Sunday, December 26, 2021

A different year, in a good way

 Hello all, and welcome to the end of 2021! I hope your holiday went great and you're ready to take a look back at the year that was along with me. It was a different kind of year, in a mostly good way. Certainly less trauma, along with much more fun, interspersed with bouts of bad pandemic news. But I got a vaccine (or three!) and was able to meet my granddaughter who was born during lockdown, and to see my parents, my kids, and several of my siblings and nieces and nephews. That alone makes 2021 a much better year.

I must have spent a lot of time indoors and away from other people in the past year, because I finished a lot of things up this year, including fully completed quilts, unquilted tops, and other quilted things like fabric baskets and table toppers (And masks. I made more of those, too. Ugh.) Many of those projects were several years old already and just came out of the closet and got quilted up. Combine a full closet with lockdowns and social distancing and you have a recipe for many finishes!

There are two quilts that won the popularity contest this year, and they are both bright and happy, which we definitely needed this year:
 
(Clicking on the captions will take you to the post about that quilt!)

Both of these are quilt tops that were in the closet and finally got finished up this year. That's a good argument for cleaning out that closet, isn't it? A much-needed jolt of happiness in a sometimes-dark year.

My personal favorites are also a tie. I finished two quilts that had been in progress for a long time, and now they are actually both on beds in my home:

Cold, clear, and colorful and Paper Dolls
 
In addition to these, there were several other fun, happy quilts completed this year, including this beauty that was a gift for my niece's wedding:
 
A quilt to end the summer

That's a happy way to start married life, isn't it? It was hard to get pictures of this one because I thought I would take pictures at the wedding venue and it didn't really work out, but the bride and groom loved it just the same.

A few more bright, happy finishes:
 
Clockwise: Brown bear, Bear on my Quilt, Sunshine in the Rain Lost and found.
 
Some donation quilts: 

A few baby quilts:
 
A special quilt finish for my sister-in-law:
 
Finishing Betty's Quilt

And a couple of tops that will become happy finishes in the new year.:

Snail's Trail and Saguaro

That pretty much rounds out my quilty year! I'm surprised by the roundup, but happy, and grateful that I have friends to share it with. 

Now, let's say thank you to 2021 and bid it goodbye, and get ready to welcome 2022! Wishing you all peace, happiness, and lots of color in the new year. 2022 is bound to have its own challenges, but we've faced down plenty of others, so let's all resolve to look forward with hope and joy, with friends by our side to share it with.

Happy 2022, everyone, with love and good wishes to all!

Pine Tree Point

Sharing at Cheryl's Best of 2021 roundup at Meadow Mist Designs.


24 comments:

karenbbsnow said...

So many beautiful, cheerful finishes. You certainly were productive!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Congratulations, Mari - what a lot of beautiful finishes! Wishing you and yours a healthy, safe, and contented 2022.

grammajudyb said...

Lots of beautiful in your post today! I don normally think about doing a year end post. Maybe I’ll try to do it this week!I might be pleasantly surprised.

Bernie Kringel said...

Wow!! Mari, you accomplished a huge amount over the year. I love all of them. If I had to choose, maybe Paper Dolls would take first place and Joyful would be second. But really, they are all wonderful. Can't wait to see what you come up with in 2022!!!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Oh such beautiful quilts and amazing color!!!
Heres too a happy 2022!!!!

Melanie said...

That is sure a huge amount of finishes. And a lovely text. I wish you all the best for 2022. More closet cleaning and finishing tops, more happy colored quilts and lots of visits with your family. xo Melanie

Debbie said...

Wow! What great eye candy! Fantastic quilt finishes.

Ivani said...

OWO Mari, beautiful quilts! You are so inspiring and talented quilter.
Happy Holidays, Happy 2022.

MissPat said...

I knew you had gotten a lot done this year, but this really shows how many quilts you finished. Now on to 2022 when I hope to get back in the groove with RSC.
Pat

Dawn said...

Wow -- you are one productive quilter! What a lovely variety of quilts. Happy 2022!

JanineMarie said...

Ooh, wow, Mari. What a good year for you! I can’t believe how much you got done, even if some of the quilts were started in the past. Have a fun year-end, and a happy new year. “Let’s hope it’s a good one…”

The Joyful Quilter said...

Bravo, Mari!! I'm glad you had a better year in 2021. This was an excellent post filled with fabulous quilts!!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Yes, lots of lovely finished quilts, delightful!

piecefulwendy said...

You've had a great quilting year! Here's to the next! Happy New Year!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

So fun to see your quilt round-up for 2021, Mari! All so beautiful and hard to pick a favorite. I enjoy seeing how you use so many different designs and great color combinations. Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Break and a Happy New Year of quilting to you!

Sara said...

You had some awesome finishes this year! I would have trouble picking a favorite one. I am excited to begin a new year, and hope it brings a happier healthier country.

Ginny said...

I really like Kaleidoscope and Snail Trail.
You mentioned that there were some problems with the pattern for Kaleidoscope. Are they worth the problems to but the pattern?

Mari said...

Hi Ginny! You are no-reply, so if you email me I'd be happy to tell you some of the issues. It's worth it for the pattern if you're an experienced quilter who can come up with a simpler way of doing some things. Thanks for stopping by!

Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts said...

Oh Mari, what a brilliant round up. You’ve had such productive year, congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful 2022 😀

QuiltGranma said...

Kudos for a fantastic round up of tops and finishes!

Mel Beach said...

Love seeing all the cheerful colors in all your fabulously finished quilts!!

Cheryl said...

Such a productive year, congrats on all of the beautiful finishes! Thanks for linking up and Happy New Year!

Nann said...

What a wonderful array of quilts! You had a grand year.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Yes, you got lots done this year. I also got a new grandbaby this year (and got to meet him when he was almost 6 months old, since he lives in Alaska). Praying for a much better 2022.