#2022PlanningParty

 Once again Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl is a hosting a Planning Party for the coming year.  So its time to look at what happened this year and what I'd like to accomplish next year.  Use the link above to join the party or see what others are planning.

Review of 2021:

Quilting:

1.  Clean and organize quilt room.

This started off well then stopped.  I think its safe to say it may have regressed.  Still planning on getting this done though.

2.  I'm going to continue with the Motivation Monday ideas.  I'm still working on the list I created for 2017.  The goal at the time was to move things forward.  I think that will still be the goal for some things as they are quite large.  The list still includes

• Canada BOM from Guild 2015/16 - finish blocks and assemble rows.  - Completed (quilted and bound too)
• ABC Applique - choose border fabric (after shops reopen) and complete top. - done  Top done, binding made and label started.  Needs backing and to be quilted.
• Common Bride - quilting decision As much as I'd like to hand quilt this I think its going to get machine quilted.  
• Love Entwined - finish centre and quilt.  Its not finished.  But I did get two of the corners started.  Neither is finished but I did make some progress.
• Winter Wallhanging - finish top - Nothing done
• Fantastic Fusion Top -- is it a quilt or a background. - Nothing done

• Poinsettia from guild workshop - Finish applique - Done and added to Baltimore album box.
• Milkweed 4 - quilt - Nothing Done
• Long Time Gone - Keep up with the class so this doesn't become a UFO - Finished and has been on my bed.
• Abstraction Quilt - assemble top - Done: Top is done, binding made and label started.  I have the backing and I think it will come with me to be quilted in January.
• Moondance Quilt - inventory project and see what is left to do.  I think there are still blocks to make so I'd like to get those done. - Opened the box to inventory it and had to make one or two pieced blocks.  Got involved with this and the applique is coming along nicely.  Just have the pillow row to applique before I start putting the sections together.  Made more progress than planned.
• Film Strip quilts  - Decide on additional border and complete - Nothing Done

3.  I'll also look at the list of tops waiting to be quilted and get those scheduled to be done.  I'm looking forward to being able to book some appointments.  Hopefully in February or March but it depends on the state of lockdown and how our covid numbers are looking.  According to my UFO list, there are a dozen UFOs that I've marked for quilting on my home sewing machine or that need more hand quilting.  I'd like to get four of the smaller ones done.  All of them would be nice but I think four is a realistic number given other things I want to do.

I've quilted 6 tops at Whirls and Swirls this year but none of the smaller ones.  

4.  Complete my trendtex challenge.  I bought the kit for this year's challenge - Friendship.  I'd really like to complete a piece again rather than add the fabric to the stash.  I'm currently 1 of 3 for completing a piece.

The kit is still sitting on my cutting table.  I have not purchased a kit for this years challenge.

Photography:

1.  Learn Photoshop.  Continue this. 

        Keep reviewing the techniques and get more confident with the tasks and options.

        I purchased a couple of composition courses over the years and have started to work through those.  The first one I've gone through all the lessons and started on some of the exercises.  I've joined a group who are at a similar place and we have agreed to start working through the second course come January with two weeks to complete each piece.  I like the deadlines although I'm currently a couple of pieces behind.  I'll get caught up in the coming weeks.

I'm pleased with the progress that I've made with this.  The support of the group has been wonderful.  

2.  Tidy up Lightroom.  This is still a work in progress.  It's a good thing that you can get a long way when you take enough baby steps.

Made more progress with this.  I've crossed the halfway point and have finished all the photos up to 2013.  Not sure if I'll finish 2013 this year or not.  I think there are a couple of big months left to review.

3. Photo share sites

    I have photos on three sites currently.  I need to sort out the three and decide which ones are going and what the others will be used for.  I may keep one for photos and one for composite work.  I'm still mulling that over.  I do think it needs to come down to either one or two sites as none of them get any attention partially because I don't have a plan for their use.

I kept Flickr and the Adobe Portfolio site and cancelled the trial smugmug account.  I'm using Adobe Portfolio for my composite work and some of my favourite photos and Flickr will be for bigger photo posts or more general photos.  

Daily

1.  Continue walking next year.  As soon as I can get back to swimming. Done -- So far this year I have walked almost 3700 km (about 2300 miles) and swum about 125 km (about 75 miles) since the pools opened at the beginning of July.  I've purchased a few virtual challenges and have completed the Appalachian trail and part of the Camino for walking this year and The English Channel, Trek to Petra and part of the St Francis Way for swimming.  I'm also doing a 10000 km virtual walk across Canada with some friends.  We started July 1st and are finally in Ontario.  

