My wonderful bloggy friend Yvonne, who blogs are Quilting Jetgirl, hosts an annual planning party to layout goals for the upcoming year. This is the mid-year check in to see where we are with goals.
2018 Goal Check-In
I have done well meeting or making progress towards my "to-do" style goals:
- Launch of the Modern Plus Sign Quilt book
- Done!!
- Host the Modern Plus Sign Sampler quilt along. This is going to be a fun quilt along that combines almost all of the plus signs from the book into a lap sized sampler. The QAL will kick off in July.
- Just kicked off, you can find more info here!
- Host a twice yearly Tips and Tutorials Festival with Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl.
- We hosted the first Festival in June and it was a great success, I look forward to this fall for the second.
- Make at least 4 charity quilts
- I've made and donated two, plus I have another two that are basted and ready to be quilted.
- Host the Best of 2018 Linky Party
- Planned for December
However, my main goal and word for 2018 was BALANCE and I have completed failed at that.
I can say without a doubt that balance has not been my word of the first half of 2018. I felt as though I was racing from one deadline to the next, never getting ahead and never being able to relax and losing some of the joy of quilting.
As a student and as an adult, I have always pushed myself to do more, take on more, and always be moving ahead. In Meadow Mist Designs this has been no different, I admit that seeing my quilts in magazines and my first book being published was a thrill, but the pace I have been on is unsustainable. I am at my limit and am burnt out a bit from the business side of quilting.
In my personal life, my older child is entering middle school and my younger one is going into third grade and I still work 3 days a week. The kids are requiring more time for homework help and after school activities. They are my first and most important priority and I need to make sure that my quilting commitments stay in check so that I am not up to 2 in the morning, rushing to meet quilting deadlines.
I was planning on attending Quilt Market this fall, but every time I went to look at airfares or hotels I started to freak out a bit. Market is where you go to make new connections with industry members and find new opportunities. I simply can not take on any more commitments at this time and do not think that I could resist the temptation to say yes to working with some amazing designers and companies. I have decided not to attend market and once I made that decision, I felt relief, I know that I am making the right call for myself at this point in my life right now.
I want to use what time I have for quilting more mindfully, spending it on creating things that bring me joy. I love connecting with other quilters online and am beginning some projects that make me happy: starting to plan the 2019 mystery quilt, making some quilts to enter for QuiltCon, sewing some charity quilts. I think that for the second half of 2018 you will see more in-progress posts from me as I will be doing little, if any, "secret" sewing.
I'm excited for the next 6 months!
This was a little heavier than my usual, more light hearted posts. Thanks for being there for me and connecting with you has always been one of the best things about quilting!!
Thank you for your wonderful honesty and good luck on finding more balance! I definitely felt the way you described last year and this year and hope that things start to calm down for you! I am excited to see the Plus sign QAL progress. :D
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have had a lot on your plate lately! Best wishes in finding the balance you seek.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how making a decision can remove a weight so quickly? I am definitely excited to have almost an entirely clear "to do" list myself and am excited to create some quilts to submit for QuiltCon. Now to sit down and design for a while...
ReplyDeleteYay to you!! You have your priorities in order!! Balance is so important and family should always be number one but you are, most importantly, taking care of you. Without that, there would be a big hole and the family would suffer. You do so much for those of us in the netherworld ... it's appreciated but take care of you for all of us to benefit. Looking forward to 2019.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your frank and honest post. I've wondered how the bloggers I admire so much can continue to be so creative all the time and not get burned out...not just with the projects but with quilting in general. I hope this time of rest will allow the creative juices and love of quilting to flow naturally.
ReplyDeleteI see several people stepping back a fit to find the balance. I too am looking forward to doing less instead of doing more. I think the key is to do the things that bring us joy and eliminate the clutter of busywork.
ReplyDeleteTaking care of you is important so you can be their for your family. Best of luck to you as you do this.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Cheryl. Yes, family does come first. Sounds like you have made great decisions. Looking forward to more in-progress posts. I also need to do more of those.
ReplyDeleteYou need to listen and take the time to do it the way you want. Thank goodness for these posts that sometimes cause us to reel it in. I sometimes regret not having done more with my quilting career, but my family came first and different families have different needs. I think for us, it was right. I know you’ll find the right path - and am grateful for all your involvement in the quilting community.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your work. I really enjoy your blog and happy to hear you are already starting to think about a future mystery quilt!
ReplyDeleteTotally get it Cheryl. A person can only do so much and of course your family needs to be the top priority. You made a wise decision not to go to Market although I'm sure it was a temptation. Balance is always difficult and I am aching for some creativity myself. Looking forward to more progress reports.
ReplyDeleteI sure understand your challenges, Cheryl. You make me so very glad to be retired now, and to be able to do what I want... which ends up being more than I thought it would be, or think it should be! I "get" to sew whatever I want, and yet everything I make still seems to have a deadline attached to it. So, I can understand your business burn-out. Anyone who tries to make a living, or even a partial living, from quiltmaking can expect to go 100 mph and receive a small return. I don't think you'll miss out by not going to Quilt Market. You've been before, as have I several times, and we know that the hype is always great. Perhaps greater than the return. Focus on your family, and don't worry about what else you can do to promote yourself. There's so much competition out there, for a very small piece of the pie, that it's nice to know it's okay to just "let it go."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you took the time to reflect and are choosing to recalibrate. I went the first few weeks of summer without quilting and realized how much time I spend thinking about upcoming projects, plotting how to get more time in my sewing room, and cutting/sewing/quilting/binding. I quilt a lot in the name of sanity and "me" time and a creative outlet, but can be more of a drain than a source of energy. I'm with you in the struggle (although I'm always in bed by 10:30!). : )
ReplyDeleteSounds like it's been one of those "all full ahead, all hands on deck" years so far. Congrats on meeting your goals so far. Wishing you better balance in the second half of the year. I don't think you ever get the balance thing perfectly right, but sometimes it does seem to work out better than others.
ReplyDeleteSpring disappeared...well I don't think it ever appeared here...we had terrible weather. You're doing great on your goals. Balance is a hard one, and I think we all struggle with that. Good luck with the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteI hear you. I take scheduled time off from creating and promoting for Whims And Fancies, just as I take vacation time from work. Now I also work on things for my own enjoyment. That is a wonderful feeling. I look forward to seeing your in-progress photos :)
ReplyDelete-Soma
Good for you for realizing that slowing down can be a good thing. It's no fun to get to the point that even some parts of quilting are a chore or a burden or stressful. Here's hoping that you feel balance in the second half of 2018!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your more relaxed in-process photos!
ReplyDelete