Things 2022 Taught Me

It's December 31st, and I'm taking a look back through my camera roll for a trip down 2022's Memory Lane -- here are some lessons learned this past year-- both quilt-y and in real life!

  

January: Keep on keepin' on.

 

     Stitches of the Sea was the block of the month for the ill-fated 2020 year, complete with all its challenges. We ran out of stabilizer and thread as everything shut down, and the Octopus planned for October was a major mental battle to digitize eight legs with dozens of suckers on them. A full two years after beginning, I finally made it to the finishing kit just like I envisioned it so many months before. Lesson learned: Don't stop believing!

 February: Give yourself a head start on a finish.

    This was the month I realized that I had a couple of quilts that were 90% done. All that stood between me and a finish was 28 Ohio stars on this one. Once I made my mind up, I very quickly had my first finish of the year. Lesson learned: You're closer than you think!

 March: Family first.

    These two decided to go on the adventure of a lifetime-- the Appalachian Trail. Supporting them with drop-offs of food was a priority and a time suck. I was more than rewarded with breaks from the sewing room and new inspiration from nature as I got to visit quite a few states and parks.  Lesson learned: All sewing and no play makes for some dull quilts.

April: Try new things.

     This is a Halloween quilt I did on the longarm. Hey!... part of me says I have no business trying to longarm a quilt, but when I saw this photo-- Hey!... It looks pretty good. Lesson learned: No matter how hard a new technique "seems" to be, you'll never know until you try.

May: Little by little, finishes the quilt.

     This block of the month I signed up for finishes out at more than 10,000 pieces-- but divide that by 12 months, and you certainly have something very doable! Tonight, I'm just sewing up the very last seams of this quilt. Lesson learned: Don't overwhelm yourself with the "whole"-- baby steps, people!

June: Focus.

     I finally put the last stitches on this amazing Sandy Orton Autumn Sampler cross stitch almost a year to the day I started it-- my only hand project for the entire year. Yes, I loved and hated working on it, all year! Now that it's over, I realized how much it taught me about sticking with one project at a time. Lesson learned-- I tend to work on more and more until less and less gets finished-- next year, I'm going to work on less and less, to finish more and more! 

July: Evolve.

    This is a pattern from the late 1990s that I absolutely loved! I found it as we packed to move and was surprised how I would have ever considered making this-- my taste and skills have totally changed. I think we're meant to keep moving forward-- do the quilts you make look exactly like the ones you made five years ago? Maybe it's time to try something else. Lesson learned: Grow. 

August: Embrace your past.

   This is a bit of a counterpoint to the previous idea-- but take out those old quilts you made, look them over, and enjoy the lessons they have to teach you. As we packed, I pulled out many old art works, going all the way back to college. Are they all amazing? Far from it, but it is so satisfying and incredibly motivating to see your body of completed work, and how you have grown. Lesson learned: Never forget where you come from!

September: Move on.

     This month, we stepped out of our beautiful Plymouth home for the last time. Despite frantic efforts to find a home or a mover for my mom's piano she purchased in the early 1950s, no such opportunity came through. Our home buyers allowed us to just leave it there in the end, thank goodness. So many memories of this item, and just looking at this photo gives me pangs, so this was one of my toughest lessons this year. Sometimes you can't take it with you. Lesson learned: Get over it.

October: Tomorrow is only a day away.

     At this point, the hikers had been on the trail for 5+ months and almost 1800 miles when we got a call from the DD. Her foot pain was now unbearable, and she couldn't go on. The dream was over. We were happy to pick her up and bring her home to rest, see a podiatrist-- maybe rejoin her partner later. We all agreed she would just stay at a hostel for a couple of nights to make sure it was really over for her. In short, it was not. She felt significantly better on Monday and went on to have one of her best days on the trail, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Lesson learned: Tomorrow's a game changer! 

November: Neatness counts.

     As I am still faced with a dozens of sewing boxes to unpack and a sewing room that still is just stud walls, it strikes me as tragic that I didn't take care of the beautiful room I had in our former home. It was always just a mess! This is an area I am determined to do better with next year. Lesson learned: A quilt isn't finished until all the scraps are put away! 

December: Ask for help when you need it.

     A growing stack of "flimsies" and a longarm that's still not assembled convinced me to send out a couple of quilts for finishing. Does it take away from a finish that every stitch wasn't

of my doing? Absolutely not-- this quilt is gorgeous and will be loved. Lesson learned: Finished is always better.

Hope you have a chance to ponder your 2022 camera roll tonight and think about where you came from, and where you're going... with every ending there is a new beginning, isn't that true?

Happy New Year!

xox

Carol