Eight Years

Swoon, 2011

A year ago, as I was contemplating the fact that I'd been blogging at A Quilter's Table for seven years, I was in the midst of prepping for a class with the Seattle MQG; anticipating a Facebook Live chat with one of my mentors; skimming through a magazine that contained my first article; finishing up a guest post on a new-to-me topic; and finalizing plans for a couple of teaching gigs. In short, I got overwhelmed and let the anniversary pass and the post sat in draft form clear to today.

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.

Unlocked ~ A City Sampler Quilt, 2014

Sizzling, 2015

For years I was sewing at the dining room table as I could find the time, and there was more slow-stitching considering I only hand-quilted back in the day. But when I hopped on the blogging train, things started moving a little faster. Truth told, hubby and I were still relatively new to the empty nest phenomenon, and not only did that allow more time, but I needed a focus that would help me deal with the changes. Blogging and sewing more to have stuff to share on said blog... well it was a bigger deal than I'd thought, and I certainly didn't anticipate where it would lead.

Yay or Nay, 2016

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.

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.