2020 Wrap-Up and 2021 Planning

Is there any way to start a 2020 recap post without acknowledging the elephant in the corner?  COVID took so much away, but it did strengthen my immediate family and gave me so much extra time to work on my various crafting projects.  I didn't enjoy supervising distance learning, but I did enjoy the 600 or so board games we played (top 3 were KingDomino, BananaGrams, and Rummikub) and making "speed puzzles" with my children.  And day trips in our home state discovering waterfalls were a lot of fun!

I'm writing this right after Christmas, and am still hoping to finish two more projects before the year ends.  One is small (my Animal Almanac cross-stitch) and one is larger (Snowflake quilt - finished this on New Year's Eve!).  I had hoped to finish Snowflake before Christmas, but of course I misjudged how much I had to do to prepare, and for the last few days I've just been hanging out with the family instead of in my sewing room.  Taking that into consideration, I've finished 22 quilted projects of any size in 2020, up from 17 in 2019.

Some notable accomplishments:

• My oldest finish was a sampler quilt started in 2018
• Four of the finishes were from my own patterns!
• Three of the finishes are pillows
• Twelve were projects started in 2020
• Two of the projects incorporated cross-stitch elements

Aside from the two projects mentioned above, I have 14 projects on my WIP list:

• 1 is an active QAL and two are ongoing scrap projects
• 4 are QALs that have ended
• 4 were untouched this year
• 2 are kid sewing projects, 1 of which is a stack of finished blocks
• Only two were started in 2020!  So proud to have mostly finished what I started!

Non-quilted things I sewed this year:

• Face masks (35) - just for my family and a few close friends
• Perfect Pocket Tooth Fairy Pillow (commission)
• Breakfast Pillowcase
• Blocks for two cooperative guild projects
• Three Drawstring bags

My goals for 2020 were mostly successful and I'm happy with my results:

• Did not get my WIP list under 10
• Gave away 6 of 5 quilts
• Wrote 4 of 3 patterns
• Did an at-home retreat
• Enjoyed writing monthly summaries tracking my goal progress

Top 5 from the year:

• My most popular post remains My (Almost) No-Waste Flying Geese Tutorial.  I can't blame you guys - such an easy way to make geese!
• I'm proudest of my Camp Stars quilt and pattern.  It stretched me and I love the result.
• My most popular finish was my Wake Me Up, Watermelon quilt - a controlled scrappy top.  I also really like the final photo I took of it!
• Second most popular was also a controlled scrappy top, Pandamonium!
• And lastly, a thrill from trying new things.  Big Top featured improv curves, wedge-shaped pieces, and was basted professionally.  All new things for me!  I also enjoyed a return to solids as I haven't done an all-solids top since the Range quilt I made in 2017!

Thanks for reading this far!  Here's a gallery to see my finishes, listed by date started:

2018 Summer Sampler Started May 2018 Finished April 2020	Pandamonium Started July 2018 Finished June 2020	Haunted House Pillow Started August 2018 Finished October 2020
Sandy's Garden Started November 2018 Finished January 2020	Scrappy Trip Around the World Started January 2019 Finished January 2020	Graveyard Smash Spider Started October 2019 Finished October 2020
Animal Almanac Started January 2020 Finished March 2021 (oops)	Flour Sack Shake-Up Started January 2020 Finished January 2020	Sunshine Quilt Started January 2020 Finished July 2020
Adventure Quilt Started January 2020 Finished November 2020	Rockets In the Snow Started February 2020 Finished March 2020	Catitude Pillow Started April 2020 Finished May 2020
Wake Me Up, Watermelon Started April 2020 Finished June 2020	Quarantine Cut Started April 2020 Finished October 2020	Battle of the Blocks Started May 2020 Finished June 2020
Propeller Mini Started May 2020 Finished May 2020	Blueberry Jam Started June 2020 Finished August 2020	Big Top Started July 2020 Finished December 2020
Sunstar Mini Quilt Started July 2020 Finished July 2020	Camp Stars Started September 2020 Finished October 2020	Chalk Stars Started October 2020 Finished November 2020
Snowflake Started November 2020 Finished December 2020	Shadow Pinwheel Pillow Started November 2020 Finished November 2020	Joy Tablerunner Started December 2020 Finished December 2020

So, where am I headed from here?  I enjoyed having loose goals in 2020 and I want to continue that trend in 2021.

1. Quarterly Pattern Releases.  And Chalk Stars DOES NOT count because I counted it as a 2020 accomplishment.  Also, the majority of the work for that one is already done.  So, 4 NEW pattern releases.
2. Quarterly WIP goals.  While I'd still love to get that overall number down, it's unrealistic to think that I won't start new projects (see pattern releases above!).  In the first quarter, I'd like to finish the kid sewing project that's almost done, my entire Plaidish Moths quilt, and the last couple of blocks for the Rainbow Blossom quilt.  I'll make new goals at the end of March based on my interests at that time!
3. Those tops that were untouched in 2020 - finish them?  Repurpose them?  Donate them?  There's four of them, so let's add dealing with one of them each quarter as well.
4. Continuing with the monthly recap posts.  I enjoyed writing these and showcasing the small steps of progress that didn't warrant an entire blog post on their own but were still fun to show off.

I'm linking up my top 5 finishes with Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and my 2021 goal planning with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.