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Wednesday, January 8, 2020

A Fresh Start

Happy New Year to all!  You know, with everything happening over the past few months (new puppy, moving to a new home/contractors working, holidays), it occurred to me that I haven't sewn anything since...wait for it...September.  Yikes.  Even before September, there were a few pretty significant family happenings over the summer that curtailed my creativity, the biggest being the passing of my mother-in-law.  All of those are legitimate reasons to put my quilting on hold, but even when I had a little time to sew here and there, I found myself feeling too overwhelmed to start anything new.  I just had too many things going on to allocate brain cells to thinking about one more thing.  I even forgot to enter my Gossip Queen quilt into QuiltCon, which was always my plan for it, and I was so disappointed in myself when I realized I had missed the deadline.

Over time though, what I discovered won't come as a shock to many of you, I'm sure.  I really missed being creative, even if I still didn't really know what I wanted to make.  I finally decided on a simple Greek Cross quilt for our guest bedroom and started cutting and sorting my blocks.  I loved the fabric pull, but even as I began, it was more out of obligation than inspiration.



But you know what?  After a little while, it felt so good to get back into things. That my friends, is three stacks of progress.  I've been missing a sense of normalcy for literally months, and beginning a new quilt is a step in the right direction on restoring order to my life.  Don't get me wrong, I was pretty rusty on the planning part of things.  I made a miscalculation and had to go back into my stash for more fabric, and it took me three days to get everything pressed, cut, and sorted but still, normal.  Now that everything is ready to sew, these blocks should go together pretty quickly.

Thanks to all of you who have stuck by and continued reading/commenting while life was complicated and I couldn't share quite as much.  I am truly looking forward to 2020 being a wonderful year with lots of pretties to show off. (would uneventful be too much to ask?).

Our last party feels like forever ago, but there were some amazing projects linked up, as usual.  Linda at Flourishing Palms showed off this beauty.  I love the optical illusion it creates-


Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared her (third!) Meadowland quilt.  So pretty!


And JanineMarie at Quilts From the Little House linked up this fantastic Chicago skyline quilt.  It's amazing!


Okay, y'all!  It's the first NTT of 2020, so let's make it a good one.  It's time to link up!

1You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)





18 comments:

  1. Welcome back. That is an interesting way of organizing the little bits for your blocks. I love being organized like that at the beginning of a project then I can just sit and sew without having to plan. Looking forward to the reveal.

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  2. Congratulations on getting back in the swing of things! : )

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  3. So happy that things are better for you now. Looking forward to seeing your Greek Cross quilt.

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  4. Welcome back Kelly and best wishes for a creative year!

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  5. Glad your back and your creative brain cells are cooking up new ideas. Can't wait to see what you are working on.

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  6. That's a lot of plates! I am glad your life is stabilizing so that you can work on a quilt project. I look forward to seeing it - the fabric trimmings are pretty.

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  7. Oh my, Kelly, you have had a bit of craziness in your life lately. I'm so sorry to hear of your mother-in-law's passing. So glad you are getting back in your groove, and yes -- I hope for a much calmer, quieter, creative 2020 for you. That stack of blocks in waiting is very exciting. Can't wait to see your progress!

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  8. I've been waiting for you to come back to us!! We all know you've been through the ringer on several fronts and have been in your corner. Any one of those would be enough to stop creativity! I hope you are doing well now. No more puppy pee, or construction!!! Give the girl a break!!

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  9. It's hard to get started again after a break. I'm curious about the plates. Is that a method you always use to keep things organized?

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  10. I'm glad to hear you're finding your way into the swing of sewing. Look forward to your new makes and hoping 2020 holds lots of good things for you and your family.

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  11. I'm terribly sorry for what you had to deal with last fall. I also know that every one of us experiences such seasons, so we empathize, and understand. Good times; bad times. And quilt making/sewing is absolutely one of the best forms of therapy. I'm glad for you to have found solace in rotary cutting. Looks like you did a LOT! Thanks for sharing my L Cabin quilt. Yes, it certainly is an optical illusion in photographs - not so much in person. I just shipped it off to Austin today, for QuiltCon! I'm sorry you miss the 2020 QC deadline, but you can definitely plan for 2021 QC. I plan to attend that show too!

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  12. Life does get in the way sometimes in the creative process. My condolences on the loss of your mother-in-law.
    Here's to a productive and prosperous 2020~!

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  13. Welcome back! You definitely had too many life changes last year, no wonder you had to pull back from some things to deal with the essentials!! I hope that 2020 will be a year of creativity and healing for you and your family.

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  14. Glad to see you back! Looking forward to where you go in 2020.

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  15. Good to see you back, Kelly! Upheavals are NOT fun, though it sounds like you're coming out on the other side now. :-)

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  16. I’m glad to see you’re back in the studio again. Neat project organization with the plates! Thanks for the publicity with my quilt. I’ve been sick since day one of the new year, and have been looking forlornly at unsewn projects, so it perked me up to see your share.

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  17. Can't wait to see what those paper plate projects will become! Welcome back to creativity!!! And thanks for featuring my 3rd Meadowland quilt. Number 4 is in the works!

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  18. Welcome back and good luck getting back into the sewing. Sometimes life wrecks havoc, but we have to keep on keeping on. Happy New Year.

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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