2018 was a very busy year and I suspect that 2019 will be, too. Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl is hosting the 2019 Planning Party here and I decided to join in the fun. After all, the ND house is once again quiet and I’m not heading back to AZ until tomorrow.

I’ve not been very good at writing goals. Well, actually, I’ve been very good at writing goals BUT I’ve NOT been very good at achieving them. Here’s hoping that 2019 will be different.

First, a review of Tu-Na’s 2018 Quilting and Blogging Goals

My Blogging Goals for 2018

You can find my mid year review here. My comments for the last 6 months are in blue).

1. Continue to write interesting posts. Hopefully, averaging at least one per week. I’ve written 75 posts this year although most were in the first half of the year. August was my second productive month with 10 posts and April my most productive with 12. Each year the number of views and visitors keeps increasing. August was also the month with the most views 11.3K. I now have 634 followers 1878 comments which averages to 25 per post. I fell way behind in replying to them. But appreciated every one!
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. (Hmmm, not so good working on this one.)
3. Continue to seek sources of new blogging material. In other words, continue to wake up each morning, sew, quilt, eat, and travel. Oh, I have so many stories to share! Like the time I opened my mouth in Venice and stuck my foot in it.
4. Participate in Blog Hops and linky parties. I’ve joined a lot of linky parties regularly and participated in many blog hops especially the first 6 months of the year.
5. Participate in the New Quilt Bloggers Hop again. My blog celebrated it’s one year blogivarsary in April so I’ll be able to join again. My blog turned two in April and I participated in the New Quilt Bloggers Hop again. I continue to learn how to use the WordPress platform. I’ve now gone to a paid blog so that you no longer have advertisement on  it. I’ve learned how to resize my photos so that they use less of my media library space. Had I learned that before I would not have had to go to a paid blog.
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. Tu-Na Helper says I’m on the computer way too much so I must be meeting this goal! I still haven’t located that favorite blog but I haven’t forgotten about it yet either.

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. I struggled meeting this goal through the year and decided not to participate in any bees in 2019. I still have two blocks to sew and send. I am participating in Bee Inspired but we’ve taken a different format than making blocks and sending them away.
   

   This was one of my favorite blocks for Velda with the Bee Inspired Quilting Bee. A chocolate cake quilt is on my list to make.

2. Design another block or two. I’ve got a start on one. I designed one block—the Postage Stamp Turkey.
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), and signed up to do the mystery quilt at my quilting group in AZ. I still want to do at least one other QAL online. I worked with the Fall into a QAL but did not do any for Soscrappy.
   

   This one hasn’t progressed any further. It’s a beauty!

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. Done and mailed. 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. Lots of UFOs and WIPs still in this list.
5. 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 made a couple of pillows for my AZ house, set of 4 placemats and matching napkins for a bridal shower gift for our exchange daughter in Germany. The keyhole quilt was finished and gifted to her mother, Evelyn.
   

   This was my second quilt label I made using the printer.

6. 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. I decided to start my EPP on a smaller scale first using the Kingfisher QAL from Stitched in Color and have been working on it while I travel.
7. Keep working on my ongoing projects and events: continue working on my 1.5″ postage stamp and blog about progress on it (lots of cutting progress on this one with lots of little squares but didn’t blog about it), quilt with my mom and sisters (sadly, not done this year), attend my Arizona quilting group functions and classes (lots of attendance at functions and classes which resulted in lots more WIPs). 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 still chairman for this committee and co-chair for the Fiber Arts Center Building Committee and co-chair for the Fiber Arts Fundraising Committee).
8. Continue training on the longarm quilting machine available in my Arizona housing development (have not taken the time to do this much but my eyes are now better).
9. Find some new quilt shops to visit, possibly through another state shop hop. I visited several new quilt shops but we did the Quilt MN Shop Hop again rather than a different one.
10. Quilt for charity. My AZ quilting group does a lot of this. I just need to become more involved with it. I finished one quilt top for my AZ group and sewed little dresses for Africa with Melva in May.

Tu-Na’s 2019 Blogging Goals

1. Continue to write interesting posts. Hopefully, averaging at least one per week.
2. Continue to seek sources of new blogging material. In other words, continue to wake up each morning, quilt, travel, and eat.
3. Participate in Blog Hops and linky parties.
4. 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. 

Tu-Na’s 2019 Quilting Goals

1. Keep up with the Bee Inspired Block of the Month.
2. Design another block or two.
3. Join in a Quilt-a-long.
4. Finish some quilts that have been started. A Minecraft quilt for my grandson is on the top of the list followed by the Poodle, Wanta Fanta, and Cheerio quilts.
5. Start some new projects.
6. Try a new technique.
7. Keep working on my ongoing projects (for example: my 1.5″ postage stamp and blog about progress on it) and quilting events (for example: my AZ quilting group membership chairman position and co-chairs for Fiber Arts Center Building Committee and  Fiber Arts Center Fundraising Committee).
8. Continue training on the longarm quilting machine available in my Arizona housing development.
9. Find some new quilt shops to visit, possibly through another state shop hop.
10. Quilt for charity.

What I Learned Today:

1. 2019 will also be a busy year.
2. I like to start projects. However, finishing them is another story.
3. I’ve got a jump on the new year. I’ve started a new project! More info on that coming but here’s a pic of it.
   

   These boots are meant for riding.

4. Maybe it’s not so much a matter of accomplishing every goal I’ve written or finishing every project I start but rather making progress on it and having fun along the way.

Question: What do you want to accomplish this year?   

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts