Looking Back at 2020 Quilty Accomplishments

Well, we're finally here at 2021. Whew! It's been quite the slog hasn't it? Frankly I am amazed to see so many quilts reach the finish line--17 in all! Somehow my expectations were that the entire year was a total dud, but maybe not in regards to quilting. I've been having so much fun checking out everyone else's 2020 makes, that I almost forgot to do my own end of the year wrap up!

2020 finishes (1)

I don't like to post the final year wrap up as a boast or a 'look at me' thing, but rather as a marker for scrutinizing where my quilt making is headed as compared to past years. Is my voice still managing to shine through? Am I creating unique and interesting quilts or am I just phoning it in these days? It's also my way of encouraging forward momentum. Seeing all of the completions together in one place reassures me that the previous year wasn't wasted effort. 

2020 finishes (2)

And on a side note, personally, I don't feel that anyone present with their quilting during last year was 'phoning it in', no matter what they made. At least it happened! Just maintaining a regular routine of playing with fabric kept many of us in the game and sets us up for more creative adventures in the future. That's a good thing. Creative flashes of brilliance are something to be treasured. Lets pave the way for more opportunity whatever our resources or limitations!

2020 finishes (3)

Could I have challenged myself more? Sure. If I would have had the mental reserves to actually push myself. Ha! As it was, I'm so very grateful to have had a hobby and craft where I could consistently lose myself in the mediation of hand work. Even if it was on the most simplistic quilt ever! I've talked and talked and TALKED about how important using my hands is to my overall {mental} health and well being. This past year brought that message home to me in spades as if it needed further underscoring...

So sad, depressing, irritating? to read back how wonderfully optimistic I was going into 2020 and know now that it would be more about surviving.*sigh  Are you tired too? I'm just exhausted. Clear down to the bone. Maybe my quilts will turn dark and scary as I work through so many emotional roller coaster rides, disappointments, and missing out on basic, ordinary human interactions. Nah... We're a resilient breed, us quilters. Gonna make all the cozy, cheery looking quilts that I can possibly churn out in the next 12 months! Count on it!

Here are the 2020 Quilty Folk details that probably only matter to me:

• 5 Bed sized quilts finished up
• 9 Lap size quilts
• 3 Baby quilts
• 8 of these quilts were completely hand quilted
• 1 of these quilts was completely machine quilted
• 8 of these quilts were a combination of both machine and hand quilting

Like always, there are quilts that grow tired of hanging out in the quilt stacks here and decide to go live somewhere else. 9 quilts were given away this year, some of them finished up or made especially for a special someone. I whittled down my 'completed' quilt top list to 22 {it was 23 last year}, and then one of my sisters handed off two older quilt tops that she was intending to drop off at Goodwill. Yup. I caved. Honestly, it doesn't feel like added pressure though. I'll get to them whenever. Without any sweat equity involved I could even potentially use them as quilt backings. 

What's 2021 gonna be like? Well, no promises of tutorials or anything like that. I'm usually doing pretty darn good to get in a post once in awhile here on the blog. Still going to be doing deep dives into the stash totes challenging myself to make something, anything? cool with the old stuff. Turns out that I love doing that, and the more it happens, the more interesting it seems to get. When I'm having a particularly unmotivated day, making a new fabric stack is a huge draw. Nothing lifts me up faster than an hour or so lost to digging for the absolute perfect fabric combination. Though I rarely find perfection, it's the tactile {and visual} hunt that thrills.

Applique has gotten fairly out of control around here lately. I'm literally shaking my head so much your screen is probably vibrating. Do I have any self control? With 9 open ended quilt projects in the works {totally normal for me!}, 8 of them involve applique elements or I'm currently scheming about how to work them in. gah! Who has the time? Oh, and 2 of those 'completed' quilt tops from earlier? Don't be surprised if a couple of them end up with more applique added on too. I continually keep pulling Big Kiss and Ormes Inspired in particular out, pondering the very best way to get the look that I keep thinking they need. It's my process. Guess I might as well own up...

So yeah, I'm not giving up nor am I giving in. Just gonna keep going with all the quilty stuff that blows my skirt up whether it makes sense to you or not. We'll probably be seeing more tulips and baskets on quilts, more series work, continuing efforts at a utilitarian and improv. sorta vibe, the occasional weird color palette, and yeah, lots and lots of other applique and hand quilting. Feel free to come along for the ride. I'll try not to bore you too much....