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Swoon, 2011
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A Maisy Quilt, 2012
Fissures, 2013
Looking back, I see something similar happened at the end of year six, and that Five Years was the last time I documented the annual date with a post, and I think I know why. As much as my sewing style had been evolving over the course of those first five years, the last three have been compounded - by opportunity mostly - and none, absolutely none of those things mentioned above could I have said back in 2011. The bottom line is... things have changed.
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Sizzling, 2015
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Yay or Nay, 2016
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Follow the Dots, 2017
I still hear the comment, "What you do now is sure different from what you used to do." And I'm always happy to hear that. Because I'm glad I opened myself up to what could be, and somehow became less afraid of trying something new. Even now, I have a project on my design wall that I've been thinking about for a while, and now that I'm into it, I don't like it. And I've come to a place where that's ok. To be honest, I feel a stab of disappointment in myself when this happens though. Like, I've traveled far enough, I should be able to avoid situations such as this. But that's not how life goes. I move forward, willing to explore a bit, and just see where it takes me. Sometimes it's a marvelous place, and just as often, not.
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All In, 2018
This isn't quite the post I thought I was sitting down to write, but in the end, that's ok too. In fact it's down-right reflective of the last eight years. What I was searching for back in 2011 was "a fuller presence." I wanted to join in the online quilting community in a larger way. And in stepping into that, a whole new creative world opened up. I sure didn't expect my 'style' to evolve, and I definitely didn't anticipate the myriad of opportunities that have come my way. I got way more than I had hoped for, and for that I'm grateful. I owe alot of that to you. And going forward? I'd say the possibilities are endless. Thanks for your part in it all.