Wrapping Up 2022

Early this year my parents had health issues that made them decide they could no longer live independently, and they asked me to find them a retirement home.  They had lived in Dallas for almost 50 years, but I live 200 miles away in a rural area north of Houston, so just choosing a retirement home in Dallas would have been a huge undertaking, much less trying to visit them or coordinate their medical care afterward.  So they kindly agreed to be the ones to change cities, and I was able to find them a nice community in the Houston area, close to me, but also close to doctors and hospitals.

Even with my sister’s help, getting them moved and selling their house was quite a task.  They were just getting nicely settled in when my mom fell and broke her leg, and we had new issues to deal with.  In the midst of this, my mother-in-law’s leased house was sold and she also had to move — thankfully I had kept all of the research I had done for my parents, and we helped my MIL find a good match. But it meant that she was downsizing from a 3 bedroom house into 2 rooms, and many more boxes of family mementos came to my house.

My sister also decided to join the rest of us in Houston, but she got Covid-19 for the first time, so she had to trust me to find a house for her!  She moved on Labor Day weekend, which is always a hot and sweaty time in Texas.

Through all of this, my family and friends were so supportive, and my parents dealt with all of the stress graciously.  And I was so grateful that my only task was the care of the older generation — unlike so many people, I was not also trying to hold down a job or raise kids through all of this.

But I tell you all of this, to say that throughout this year, I was especially grateful for all of your blogs!  You gave me so many mental breaks and mini-vacations.  I didn’t read every post, and I hardly commented, but I was so appreciative of the posts I read.  Here are some of my favorite blogs and posts from this year:

  • It is always refreshing to take a stroll through Claudia’s Sunday Evening Art Gallery
  • Nana Cathy offers concise book recommendations that add books to my to-be-read list.
  • Andrea writes on so many topics, and I love to follow the links in her Creative Juice round-ups, but the posts that “take me away” are her International Folk Dance posts, like this one about Polish dancing.
  • I love Tierney’s quilts, and when she writes about going on a quilt retreat, I feel like I got to go along.
  • Joanna’s quilts intrigue me with all their layers of interest.  When I am making an art quilt, I do consider “What would Joanna do?” but then I usually add some beads anyway even though she suggests I refrain.  🙂
  • Jean spins fine fibers, dyes it, weaves it into beautiful cloth, and then turns even the scraps into multifaceted works.
  • Kate always inspires me to use up my scraps!
  • Wendy posts so faithfully and provides a glimpse of a “pieceful” day.
  • Alys, I think, has had a much harder year than I have, but she finds ways to share art and uplift her community.
  • And I can always find a sense of quiet celebration of the simple life at Quimper Hittys.
  • Mary posts bright and cheerful quilt designs that I add to my “to-be-quilted” list.
  • Dawn makes a huge variety of blocks with precision.  And she tats, too!

To me, any kind of sewing is a huge stress reliever, especially when I can combine a lot of donated fabric into a useful item.  Often volunteers have cut these fabrics into squares and strips, but they are not very consistent in size or “raveliness,” and I am always relieved when I get them tamed. So I worked on these quilts whenever I could find some time.

So this year, I completed seven baby quilts. (I actually completed one of the multi-color I Spy quilts pictured below in 2021, but I also finished a pink quilt this year that I never got a picture of.)

Wild animal baby quilt.
Safari quilt.
Bright jungle quilt.
Safari quilt 2.
Three finished I Spy quilts. I have one more top to go.

Two more are just tops. Most of this fabric was donated; I would not choose cartoon kitties on my own.  🙂

Quilt top with kitties and tea cups.
Cartoon kitties and lady bugs.

I also did a few small projects — one chair seat made with paracord, three Christmas tree table runners, and three small art quilts for The Endeavourers online group.

Three versions of the runner.
The complete game board.
“Tea for Three.” The teapots are realistic but the handkerchief butterflies throw it into the “whimsical” category for me.
A nonrepresentational portrayal of “delight.”

So that wraps up my 2022, and I wish all of you a bright, happy, and calm 2023!

Category : Quilting
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