Check out the video that goes with this blog HERE.
Where It Started:
It is hard to believe that it is my third year doing this. Setting these yearly goals that I hope to turn into habits has changed my quilting life, and I hope it has changed your, too. Interested in finding out more about previous years and goal setting in general? Start here.
A quick note: some links in this post are affiliate links (including Amazon). If you shop through them, I earn a small commission — it's one of the ways I keep this blog running, and it never affects what I recommend.
2026 Quilting Goals and Habits
Without further ado, here are my Quilting Goals/Habits for 2026! If you would like to follow along and create your own goals, I have a list of I also have a free monthly worksheet to help track your goals each month.
These videos and blogs have helped keep my 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!
Want to work on your own quilting habits and goals? Here’s a tracking worksheet to help you!
October Happenings & Highlights:
It has only been three week since my last update, and honestly, not much has been happening, mostly because I had oral surgery about two weeks ago and that knocked me down for a bit.
Live Streaming Update: Learning the ins and outs of this! We are hoping to go live for a test run sometime in the next two weeks and then again on Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to this new adventure!
I am also getting ready for this year’s Countdown to Christmas where I will be posting a video a day featuring the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Jenny’s Countdown to Christmas quilting advent box! This will be my sixth year doing this! It is so much fun! I can’t wait!
October: Goal Update
Goal 1: Use It or Lose It
Score: 5/5
This was a very productive month! Not only did I get a lot of quilt tops to the quilter (more on that in Goal 4), I did some handwork on the hand-pieced postage stamp blocks, embroidered more birds, and quilted a quilt top myself. And remember last month when I said I was going to try to use some of that fabric I have been hoarding? You know the stuff—the fabric you never want to use because it is too pretty? Welllll, I did it! I used this fabric that I hand-dyed about six years ago. I just love this fabric and never wanted to cut it up. I decided to bind a quilt with it and I am so glad I did! It looks amazing! It is also a great reminder to use those pieces of fabric that are sitting in your sewing space.
Glow: Not only did I work on some past projects, I also cut into some treasured fabric.
Grow: Keep going and remember how good this feels!
Goal 2: Clean As I Go
Score: 3/5
It has been hit or miss this month with this goal, and I think part of it is because my shelves are a mess. Yes, they are organized, but they are also disheveled and dusty. Maybe it is just me, but I feel like when things are like this, it is almost like a contagious disease. The mess seems to spread, or maybe I am just unmotivated to keep it clean. I am not sure. I do know that I will be cleaning up these shelves and the entire area before I decorate my sewing space for Christmas.
Glow: YAY for the times I did actually clean up as I went.
Grow: BOO for the times I didn’t. I think (I hope?) cleaning up the rest of the space will help keep me motivated in cleaning up as I go.
Goal 3: Curate & Catalog My Quilts
Score: 3/5
I decided to keep going with this goal by organizing the content of the bags a bit better. For example, I had all 28 of my vintage and antique quilt tops spread out over a bunch of different bags; this month I found them all and put them into two bags that are specifically for quilt tops, making them even easier to locate (I really want to get them finished someday!). This became much more challenging that I thought it would be and took much longer than it should have. I got all kinds of mixed up! HA! BUT it is done. I want to organize all of the quilts more, but I need to figure out a better system.
Glow: Completing the goal of getting all of the quilt tops together
Grow: Get better at this so it isn’t so overwhelming and confusing for me.
Goal 4: Finishing Quilt Tops
Score: 5/5
My longarmer was on vacation, so I didn’t get quilt tops to her until late last week, BUT I did do a few other things to work on this goal. I ordered backings for two more quilts to be quilted in the next round, and I finished an older quilt top, my 30 minute quilt top, on my domestic machine. I used a flannel sheet backing that I purchased at a yard sale this summer. I quilted it with organic waves. It was so much fun! And, of course, as mentioned in Goal #1, I used the hand-dyed fabric as binding. I love this cozy quilt and can’t wait to make more!
Glow: Getting more and more quilt tops finished! YAY
Grow: Continue to keep up with this! It is so satisfying!
Goal 5: Sewing 15 Minutes Each Day
Score: 2/5
First, let’s talk about the goal of sewing for 15 minutes each day. I didn’t do great at this, and I can tell in my own mental health. Because of this, I am scoring myself a bit lower. Second, thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions for books, programs, creators, etc. that offer patterns that would work well into my goal of sewing for 15 minutes a day. There were so many suggestions. Here are a few: Summer Moon, Alice’s Wonderland, Vintage Christmas (shown in photo), Katherine Kerr, and Gnome Angel. I also have a section in my Amazon Shop, but as always, please support those local quilt shops first. They need our support! And lastly, I did make one block from Vintage Christmas by Lori Holt. I am not sure if I will continue with these or not.
Glow: I am on the hunt for a new project. That’s good, right?
Grow: Get back into a routine of sewing each day. I really miss it!
I would love to hear how you did with your goals this month. Let me know in the comments!
Happy Quilting,
Kris
