December Goal Setting

For me, December is the hardest month to set a goal for.  There's so much going on!  Our little family has plenty of traditions and each year I try to mix it up and add something new to delight the kids.  It's also fun to ask them what their favorite tradition is - the answers often surprise me!

But amidst all the family time, I do enjoy sneaking off and taking a little time for myself.  I try to only sew for fun in December, so let's take a look at what's on my mind right now.  First of all, if your handmade gift isn't done or mostly done by the start of December, you probably aren't going to get it.  There are so many deadlines in December that I don't need the added stress of trying to craft on a timeline.  That being said, I do still make holiday items!  I tried something new when I was rearranging our family room to fit the Christmas tree this year and ended up with the end tables pushed together as a temporary coffee table (the regular coffee table is a now a display table for Christmas decor).  I threw some yardage over the top to make it look like it's a single table.

Love it, but that's a lot of poinsettias.  I want to make a green placemat to go in the middle under the bowls.  My guild is doing a mini retreat on Saturday morning and I'm planning to piece it together then and have it finished by this time next week.  And if I don't, no one but me cares so no real timeline to worry about!

Next, of course my Snowflake quilt needs to get quilted and bound!  This is such a stunning quilt, I'd really like to be snuggling under it on Christmas morning!  After careful deliberation, I'm submitting this as my December goal at Elm Creek Quilts.

Finally, I've been working diligently on my Animal Almanac cross-stitch pattern all year long - I love that it's a little calendar!  Unlike my quilts, which generally get quilted very quickly after I finish the tops, my cross-stitches tend to get thrown in a box when the stitching is done.  So while I'm not worried about creating month twelve, I would like to take the extra time to finish it before the new year rolls in.  I even know where I want to hang it!

And that's it for now!  I've already started on my 2020 wrap-up post and it's fun to take a look at each of my quilts from the year all together.  Fingers crossed for a relaxing and fun December and I wish the same to you!