Some people make goals to be more healthy. Others to save money. If you’re a quilter, your goals are not only attainable, but they come with the added benefit of having a beautiful quilt draped over a couch or bed or to hang on the wall.
Will you learn a new sewing method this year? Try out a new pattern? Get crazy and make an improv quilt? (Yes, do it! You won’t regret it.)
Whether setting goals comes naturally or not, at some point in your life as a maker you will have more projects you want to make than you have time for or you’ll have multiple works in progress languishing in the darker corners of your sewing space.
Never fear. There is hope, yet. You can finish those UFOs, and you can do it this year…with a little help from your friends atCurated Quilts.We have a few suggestions for how to successfully piece together your New Year quilt resolutions:
Co-Founder and Co-Editor ofCurated Quilts, Amy Ellis, hosts a weekly challenge on her Instagram page. She calls this the ‘One Thing Challenge.’ The idea behind the ‘One Thing Challenge’ is to accomplish one simple quilt-related task each week and thereby achieve progress without becoming overwhelmed. It only takes 10 minutes to succeed! Those precious few minutes each week become the target time for accomplishing your one thing, and before long you will feel the satisfaction of accomplishment and success.
Each of us is busy, sometimes so busy we feel we don’t have enough time to do the things we want to fulfill our quilting goals. But when you focus on a small step forward, especially one that doesn’t require large amounts of time and energy, you can continue to make progress and conquer the WIP that has been lurking in your workspace.
Another quilting opportunity you could participate in this year is the Colour Challenge 2020 hosted by Martina Latimer of Quilted Works.Curated Quilts is excited to be a sponsor of this worldwide, free event. The challenge encourages creativity, teaches skills, and provides participants with a community of like-minded makers. Every two months the challenge moves to a different part of the world. You can sign up for the Colour Challenge onMartina’s website and find more information about it on Instagram at @martinalatimer_quiltedworks and on the Martina Latimer Quilted Works Facebook page. #colourchallenge2020
What if your quilt-related goals extend beyond just getting a project done. Are you ambitious enough to try your hand at submitting your best work to hang in a quilt show?
There are so many quilt shows you can submit your quilts to, probably more than you realize. In addition to submitting your quilts to national shows, look for show opportunities closer to home. One of the conveniences of having your quilt in a local show is that you can usually drop your quilt off personally at a designated location, thus saving on shipping costs and avoiding the risks that accompany putting your quilt in the mail system. It also provides an opportunity to share your accomplishments with family and friends living near you, as well as strengthening your local quilt community.
Want one more idea? Consider making one of your goals this year to have one of your quilts featured in a modern quilt journal (wink, wink).Curated Quilts offers multiple submission opportunities. We are looking for innovative quilts that exude the modern aesthetic.
Some of the opportunities available include:
- Article author
- Pattern designer & writers
- Mini-Quilt Challenge (detailed instructions for how to submit to our Mini-Quilt Challenge can be foundhere)
- Gallery quilts and more.
Whatever you end up accomplishing this year as it relates to quilting, we hope you’ll be able to find joy in the process. As we venture into a new decadeCurated Quilts looks forward to the possibilities that lie ahead. We are incredibly thankful for our readers and for the community of modern quilt makers that continues to surprise and inspire us with their creativity. We can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for the modern quilt world!
By Brittany Bowen Burton