There is a saying I've heard many times that has taken on unique meaning this year: HINDSIGHT IS 2020!
As I look back, this year I definitely had a turning point in my quilting journey. I lost some of the zest for my projects and it seemed I could never finish a project. In fact, for 2020 I finished nothing but managed to start 3 new quilt projects and umpteen (that's a technical number I often refer to whenever I've lost count) masks. My beloved sewing machine had a motor burn out that controlled zig-zag stitching and it froze off centre, so machine quilting became more of a challenge.
But I meet once a month with a lovely group of women who moved to Skype with global pandemic. They also increased the times to meet from once a month, to almost daily. These ladies have been such a blessing in this pandemic. We don't always talk, but we always support each other in our quilting journey and they certainly served to inspire me often.
One of the ladies found a quilt in a bag opportunity for us all. It was a class on using machine quilting rulers that would result in a finished quilt and a whole lot of learning. I've only ever done stitch in the ditch type quilting and it was high time I expanded my repertoire. I got talked into joining in and adding a fourth quilt to my start list (in all fairness, my arm did not take much twisting). For several weeks, we would watch the video tutorials on my laptop over the Skype connection. We all bought the kit individually and each of us had the videos, but it made sense to watch together so we could stop and start it as needed to discuss key points. I learned a lot, despite the frustration with my machine and my skeewiff needle position (another technical term that most quilters will understand).
The highlight of 2020 for quilting would come in two distinct events. One was the completion of a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt top. I have yet to sandwich and quilt it, but I completed the assembly of the "Frolic" quilt top. I was really proud of myself for getting this far and having this beautiful quilt completed in 2021 is definitely a goal.
The second was my "new to me" sewing machine. I got a Husqvarna Viking Epic 980Q. I call it my "Ferrari" as it is definitely a high-end machine that I didn't have on my radar to consider purchasing, but when an opportunity came to get a one-year-old used machine at the store that sold me my previous machine (and it had been purchased and maintained by this shop too), I leapt at the chance (with my husband actually being the one to insist that I deserved it).
So here's to 2021, and continuing the quilting journey as I build my skills and complete projects (I'll be updating the UFO page tomorrow!!). To everyone, I wish you all the best for a new year and here's hoping 2021 brings more quilting adventures for us all!
