That’s a Wrap!

That’s a wrap!  We made it, we survived 2020!  I like to start each new year with a list of quilting goals for my blog, and end the year looking back to see what I’ve accomplished.

I am so happy for all of you who are new here, those of you that hadn’t yet found Darcy Quilts last January 1^st, who get to end the year with me!

This last year has been like no other year in living memory.  Such an understatement!  Looking back at my 2020 quilting goals, all I can do is laugh at how naïve I was in January.  All that aside, let’s talk quilting and sewing in 2020!

So how did I do at keeping my goals in the middle of this crazy and never-ending year?  This was what I intended to do in 2020:

1. Take a sewing class.

Nope.  Since I live in the city where Covid-19 first took hold in the US, our shutdowns started earlier than many other locations and in person classes weren’t really an option.  Well, if I’d had my act together in January or maybe even February, I might have been able to take an in-person class. Nevertheless, no quilting classes, but maybe 2021 will be the year to FINALLY accomplish this goal!

What kind of sewing class will I take if I ever have the opportunity?  I want to learn how to free-motion quilt on my little machine.

2. Make something that isn’t a quilt.

Ha!  I really wasn’t thinking about masks when I made this goal, but holy heck, I made a crap ton of masks.

I also made a cute polka dot skirt and a pair of pajama pants, so yes, this goal can be checked off.  Also, I think I might keep it around as an annual goal.  It wouldn’t be a bad thing for me to continue to step outside of my comfort zone.  And I love the concept of Me Made May and would love to improve my (non-existent) garment sewing skills.

3. Learn how to make Half Rectangle Triangles

Yes!  I learned how to make Half Rectangle Triangles.  Actually, does this mean I can check off the class goal?  I didn’t take an in-person class, but I did read all of the tutorials I could find online, and that’s sort of like a class, right?  A self-paced class.  I work in an elementary school, don’t make me use the word “asynchronous” ever again.  Self-paced.  Independent study.  Whatever, I learned something new.  Half Rectangle Triangles (HRTs) aren’t actually difficult at all.  (Note to self, step outside of my comfort zone more often, because awesome things are waiting!) I even wrote an HRT pattern called Sensation.  I’ve got a second HRT pattern planned for 2021.  I should probably write a tutorial next year too…

4. Take a photography class with the intention of improving my quilting photography. 

Once again, in person classes not so much in 2020.  I did however break my decade-old camera.  Honestly, it had never been as good as it once was after it went sand surfing in my pocket, but it got the job done.  I upgraded to a new mirror-less DSLR and have LOTS of camera/photography learning to do in 2021.  It’s an amazing camera and all I’ve really used is the automatic setting, so I’m looking forward to improving my quilting photography next year.  I did make up a cute, quilted camera strap to make new camera extra fun and fancy.

Wondering about sand surfing?  So much fun!  You hike to the top of a sand dune, and then slide back down on a sand board.

5. Write patterns. 

My goal was 4 new patterns and I ended up with 4 or 5, depending on how you count.  Each photo links to the pattern.

Modern Log Cabin – a fun, modern color spin on an old favorite

Checkered Stars – quarantine was good for something, as I sketched out this pattern while doodling during our very first online sermon.  That certainly wouldn’t have happened if we had been meeting in person that Sunday.  I bought fabric to make this quilt the morning of our first Distance Learning day, about 6 hours before our Stay at Home order was announced.

 Double Stars – two stars combine to make a fun and quick fat quarter quilt

Sensation – all the half rectangle triangles!  Sensation was mentioned above, under a different goal, but it belongs here too.  This color palette is sooooo bright, but I love it and I’ve claimed this particular quilt as my own.  So has Scout.  You wouldn’t believe how frequently she tries to steal the quilt from me.  I’ve even found her pulling it off the back of the couch to make a nest.

On Point – Updated to include bed sizes.  This is the one that doesn’t really count as a new pattern, but it continues to be my best seller as well as the pattern I am most proud of, and it did require nearly as much math as the original pattern writing just to add the additional sizes, so it can be listed here as well.        

Writing patterns will be on my list of goals for next year too.  This is Sunset Plaid and this is your first sneak peek at a quilt pattern coming in early 2021!  This pattern had been on my to-make list for several years.  I was inspired by the colors of a sunset in a children’s board book, and spent years both collecting just the right fabrics as well as letting my brain mull over the pattern in which to best feature them.

6. Clean out the scrap bin. 

Well, yes.  But also, no.  The scrap bin is never empty.  I’m working on it, really.  But those suckers just multiply faster than I can use them up.  Maybe I need a “no fabric shopping until the scrap bin is empty” goal for 2021.  That feels unnecessarily harsh, like I’m being punished, but it might not be a bad idea.  Check back tomorrow for my 2021 goals to see if I follow through on this idea or chicken out.  I do like fabric shopping, so we’ll see…

Each photo links to the tutorial, and here are a couple of my favorite scrappy quilt tutorials from this last year, and I can promise more are coming in 2021.

7. Have fun! 

Yes!  But not quite as planned.  I’ve found that if I only focus on quilting for business, it can become a drag.  Quilting for fun without any agenda needs to remain a priority. 

I quilted for fun this year, but not in quite the way I imagined.

Quarantine + furlough + a broken camera = nothing left to do but quilt for fun.  And while it was fun, it was also forced by circumstances outside of myself and so it wasn’t quite the goal I had imagined.  Here are some of the quilts I made while I couldn’t document my work for a pattern or tutorial.   I also chose not to document my skirt or pajama pants making, so those can fall into this category as well.

• 

• 

• 

I bet 2020 didn’t go according to plan for you either, did it?  What is something unexpected that you did get to accomplish in 2020?  What were you able to do, that hadn’t been on your original goal list for the year?

I’m excited (and, let’s be honest, a little terrified) to see where 2021 is headed, but one thing is sure, you’ll find me quilting all along the way!

As always, you can find me in all of these locations:

www.etsy.com/shop/darcyquilts

www.instagram.com/darcyquilts

www.facebook.com/darcyquilts

www.pinterest.com/darcyquilts