Reflections on 2011

As 2011 comes to the end and we ring in 2012, I would like to reflect on the past year.  I started the year with good intentions and enthusiasm about continuing to make barn quilts.  I did start the year by making the New Year's barn quilt.  This was a challenge presented to me by my friend, Suzy Parron from Stone Mountain, GA.  I have a link to Suzi's blog here on my blog.  I finished the New Year's barn quilt in about a week. 

 

I thought that it would be a neat idea to make a barn quilt to comemorate all the holiday's of the year.  If you've been following my blog, you will see that the idea never materialized and I went into dormency (for a lack of a better word).  Other activities came up through the course of the year which didn't help.  To be honest, that really isn't a concrete excuse.  I should have found time.  When autumn came I told myself that I had to get back into the game.  Halloween was coming up, so I made the Halloween Pinwheel.

This project got my creative juices flowing again and I was looking into what to make for Christmas.  In the meantime, I received a much needed adrenaline boost from a lady in Illinois who wanted me to make a barn quilt for her mother, as a Christmas present!!  I couldn't believe that one of my creations would be hanging on someone's house, out of state!!!  As of this writing I'm awaiting photo's from Illinois of the barn quilt hanging.  When I receive those photo's I will post it on my blog!

I now had to think about what to make for Christmas.  My thoughts were answered by a good friend of our's, Sue Messinger, who I had made a door quilt (1' x 1') back in 2010.  Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it to show.  Sue wanted me to make a Christmas door quilt for her.  I didn' take long to come up with a pattern!!

Does it look familiar?  That's right!  It's the same block pattern that I used for the Illinois barn quilt.

Now that the creative juice's are flowing, I ordered new business cards AND door magnets for my pickup truck, so I can catch the attention of all the lovely quilting ladies traveling on the roads to their favorite quilt shops!!!  I've been commissioned by a lady who I work with to make 2 barn quilts for her.  One for her summer cottage in New Hampshire and one for her home her in Connecticut.  So, hopefully, 2012 will be a great year for Barn Quilts by Dave!!

I want to take this time to wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year!!