I suspect that everyone has been feeling a little off balance this year. I went from periods of incredible productivity to periods of total lethargy. Sometimes these periods lasted weeks and sometimes it was all within a few days or hours.
Without consciously choosing it, my word of the year for 2020 was Frenzy!
What I learned in 2020
The year started as every other year. I had been working from home since the beginning of December 2019, but had no idea at the time that in a few months everyone else would be doing the same!
Small Projects
This year was dominated by smaller projects. Some were quick, like most of the Project Quilting pieces, the journal covers and some of the TextileArtist.org's Stitch Club 2020 projects.
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| Making Stitcher's Journals |
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| Working with translucent fabrics |
I'm happy to say that I used my agenda and extended it to 2021. It's so useful to have one place to put all of my quilting and blogging plans and dates.
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| FMQ agenda cover |
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| Quilting and blogging agenda |
Of course having an agenda is not the same as actually looking at it 😊 as I learned yesterday morning - I was sure that the 2021 - My Stitching Resolution was on December 31st....well it was not 😔 and I was late to the party. That was very typical of my year, so why should it change now?
Major Projects
With all of the small projects going on, I have to say that my major projects this year were rather small, and most of them not finished. I did finish my Exit Strategy 1. It was supposed to be the first of a series but I wouldn't put any money on it! There are just too many squirrels in my life and my attention span is very short right now.
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| Exit Strategy was finished in 2020 |
For my 350th post, I blogged about starting to piece my son's quilt. This is an ongoing project that is not quite done. My One Monthly Goal (OMG) for December was to finish the quilt top but that won't happen. I am happy to report that I'm not that far off.
Here's a bit of an update as of December 28th.
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The parts that are outlined in red
have been re-done |
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| Blue print of the quilt re-do |
As you can see, I spent a lot of hours working on this project during the holiday season. Chevy was, as always, hanging around. She slept through all that was going on at the cutting table.
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| Chevy can sleep anywhere |
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I took out my large cutting mat
to work on this project |
I'm really hoping to post the completed quilt top by mid-January. I'm going for my third round of making this my One Monthly Goal - my January OMG is a finished quilt top!
In May I started working on the Pinwheels and Stars baby quilt during Free Motion Mavericks. I think that working consistently on one project brought some needed stability to my quilting life. Of course now I'm at a part that I can't just fudge my way through, so it may take a little while to get back into it.
A new studio
My pride and joy this year is my new art studio. I am so grateful to have this place to play.
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| We all love the new space |
What I learned- I'm quite happy to say that I reached my blogging goal, which was to write at least as many posts as last year. This is the last one, taking me to 68 for both 2019 and 2020!
- This post has been about what I learned, but here is my take-away:
- It's been a difficult year for everyone. I realise more than ever that self-care is important. You can't take care of others if you are not well yourself. I am physically fine but I will need to spend more time in 2021 taking care of my mental health.
Calm is my 2021 word of the year.
Related links
Linking partiesI will be linking up to many fun parties, including the
Best of 2020 Linky Party, hosted by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs.
Midweek Makers,
Colour & Inspiration Tuesday To-Do Tuesday,
Needle & Thread Thursday,
Off The Wall Friday,
Finished or Not Finished Friday,
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?,
Peacock Party,
15 Minutes to Stitch in 2021,
January's One Monthly Goal (OMG)
You've learnt a lot and made lots of beautiful things. Happy New year!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Janine. Happy New Year to you also! Take care.
DeleteCongrats on the new studio!!1 You've had many artistic projects this year, Andree!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Nancy. I'm hoping to keep the studio my sanctuary of calm as I keep creating, hopefully in a more mindful manner...one can only hope and work at it. All the best for this new year Nancy. Take care.
DeleteUne belle rétrospective de l'année !
ReplyDeleteMerci bien Frédérique. Je m'amuse aujourd'hui à lire ton #AtoZChallenge2020. La recherche que tu as mis dans tes postes est vraiment impressionnante. Bonne fin de semaine.
DeleteHi Andree! Oh, that's a great word for the year - calm. We could all use a bit of that in our life! I almost forgot about Project Quilting, which I see is starting up sometime this month. Thanks so much for linking up this week and Happy New Year to you. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteHi Roseanne, I'm going to make an effort to keep that calm around me. Project quilting starts on Sunday! I'll see what the challenge is before I commit. Hopefully I can make one or two at least. All the best for this brand new year :-) Take care.
DeleteLooks like you had a very good quilting year, congrats on the new studio. Thanks for linking up and happy new year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl, it was a good year creatively. Thanks for hosting. All the best in 2021!
DeleteWhat a great year in review... Chevy kinda steals the show though - what a funny place to sleep!! Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alycia, yes that's Chevy's job to steal the show. She's often half out of her basket - whatever makes her happy! Happy New Year and take care.
DeleteCalm sounds like the PERFECT Word of the Year for 2021 (after the chaos that was 2020!!)
ReplyDeleteHi Joy, I think that it will be perfect. I just finished Project Quilting's first challenge and I called my piece Keep calm & stitch! We have to learn from the chaos of last year! Take care.
DeleteEach time I visit you, Andree, I am struck by the amount of new things you have learnt. You have fashioned some gorgeous pretties this year. Isn't it sweet that Chevy snoozes in his comfy bed while you stitch away. I rather love the word "calm". The world could well do with a fairly large dose of it in these times.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kim. I love having Chevy's snoring as background noise :-) She's never far away, so she may as well be comfortable. I just finished my Project Quilting piece and it's called Keep calm & stitch. I hope that I'll remember that! Take care.
DeleteI love your agenda cover. So pretty! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Angela, it's a great way to practice FMQ. Happy New Year!
DeleteYou had a very successful year in art and I look forward to the new year. May we all stay sane.
ReplyDeleteHi Denise, you said it perfectly! Let us all stay sane. Take care and Happy New Year.
DeleteYou've got some fun projects finished for last year. Good luck with your plans for 2021 and your first OMG! Thank you for linking up with the 15 minutes to stitch.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate for your party. Yes, it was a fun and productive, if not crazy year last year. This year I want it to be fun, productive and calm :-) Take care.
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