Goals for 2024

Last year both sped by in the blink of an eye and crawled by slower than molasses in January.  It was a year of change and grief so my priorities changed and I'm thankful for the time I had and for the space I took.  Much of Q4 ended up being about rest.  I'm slowly starting to pick things back up again but am still taking the time and space I need to rest and grieve.  But I know Dad liked to see what we were doing so its time to start progressing again.

Looking back at last year

Quilting:  

1. Butterfly quilt - This hasn't changed since my post in October.  I still haven't looked at it to figure out the missing pieces and how much is done.

2. Labyrinth - This top was completed in Q1.  I did buy backing fabric for it at the beginning of November with the intention to wash it, piece it and make an appointment to go quilt the top but sadly it still sits on the dryer waiting to be washed.  

3. Rainbow Quilt - This is now a completed top and I love how it turned out.  I think I bought backing fabric for this one as well with the same intention but it too is sitting on top of the dryer.  I must check my notes for which backing I bought that day.  I bought for two quilts.  I can tell from the yardage which is which so I'll need to note that before I remove the store labels.

4. Love Entwined applique (centre block only) - I discovered that I had carefully number the pattern and ironed the freezer paper to the fabric but I had prepped vase 4 instead of vase 3 which is what I'd stitched the stems for.  So I have been stitching stems for vase 4.  Its going slowly but the stems for that vase are almost complete.  So I'll need to stitch the two vases and there flowers for this one to be finished.   

Cherrywood challenge quilt - I haven't gone back to work on my butterfly quilt.  Again this one is waiting for me.  I'm still debating a poppy quilt but suspect at this point I wont enter the challenge.  Its due in May and I have a slight idea but not enough detail.  I'm not sure if I could make the deadline or not.  

Photography  

Lightroom -- While I had planned to get 2.5 years of photos dealt with I didn't make it through 2015.  I'm slowly getting through the big trip.  I kept up with about half the pictures I took in 2023 

Digital Art.  In the first 7 months of 2023 I created 550 pieces of digital art using the 3 quick pieces a day method (finger exercises) plus 45 other pieces.  Some went on to get more attention and become more polished pieces and some probably should have been deleted rather than saved but who knows, maybe those ugly pieces will make wonderful backgrounds at some point.  I have now have work for sale in an Online Gallery  as well as some on a print on demand site.  I started 8 pieces for the Shift Art Challenge, submitted 4 of them of which 1 received an Also Noticed.  I submitted 7 pieces to the Living the Photo Artistic life magazine and 5 were published.  Of the pieces I entered into the Light Space Time calls, one received 11th place overall and 4th in its category.  There were also 2 Special Recognitions and 1 Honorable Mention.   I also entered 3 pieces in an online show for a local Art Group and tied for 2nd place.  I was really pleased when I looked at the results for last year.  The story I had been telling myself was I didn't do anything after I stopped the daily exercises and while things did slow down, I made significant progress which is really what I wanted for last year as I knew it was going to be a challenging year.

So now for 2024 goals...

Quilting:

1.    Tidy the quilting room.  Its gotten way out of control.  I moved my computer upstairs during covid and started dismantling the old desk area last fall and sorting the things stored there.  I want that area for crafting and lettering not for storing stuff.  I also want to be able to move around without risking life and limb.

2.    Complete the Butterfly quilt top.

3.    Complete the top of Love Entwined.

4.    Quilt 4 quilt tops that are waiting for attention.  

    a. Rainbow

    b. Labyrinth

    c. Moon dance

    d. Music Quilt

5.    Finish my Monarch Cherrywood Quilt.

Photography

1. plan some deliberate outings to play with the camera this year.  

2. Enter photocrowd challenges

Lightroom: 

Finish tidying 2015 and 2016.  Keep 2024 up to date

Digital Art: 

    Pick up the finger exercises habit again

    Submit to Online Calls for Entry as I find them.  I have at least two that I know of and I'm watching for others.  Additionally, I want to submit pieces to the magazine for publication.

    Post to my Instagram art account regularly.  my plan is once every two weeks.  If there is more to justify it, I'll do more but I would like atleast 24 posts for the coming year of new work.  I have a post I need to make about a call for entry result that was published January 1st.  One of my pieces came 10th in its category and the other received a special merit. 

    Setup an email list for the Digital Art. I actually had a good plan to work on last summer for this but just couldn't seem to focus on it.  The plan is to bring that forward, modify what needs modifying and get it done.  

Other:

1. Continue the swimming and walking.  The Splash and Dash class resumed last year and I was able to join it late in the fall.  I'm looking forward to continuing it this year.  I use the conqueror challenges to help track how far I swim and how far I walk.  They go to two different challenges normally.  At the moment I'm swimming the south coast of England and walking the Length of England.  

2. Daily Devotions - I've been doing these devotions with a group of ladies for 5 years at the beginning of February.  I'm looking forward to what else we study over the coming year.

3. Transcribe the Diaries - I made a tiny bit of progress last year.  Ideally I'd finish the rest of them this year but I think if I could finish the current one and one more it would be really good progress.

4. Sort house

linking up with Quilting Jet Girls 2024 Planning Party