2025 Habits: May Update

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My 2025 Quilting Goals/ Habits

How It Begun:

I decided in December 2023 and the beginning of January to change some things in my quilting life that just weren’t working for me. After evaluating the good, bad, and ugly, I came up with my top five habits I wanted to implement in 2024. If you want to check out those videos, here’s the 2024 Quilting Habit Goals playlist.

Since 2024 was so successful, I am continuing this series in 2025! Each month I will update you on my progress. If you would like to follow along and create your own goals, I have a worksheet to help you. You can download this free worksheet HERE.

I will also offer a worksheet for each month, too. You can find May’s habit worksheet HERE and June’s habit worksheet HERE. These videos and blogs have helped keep me accountable. After all, I know I will be reporting to all of YOU on this, and I don’t want to let you down. I highly recommend having someone to keep you accountable, if not in a public way like I am doing, then in a group of friends. It helps me so much!

Here are my 2025 quilting goals:

May Happenings!

Since my last update in April, I have been working on (add info here)

May Update: How Did I Do?

Now that it is May , I am going to evaluate how I did in the past month by giving myself a score and where I did well and where I need to improve. Since I am a former teacher, I am going to stick with what I know, using the terms Glow (where I did well) and Grow (where I need improvement).

Goal 1: No Home Zone

Score: 0/5

Oof. Remember how confident I was last month? How I even considered changing the goal because I thought I conquered it? Well, it is a new month with new challenges, I suppose! This area because a dumping ground again, and it seemed to just happen without much warning. I noticed it one day while working in my sewing room. Honestly, I was surprised when I looked over and. saw the piles. Needless to say, I will have to continue to work on this habit. Eeek! I think it even worse than before.

Glow: I noticed it. I think that is the only glow I have about it. :)

Grow: Do not let me guard down on this one! These piles seem to grow more if I don’t reign them in daily.

Goal 2: Being Intentional with Quilting-Related Purchases

Score: 3/5

Here me out on this one: Did I overspend this month? YES. Do I have great excuses? Also yes. HA! So much happened this month and some of it included spending. Let’s start with the yard sales I went to. Wow! So much good stuff! While I didn’t overspend (I think I spent a total of $20), I did buy stuff I didn’t need, thus cluttering up my sewing space and not being very intentional. One of the many things I purchased is this incredible lot of vintage calicos! I got these in a box for $5, along with a bunch of other quilting stuff! Next, I went to an event in Palmerton, PA called The Airing of the Quilts and spent some money. While I did get a few things I needed like items for upcoming videos, tutorials, and even an old quilt for an upcoming Lessons from an Old Quilt video, I also bought a few things that I would consider impulse purchases. You can see a few of those items here.

Glow: I was aware of overbuying. I also supposed small businesses and purchased items for videos. Does that count?

Grow: Got to events like this with a list. I really should have had a list.

Goal 3: Paring Down My Scraps

Score: 5/5

I am really proud of myself for using up the leftover scraps from a Just One Layer Cake quilt immediately to make these cute zipper pouches. This helps with the environment and helps control my scraps. Win, win! I also pulled from my scraps to make some backings from quilts. I am also continuing to work on my leaders and enders project. Overall, it was a great scrap-usage month!

Glow: It is becoming a habit to reach for scraps first before getting online to buy. I love that!

Grow: Continue to reach for those scraps! It is satisfying seeing scraps come together into a project.

Goal 4: Getting Out of My Quilting Comfort Zone

Score: 5/5

I did a thing. I purchased a class on making a blouse. Talk about getting out of my comfort zone! I have made clothing before, but it has been about six years since I have really made anything involved. I saw this project come up in a newsletter from The Crafting Gemini. I have taken her classes before and loved them. I decided to jump right in and take another! Although I haven’t started sewing it together yet, I am well on my way. I purchased the kit from her, got my serger serviced and practiced on it, and have my ducks in a row to start! I am hopeful that next month I will have a finished shirt (with buttons) to show. Wish me luck!

Glow: Not only did I sign up for a clothing-making class, I also used my serger for the first time in a long time. YAY!

Grow: Make the dang shirt, Kris. Make the shirt.

Goal 5: Better Health/More Movement Breaks

Score: 4/5

It has been a busy month! Although I haven’t been moving intentionally like I wanted to, I am moving a lot this month between attending events, going to yard sales, and even hosting a yard sale with my parents. This required a lot of cleaning out and organizing, which always makes you feel better, right? I wish I could say my bout with shingles is over—it is not—I can say I am feeling better than I was. Improvement is improvement. I will get there! My mental health is improvinig, too. I talked about the capture notebook last month. It has been a game-changer. Overall, I am doing well, but still have a long way to go. I also went to lunch and shopping with my mom (notice the fall stuff is already out at Hobby Lobby!).

Glow: Continuing to take steps to feel better. YAY!

Grow: Exercise! I need to exercise.

I would love to know how you are doing with your goals! Let me know in the comments.

Happy Quilting,

Kris