2021 review…

Well that was another weird one, wasn’t it? With the pandemic still raging on, continuing to affect all aspects of our lives – schools going back, then not going back, homeschooling, holidays planned, holidays cancelled, events going ahead, and then not going ahead… it’s been a bit of a topsy-turvy year and as we enter 2022, I wonder if the end is in sight??

I’ve been quiet on the blog front, and usually when I write my annual review, I have a long list of things I’ve done and written about, but last year, I seem to have only written a handful of blogs and all of those were ‘quilt spots’. I did do more than just spot quilts on the telly – honest!

My intention was to write about a number of my creative activities: for example, I finally finished the ‘Wellbeing Quilt’ which I started in 2019, I designed some quirky fabrics, and I even started a new quilt which I’ve titled ‘Love and Peace’.

Not as creative as other years, I admit. And it’s probably in large part due to being occupied with other matters. Life sometimes just gets in the way of being creative. And sometimes it throws you a curveball and you simply just have to make the best of things.

I always think that there is something positive to gain from any negative situation. Or at least, I try to find a positive way through challenging times. I might not be able to think positively straight away, but I know it’ll come to me once I’ve given myself some time to think things through.

What I thought was a major set back for me in May, has turned out to be a massive step forward. In the last few months of the year, I finally decided to enroll on a Counselling Skills course which will hopefully lead to a counselling qualification – something I’ve wanted to do for ages; I also completed the training week to become a Forest School Leader (and am now working on finalising the coursework), and perhaps more importantly, I set up an allotment group to help a group of people who are struggling with their mental health – you can find out more here: Wild Roots Allotment Group. All of the these things are interlinked and I had wanted to do for ages but had never got round to doing them. Being pushed back, has really pushed me forward and am so happy at what I’ve achieved so far.

As we enter 2022 I have no major plans, except that I want to live life to its fullest. I hope it’s a good one for you and yours, and hope that if life throws you a curveball, you hit it right back, and harder!

Mel x

Projects

The Wellbeing Quilt

The idea behind the Wellbeing Quilt is to celebrate people’s journey of mental health recovery. I finally completed it last year.

Love and Peace

Using the alphabet paper piecing templates I designed, I’m slowly putting together this new quilt. The templates will be available to purchase from my Melony Patch Etsy shop.

Teachers’ Rosettes

‘Thank you’ presents for my youngest daughter’s teachers – we decided to make rosettes like last year as they proved to be so popular! (And like last year, I couldn’t help making myself one… well, I did do some of the schooling after all!)

Fabrics

Fabrics designed by me and printed by Spoonflower. These are available in my Melony Patch Etsy shop.

Christmas fabrics

‘Patchwork House’ range

‘Ice Cream Fun’ range

‘You Are’ range

Quilt Spots

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ – March 2021

‘Paddington’ – May 2021

‘Paddington 2’ – May 2021

‘Psycho’ – April 2021

‘The Devil All the Time’ – January 2021

‘Virgin River’ – January 2021

‘War Horse’ – January 2021

‘Witness’ – March 2021