Making New Year’s Stitching Goals

I made some stitching goals for 2016, but looking back at my blog, it does not look like I made any specific goals for 2017.

Time management experts will tell you to make SMART goals if you are really serious about getting things done. I’m not going to list specific SMART goals here, but I’m going to briefly review my stitching from this past year and look ahead to this year.

Looking at Last Year

It feels like I did not complete a lot of stitching in 2017, but I did finish a few items.

Published
All Shall be Well
Only Those Who Risk

I had ambitious plans last year for designing and publishing cross-stitch designs, but in the end, I only published two designs. “All Shall be Well” is a medieval-inspired sampler using a well-known quote by Julian of Norwich. “Only Those Who Risk” is a sampler inspired by a quote by poet T. S. Eliot. Both are available in my Etsy shop.

Finished
–Ribbon embroidery pinch purse
–“All Shall Be Well” medieval sampler
–Rice stitch color theory project
–“Belle & Boo” birth sampler

I finished stitching four projects in 2017. Two of them were big projects, including the “All Shall be Well” sampler from the design that I created and the “Belle & Boo” birth sampler that I modified and stitched for my new niece. The other two projects were both homework from my embroidery guild and gave me an opportunity to try some new stitches and techniques.

In-Progress
–Boutis scissors case designed by Karen Jablonski
–The Prairie Schooler ornaments from the “Evergreen” chart
–“12 Days of Christmas” by Satsuma Street

The three projects above were all started in 2017 but not finished. They are all on my list to finish this year.

Dealing with Burnout

2017 was a busy year for me, and I bit off more than I could chew. Stitching and designing fell by the wayside towards the middle of the year. In addition to my full-time job as a librarian, I also have assumed the following responsibilities:

–member of church choir
–member of church vestry (board)
–secretary of local embroidery guild (new for 2017)
–trustee of local public library (new for 2017)
–part-time adjunct teaching one class in fall semester (new for 2017)

I am also on several committees related to my job and hold at least one position in a local library organization, as well.

On the one hand, some of these opportunities have been amazing and I wouldn’t give them up now for the world, but on the other hand, it is no wonder that I found little time or energy for stitching or designing new patterns. This year I am going to need to give up some of these responsibilities so I focus and get some of my time back.

My Stitching Goals for 2018

So, my stitching goals for 2018 include:

1. Finishing the unfinished projects listed above, including the boutis scissors case and The Prairie Schooler “Evergreen” collection.
2. Designing and publishing more patterns for my Etsy shop.
3. Publishing some free patterns on this blog.

I have some numbers in mind for how many new patterns I want to publish this year, but I’m not ready to share the number yet. It feels pretty ambitious. We’ll see how it goes.