu-Na’s Tried and True Easy Steps to Making Accurately Pieced Blocks. That post took me 10 hours to write and I’ve updated it with a couple new photos and an additional section that explains things a bit better.
4. Finish some quilts: Let’s talk about the elephant in the closet! The elephant quilt for that baby girl who is growing up needs to move to the front of the list. The elephant quilt (She Has Her Mommy’s Nose) was completed and mailed to the recipient who loves it (read the final post here). I also made several wall hangings and mug rugs.
5. The list continues: White/black and yellow using The Candy Store pattern, Tu-Na Helper’s much deserved quilt using the Quilt MN Shop Hop fabric, my grandson’s minecraft quilt, I Wish You a Merry QAL (blocks are done), 1930s repro apple core, hot air balloons, and the poodle quilt. Wanta Fanta, and Cheerio (or maybe I’ll call it lifesaver since they are 16.5″) will be carried over for my 2018 Bee groups to make for me. Hmmm, no additional work on these.
6. Start some new projects: More pillows for my AZ house, placemats, and a special quilt for a friend. However, 2018 will be the year to finish not start new projects. We’ll see how well that works for me. I’ve started a fair amount of new projects like the keyhole quilt pictured below. You can read about it here. 
   

   I started this new project this spring and will be finishing it up soon.

   I’ve also finished two pillows for my AZ home and am working on the special quilt. Read about Catching Z’s pillow here and Cute as a Button Pillow here.

   

   
7. Try a new technique: English Paper Piecing. I’ve got the fabric for this project and have decided on the pattern and the size of hexis that I’ll be doing. Since I’m using red and black fabrics with a lot of white, will I have to prewash? This questions is stalling my work. No progress.
8. Keep working on my ongoing projects and events: continue working on my 1.5″ postage stamp and blog about progress on it (I’ve been working on it a little but not blogged about it), quilt with my mom and sisters (We had one quilt day this summer), attend my Arizona quilting group functions and classes (I’ve started several class projects and need to finish them when I return to AZ in the fall. I’ve attended a lot of the group functions such as Valentine’s Party.)
   

   That’s me with the famous Jenny of Missouri Star Quilt Co and Rhonda from my AZ quilt group. Several of us from our group went to a neighboring village to see and hear Jenny speak. I wrote about it on Tu-Na Quilts: Just One Jelly Roll.

   I am chairman for the membership committee and we are on a mission to increase our membership and have started lots of ways to do so (that could be the subject of yet another post). I am now co-chair of the Fiber Arts Center Building committee and co-chair for the Fiber Arts Center Fundraising Committee.

9. Continue training on the longarm quilting machine available in my Arizona housing development. I was only able to quilt one quilt on this machine over the winter.
10. Find some new quilt shops to visit, possibly through another state shop hop. I visited two new-to-me shops in Austin, Texas in February. We are making our plans for the MN State shop hop at the end of the month.
11. Quilt for charity. Melva and I had a sew day and made little dresses for Africa and wrote about it here. My AZ quilting group does a lot of this. I just need to become more involved with it. I made one quilt top with my AZ group before I left in May which I have not blogged about.

What I Learned Today:

1. This was a great mental exercise.
2. I’ve accomplished more than I thought I had
3. I still have lots of things to finish on my list.
4. There are 21 days until the 2018 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop begins.
5. Eek! I’ve got a lot to do before then!!

Question: What have you completed so far this year that has you jumping for joy?

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts

Linking to:

2018 Midyear Review at Quilting JETgirl