The year 2020 is finally over and I’m glad. Not just because of the pandemic, which has all of us learning to live differently, but because my husband died last January. I had no idea the grieving process would be so intense, so life consuming and so difficult. But…I am feeling part of the human race again. I’ll never be over missing Jeff, but that is OK. There is always sadness and tears when I think of him but also more smiles and happy remembrances. And I’m back to quilting!! My blog posts were woefully “missing in action” last year. I will be engaged this year and can’t wait to hear from you!
Even last year when my heart and soul wasn’t as focused, the year started out with custom orders and kept me busy all year. This year has been no different. In fact, my first custom order was one received in September 2020! I was so busy last year that this customer had to wait until January 2021. The quilt I made her is shown at the top of this post, actually a quilt I have now made and remade for custom orders about 5 times. Since I don’t use patterns, each time is a bit different and sometimes customers want some tweeks in colors, but it is a fun quilt to create.
Soon after the new year, I received another custom order for a very large, my largest size (more on that later) art quilt. 
I just finished it this past weekend and it is being shipped today. It is an art quilt of yellows, oranges, and reds, 40″H x 60″W. I have another large custom ordered which I hope to start in a week or two.
As this new year starts, and I continue to sort out this new life without Jeff, I find that my quilt art is a haven for me. A place I can be creative and have fun. However, I am finding that making very large custom quilts is too difficult on my residential Bernina machine. So, after my final 40 x 60 order already received, I’m reducing the size of custom orders to a maximum of 48″ on any one dimension. I think this small change will make custom orders a bit more fun. For my business/hobby fun is important.
Stay safe and be ready for the vaccine when you can get it! I’m hoping in a few weeks for my first shot.
Sharon