2025 Quilting Goals
Check out the video that goes with this blog HERE.
Where It Started:
I decided in December 2023 and the beginning of January to change some things in my quilting life that just weren’t working for me. After evaluating the good, bad, and ugly, I came up with my top five habits I wanted to implement in 2024. If you want to check out those videos, here’s the 2024 Quilting Habit Goals playlist. I also have blogs, as well. Here they are:
Since 2024 was so successful, I am continuing this series in 2025! Each month I will update you on my progress. If you would like to follow along and create your own goals, I have a worksheet to help you. You can download this free worksheet HERE.
I will also offer a worksheet for each month, too. You can find January’s worksheet HERE.
These videos and blogs have helped keep my accountable. After all, I know I will be reporting to all of YOU on this, and I don’t want to let you down. I highly recommend having someone to keep you accountable, if not in a public way like I am doing, then in a group of friends. It helps me so much!
Deciding on Goals:
First, let’s talk about the differences between goals and habits, because honestly, I use these two terms interchangeably in this series. For me, there is a fine line between the two, especially when it comes to quilting and sewing.
Overall, habits are the building blocks that help you achieve your goals. While goals give you a vision and something to aim for, habits provide the daily consistency needed to get there. For example:
Goal: "I will make five quilts this year."
Habit: Setting aside time to plan, make, and finish the five quilts.
At the close of each year, I take time to reflect on the highlights, challenges, and lessons learned. This process gives me clarity on where changes are needed, areas for growth, and what I should release or leave behind. While countless things could fit into these categories, here are the top habits I’m committed to cultivating in 2025!
Goal 1: No Home Zone
This habit/goal was completely inspired by last year’s goal of keeping my cutting table clear. I did so well at this in 2024 and am excited to introduce another layer to this—the No Home Zone. What is that, you ask? This is the area in my sewing space where things get dumped. Yep. Dumped. For me, my area is the back corner of my sewing space. I come home from a retreat, a shopping trip, a sew date and things get dumped there with the promise of putting them away later. Later rarely comes. This year I am tackling the No Home Zone! Who is with me?
Goal 2: Being Intentional with Quilting-Related Purchases
Out of all my goals, this is the one I am most excited about. Here’s the thing—I shop too much. I don’t have a plan when buying quilting stuff. I impulse buy. Now I know from my own experience that I won’t stop buying quiltng things. I just won’t and why should I? I love my hobby and part of that is purchasing new things. BUT (this is a big but) I want to be more intentional with my spending. I want to support the small quilt shops. I want to support small companies. I also want to be a better steward of our world, our environment. I am not exactly sure how this will play out, but I am excited to explore it. I hope you join me in this endeavor. We can both figure it out as we go.
Goal 3: Pairing Down My Scraps
Sorting, donating, giving them away—any way you look at it, I am drowning in fabric. This could be a good problem to have, right? Yes and no. Have I become addicted to buying fabric? What about using those “pretties” that you don’t want to cut? Am I too open to accepting “free” fabric or bargain fabric? Is this as sustainable as it could be? These questions, and more (hopefully), will be answered in 2025!
Goal 4: Getting Out of My Quilting Comfort Zone
I don’t know about you, but I have so many things I want to try! Why don’t I? Because I am stuck in the same old, same old. This year I want to break out of my comfort zone by trying new things like different weight threads, new techniques, using some of those speciality rulers I have, and simply doing things I wouldn’t normally do. It’s time to mix it up a little and explore new adventures in quilting!
ORIGINAL Goal 5: Use My Featherweight (I Changed This—See Below)
Funny story time: About twenty or so years ago, I was telling my parents, who are also avid thrift store and auction fans, that if they ever found a small black sewing machine while on their thrifting adventures, to please let me know. I am looking for a featherweight sewing machine. My mom said, “Wait. I’ll be right back.” She came back with—you guessed it—a featherweight!
She had it for years and years, and I never knew! Can you imagine my excitement when she gave it to me? Of course, at the time, I was ready to start sewing with it. I didn’t. Although I have half-heartedly tried to figure it out, I haven’t stuck with it. Why? We are going to (possibly) figure that out this year, and I am going to take you along with me.
NEW Goal 5: Better Health/More Movement Breaks
Around December 31, 2024, my left shoulder (it is important to note that I am left-handed) started really hurting. The pain intensified unit it was really bad. I went to the doctor, and I have a pinched nerve in my shoulder. I am not even sure how I got this pinched nerve, but I think it was from crocheting. Who knows? Either way, it has been a wakeup call. This is so painful—more painful than I ever thought something like this could be—and it has helped me realize that I need to take much better care of myself, especially when it comes to overall mobility. I want to keep sewing and quilting for a very long time, and right now, as it is, I can’t sew for very long at all without resting my shoulder on a heating pad. Because of this, I have changed this goal to add more movement breaks, add strength training, and more. First step: get better so I can start working actively on this goal.
I hope you are following along with these goals and setting your own goals for 2025!
Happy Quilting,
Kris