Goal Setting
This post is part of a series: the Big Bed Quilt-Along. We're sewing along February - April 2018, but you can use the resources anytime to help you make a large quilt. Go here for links to all posts and use hashtag #BigBedQAL to share your progress!
Goal setting - I love it.
Seriously, it's the key to success. At least, it's one key that I hold dear!
When you read through the huge list of comments on my introductory question, "A Quilt for Your Bed?", you'll realize that we have a diverse group of makers. I thought it would be helpful to start by sketching out how you could participate in the quilt-along. We want to be inclusive!
Let this list jumpstart your goal setting. Give it some thought and then come back to Set Your Goal.
Making a public declaration of your goal is a great way to kick off your motivation. Be specific and be realistic. A vague goal is hard to act on. Similarly, a goal that's truly beyond you just doesn't do any good. A clear goal will help you pace yourself and know what you need to have on hand to succeed.
Don't be shy! Add your goal in the comments, along with your name and city (if you don't mind). It's fun to see where we call home on this great big planet.
Possible Goals for the Big Bed Quilt-Along
- Complete a Quilt Top - If you're starting from scratch or working on a particularly difficult quilt top, this might be the most reasonable goal for our 3-month window.
- Complete a Quilt Top + Prep for Longarming - This goal adds the task of completing a quilt back. You won't need to baste, quilt or bind if you're planning to send it out for longarming.
- Take a Quilt-Top through Quilting + Binding - Already have a finished or nearly-finished top? Your goal might be to baste, quilt and bind that sucker.
- Complete a Quilt - Start from scratch and take it all the way through to finish. This is a big goal, but I know some of you can pull it off! Your finish might include home quilting or longarm quilting services. The point is you finish with a bound and ready-to-use quilt!
- Multiple Quilts - You know who you are! Yes, you could work on multiple quilts for the quilt-along. If you have multiple quilts, feel free to post more than one in the comments. You might have three big bed quilt tops you want to take through quilting and binding, for instance. Multiple goals will set you up for multiple prize entries.... but the biggest reward will definitely be your sense of achievement!
Have I missed anything? If you're not sure if you can participate with your goal, contact me. By the way a "big bed quilt" is any quilt designed for a large, adult bed such as a queen. Usually the smallest side of the quilt would be more than 80 inches. No need to get too technical. If you're making it for a big bed, you can play along.
My goal is to complete my Facing East quilt top and prep it for longarming. I have about half of the blocks done, but that took me a year! If I can get the rest done in three months that would be fantastic. Once I get the top completed, I can use our longarm service to quilt it up quickly and durably. I know - so spoiled! I'll include in my goal the plan to prepare a quilt backing.
p.s. I live in Irmo, SC.
Let's hear it. What are YOUR goals?