2024 Q2 Goal Check-In

I feel like I just finished writing my Q1 check-in post so seeing Yvonne's post on my blog feed was a bit of a surprise to me - the last three months have just flown by.  Most of my sewing time was spent focusing on my BluePip Designs business.  BluePip is starting to feel more like an actual small business venture and less of a part-time hobby and I'm happy with that!  I'm also making time to sew non-business things so that my hobby doesn't fall by the wayside.  Right now, I am happy with the balance I have between the two sides of my quilting.

This time around, I'll start by talking about my professional goals and then go into my personal goals:

Goal: Finish Creating Paper Patterns ✅
I created paper patterns for Windsuit, Zephyr, and Bernie's Mittens.  I started with Windsuit because it was freshest in my mind (thus the easiest to reformat), then Bernie's Mittens because it's a shorter pattern, and finally Zephyr because it's my best-selling one!  These were originally only available to buy in person at the Duluth Quilt Show, but are now live in my pattern shop for anyone to purchase.

Goal: Offer Tech Editing Services ✅
A nice softball goal; all I did was put up a new page on my website offering this as a service.  I have a computer science background and editing experience.  I love reading and math and look forward to helping people put their best pattern forward.  If you know anyone who is looking for a tech editor, feel free to send them my way!

Goal: Release Flyover ❌
I ran out of time for this.  I did release Windsuit, but all the work for that was done in Q1.  Once the release was over, I spent all my time working on the paper patterns in my first goal.  I'll talk more about Flyover in the Q3 goals section.

Baby-Sized Windsuit Quilt

I have been writing monthly patterns for the Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild as part of our "Row by Row" challenge quilt.  These patterns are free for guild members but they are giving me a chance to practice writing different types of block patterns and I'm learning a little with each one.

Goal: Finish my Under the Sea Blocks ❌
I finished the crab block that was in-progress in my Q1 check-in post, but then never went back to that project.  I've been more interested in instant gratification when I'm sewing for fun so I started two other projects instead.  The first is sewing with yardage with no improvisation so I can sew without making decisions and the second was a mystery quilt that I actually finished on-time and is now just waiting for its turn to be basted and quilted.

Under the Sea Block

Fado Road

Lemon Blossom Mystery

Goal: Fun Sewing ✅
I only finished two quilts and one cross-stitch mini quilt this quarter, but I love all three of them!

Kona HST Challenge Quilt

Sloth Baby Quilt

Fox Cross-Stitch Mini

And now the fun part: looking ahead to Q3.  Summer is a slower sewing time for many reasons, but that doesn't mean I don't have goals!

Q3 Goal 1: Pattern Releases

I've figured out how to fix my problem with Pebbled Prairie so it has jumped back to the head of the in-progress queue.  It is jelly roll friendly, so I'd like to release this in time for National Jelly Roll Day in September.  The guild pattern project also wraps up in September, so that's two writing projects done.

Once those two are finished, I will go back to working on Flyover (unless a different pattern idea nudges its way in first!).

Q3 Goal 2: Lemon Blossom Quilt

I haven't done any custom quilting in a long time and this quilt is begging for a little bit of that.  I'm planning to do straight line quilting between the blocks in black and then do matching thread colors within each individual colored area.  This will take a while, but I'd like to get it done.

And with that, it's back to work!  Thank you to Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl for organizing this check-in and thank you to you for reading all the way through to the end!