Our Goals for 2024

So… I have to say, I’m glad to step into 2024 & leave 2023 behind.

This past year has easily been the most difficult one of my life. The situation with my folks has escalated to the point where at times it’s been almost impossible to concentrate and maintain focus. I know that without a doubt that big changes need to take place in order to maintain my physical and mental health.

So with this in mind,

1- Now that my folks are safely placed in a top-notch facility where they’re being well-cared for… my most important goal for 2024, and the one that trumps all others is SELF-CARE.

The stress of this past year has simply been unsustainable at times & I have made the difficult decision to start prioritizing my health.

2- My second goal for 2024 is to once again produce TWO new bag patterns. Assuming I can keep my focus on self-care as we move into the New Year, this should be relatively easy to attain. Our next new pattern is pretty much on schedule to release in late February.

3. Go on Vacation… preferably far, far away! Because the only time I truly relax, recharge and totally forget about what’s going on back home is when I get several time zones away.

My husbands working VERY hard to maintain his mobility and with the help of some of the finest doctors in the world (at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center), we plan on having a few more years to travel and do as many of the things we love doing for as long as its possible!

4. Develop a bag sample sale/incentive program for our wholesale customers for this year’s International Quilt Market. I’m still working out the details, but it would work something like this.

• Take along samples of our most recent designs to sell to wholesale customers at “fair market price”.
• In addition to purchasing the bag sample, that customer must ALSO purchase 12 patterns for that design at wholesale price.

I see this as a “win/win” for us AND for our wholesale customers because…

• our wholesale customers will go home with a beautiful, well-made bag to display in their shop which should immediately generate interest & enthusiasm in the patterns and perhaps a class involving that pattern. Emphasis here is on the word, “immediately”. Normally this store owner would need to either make a bag sample themselves, OR pay someone to make the sample and this program would sidestep all of that!
• For us- it would create immediately create a “buzz” about the pattern and also potentially create reorders from us or from our distributors. Sound good? Let’s see how it works out at this Fall’s Quilt Market. We have all year to get ready! 🙂

5. Beyond this, my goals for 2024 are similar to previous years…

• work towards increasing our social media reach on our Newsletter, our FaceBook page, our FaceBook Sewing Group Page, Instagram, Pinterest and our new YouTube Channel.
• and engage in a full show schedule (sans masks or restrictions) even though we’re not planning on ever going back to the Road2Ca show. For your convenience, our show schedule for 2024 is detailed below.

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival – Hampton, VA – 2/29- 3/3/2024
AQS Paducah – Paducah, KY – 4/24-27/2024
International Quilt Market – Houston, TX – 10/31-11/3/2024
International Quilt Festival – Houston, TX – 11/2-5/2024

So in closing…

please know that I am SO grateful for your support in 2023 and for the past almost two decades. Every morning I wake up happy to go downstairs to work and everyday I know how fortunate I am to make my living doing what I most love doing! Here’s hoping 2024 deals us ALL a decent hand!

And now, it’s YOUR turn!

Have YOU made any plans or goals for 2023, and would you like to share them with the rest of us? If so, please feel free to do so in the space provided below! And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.