January Sewing Goals - Recap

Sewing goals review time!  Here's my initial list.  And here's my final list:

• Piece the 36-patch quilt top
• Complete 24 Christmas wonky 9-patch blocks
• Complete Hocuspocusville block #3
• Sew and install drawstrings for my drawstring bag

In a previous post I talked about how great the goals were because they gave me a direction for my sewing.  There were many times this month when I was bored or agitated and the sewing list gave me a fool-proof plan-- I didn't have to waste time deciding what to do.  Instead, I just did it.  

What I didn't realize at the beginning of the month was how much work I had assigned myself.  Each of these goals took a lot of time and effort to meet, but I managed to do every single thing on this list and then some.  I don't think I've been this productive since the summer!

So what did I learn?

I learned that I didn't need to approach the list in order.  Instead, I worked on bits and pieces of projects throughout the month.  Doing it this way kept me from getting bored and frustrated but it also allowed me to accomplish quite a bit.

I also learned that I need direction.  This list kept me off the internet.  I didn't spend as much time browsing flickr and reading blog posts as I normally would have.  I haven't talked much about it here, but the inundation of blog posts, photos, tutorials, quilt alongs, swaps, giveaways, and popularity contests is absolutely draining.  For me, the internet creates a stressful amount of pressure and sucks the fun right out of sewing.  Setting these goals gave me a purpose and allowed me to once again enjoy my hobby.

I learned that success is a powerful motivator.  Crossing items off the list motivated me to keep moving to finish more projects.  Obviously that worked for me.  With direction and motivation I finished one huge project, almost finished another, and completed two small projects.  Pretty soon I won't have anything left to work on.

What's next?  I have a few goals in mind for February.  Stay tuned.