2.  There are about 130 miles left to complete the Bruce Trail.  Assuming things are more stable in the summer, I'd like to go and hike a bit more of this.  If it overnight stays still aren't a comfortable idea, then maybe starting some of the side trail badges on the sections closer to home will work.  We didn't attempt to complete any new sections this year.  We did go out once for a day hike and really enjoyed it.  Looking forward to continuing this.

3.  Practice.  The baritone and I really need to spend more time together.  We started out the year well but then it slipped.  

4. Bible Studies - I do a daily devotional with a group of friends using an online app plus some studies through my church.  Throughout the shutdown, there has been has been a Monday Morning coffee discussion about the previous day's sermon which has been a good eye opener and helpful to stay focused on the sermon Sunday morning.  I'm looking forward to a virtual silent retreat in February.  The in person silent retreat I did last year was wonderful. The silent retreat at home actually worked better than I expected it to.  I missed the in person retreat but the quiet time at home was nice and reminded me I can create that silent space for prayer and study wherever I am.

Goals for 2022

Quilting

 1.  Clean and organize quilt room Trying this one again

        - Finish sorting the area and get rid of the things that need to be donated or thrown out.  Sorting works best when I work on just one small space at a time.  So I'll divide the area into a number of sections and plan times to sort each of those areas.  It easier than dealing with the whole room.

        - Decide on layout and do the rearranging. I still have the scale drawings of the room and furniture from the Quilt University class so I've played with a few ideas and will see where I land.

2.  I'm going to continue with the Motivation Monday ideas.  I've revised the 2017 list to be a new 2022 list.

• ABC Applique - Quilt .
• Common Bride - Quilt
• Love Entwined - complete the vase for one corner.  Ideally all four corners but one is good and two is bonus.  
• Winter Wallhanging - finish top
• Fantastic Fusion Top -- is it a quilt or a background.  Make the chameleon and decide whether its two separate quilts or works as one.
• Milkweed 4 - quilt
• Abstraction Quilt - Quilt
• Moondance Quilt - complete this one
• Film Strip quilts  - Decide on additional border and complete
• Panel one block wonder. - 
• Applique Blocks - Look at the box of applique blocks and decide what to do with them.

3.  I'll also look at the list of tops waiting to be quilted and get those scheduled to be done. I've been good at scheduling the next appointment before leaving the quilt studio so should be able to get most of what is marked for long arming done (assuming covid doesn't cause anymore shutdowns).  First up is the Abstraction quilt.  There are 10 quilts tagged for the long arm.  

4.  Complete and submit my cherrywood challenge.  I have the Graffiti kit and a vague idea so need to get sketching and stitching.  My Diana quilt is travelling.  The Bob Ross quilt didn't get selected.  It would be fun to get another one selected to travel.

Photography:

1.  Learn Photoshop.  Continue this.  There are two things I'd like to focus on beyond the courses that I'm working on.  One is selections and the other is lighting.  Photoshop has some pretty good selection tools to choose what you do and don't want from an image.  When I watch the demos its very straight forward and works well for a variety of trainers.  When I do it, it feels like I'm chasing a butterfly with a sledgehammer or maybe a wrecking ball.  Lighting helps the composite art look unified and believable. Need to study that more and work on it in the digital art

2.  Tidy up Lightroom.  I'm working on 2013 and would like to complete 2014 and 2015 as well. That  would put under 30K to sort.  It really is baby steps but I’m getting there

Daily

1.  Continue swimming and walking.  I joined the masters swim program in the fall and that has been challenging me to improve strokes other than freestyle (front crawl).  Looking forward to seeing progress on the virtual walks and swims.

2.  There are about 130 miles left to complete the Bruce Trail.  Assuming things are more stable in the summer, I'd like to go and hike a bit more of this.  If it overnight stays still aren't a comfortable idea, then maybe starting some of the side trail badges on the sections closer to home will work.  

3.  Practice.  The baritone and I really need to spend more time together.  In her post about goals, Melanie mentioned a habit tracker called HabitShare which I think I'll check out.  

4. Bible Studies - I do a daily devotional with a group of friends using an online app plus some studies through my church.   The place where I had gone for a silent retreat is to reopen in the spring so I'll be checking out the dates for an inperson retreat.

Other

1.  From January to March, I'm going to work through The Artists Way with a group of ladies from the digital art (photoshop) classes.  

2.  I've slowly been working on transcribing some old diaries.  I think I have 4.5 left to do.  I'd like to get 1.5 done over the next year. 

Its a lot of things and I get a little overwhelmed when I think about everything so I've tried to be a little more specific this year -- rather than move it forward, be a bit more specific about what that move forward might be.  I think some of them are still a bit big but I'll see as the year progresses.  What I have learned over the last two years of covid, is that I I work better with a schedule so I'll put a schedule together for myself as the New Year starts.  It helps keep me from frittering away too many hours.