Friday, March 10, 2017

What a Week! But at Least There's a Finish

My daughters and grands left on Sunday evening after a four-day visit.  (Just for a chuckle this is my 4-year-old grandson wearing his sense of humor and a pair of pantihose pulled up to his shoulders.  He's a character.)

On Monday I was sick and my one-and-a-half-year-old computer didn't work.  I was able to sign in but then the screen turned black.  A friend suggested a solution which, after waiting anywhere from two to six hours, seems to work.  I turn the computer on in the morning and by late afternoon maybe, just maybe, I'm able to use it.  I think I'll try leaving it on tonight.

If you are like me, when one part of your life is out of kilter it's hard to focus on anything else.  I use the computer for music in the background, to do research and answer questions, to manage photos, type my journal, email, index for FamilySearch, etc.  I stitched some scrappy blocks for another quilt but I had trouble focusing on other things because the computer wasn't working.  The computer problem would have been slightly less distracting except that I had some church responsibilities to fulfill.  Thank goodness I bought a little tablet at the same time I bought the computer two summers ago.  It's not easy to use and it doesn't have my word processing program on it but it was better than nothing. 

And now for my finish.  This afternoon I chose a border for this Buckeye Beauty quilt and tonight I cut and sewed it.  This is a very red/rouge quilt.  I like these colors together quite a lot.  I think I'll use this color range for another quilt using a different block pattern.

red scrappy Buckeye Beauty quilt

This is an indoor, nighttime, flash photo which makes the border look more pink than it looks in real life.  I chose this fabric when I saw the afternoon sun stream in the window today.  It looked so welcoming and beautiful. 

This border fabric was one I thought I probably wouldn't use when I wrote the last post about this quilt.  But thriftiness led me to reconsider it for several reasons.  It was a shirt before I cut it apart for the fabric.  I was leaning against cutting into yardage (or even half yards) for a border and I didn't want to take the time to cut and piece a scrappy border.  Aside from the yardage, this was one of the fabrics that had enough to go all the way around the quilt, or nearly so.  (And if it hadn't been quite enough, I would have used the arm or front or back of another similar shirt to make up the lack.)  And most of all, I wanted this quilt done and off the floor.

Do you ever push a quilt just to get it finished?  Make a quick decision that you hope will be the best one for the quilt without thinking too much about it?  If so, do you ever have second thoughts and wonder if you should have taken more time to decide, or wondered if you compromised the integrity of the quilt for the sake of speed?  I'm slow at making decisions and wouldn't hesitate to leave a quilt on the floor for a few months (if I didn't have to move it) before deciding on a layout or a border.  Sometimes it's a burden to be so indecisive.

What a week it's been.  I'm glad it's almost over, but at least there was a finish!

I'm linking this post to
> finish it up Friday at crazy mom quilts
> Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
> Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

--Nancy.

19 comments:

  1. I prefer to 'get a move on' and just make a decision! I allow myself some decision making time, perhaps a couple of days, but then I give myself a stern talking to and tell myself 'it doesn't need the perfect border /stashing / setting'. I don't aim to make a perfect quilt and I remind myself this all the way along! I still view each quilt as a journey and learning experience:) I want to improve my sewing skills every time I sit down to sew, but I also just want to get the quilt made!

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    1. I like your attitude, ES. I think I should give myself a stern talking to sometimes, too!

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  2. I agree with you about having one thing amiss in your life and unable to do anything else. A few winters ago our pipes froze to the house. I couldn't do laundry - true - but my husband brought water in from the shed (that is plumbed and didn't freeze) to wash dishes, take sponge baths, and cook etc. I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but what I couldn't do. It lasted 3 wks which was far too long. We leave our water running during below freezing temps now so that won't happen again.
    I've got a quilt top I'm pushing to get done. It has a pieced border and if I don't like the border when it is done that's too bad. It's going on the quilt!!!
    I think your red border looks great.

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    1. Three weeks would be a very long time to go without running water in the house, Robin. If that happened to me I probably wouldn't get much of anything done!

      I like your attitude -- like it or not, it's saying. I do that, too, but when I end up not liking the quilt much I don't want to finish it -- quilting, binding, etc. But then I don't usually change it, either. It just sits on my stack of quilts to be quilted and finally settles to the bottom where it stays. Ha ha.

      Thanks for your kind words on the red border.

      Take care,

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  3. I think your decision looks great - I wait a bit until I am comfortable with what i am doing - I have so many projects going on I can afford that luxury.

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    1. Thank you, Maggie. I think it's good to be comfortable with a choice. It seems I often second guess myself. Sometimes I think I'm comfortable with a choice and then, after everything's sewn, I think some other choice could have looked better. Maybe it's just lack of confidence on my part.

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  4. Love the border! Sometimes waiting is the best way for me and also taking photos seems to help. I guess doubt is all part of the process... things usually work out ok after I've had a bit of a think!

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I think nearly any of the border choices would have been fine but I'm satisfied with this one.

      I agree that photos help. They seem to present a more objective view, a step away from my involvement with a quilt. And I find I do usually like to step back, let the quilt rest for a bit, then make a choice. Doubt -- yes, it's definitely part of my process!

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  5. I actually love this reddish/pinkish look to the quilt; it is very warm looking. I am most impressed that you were able to press into service second hand cloth; now that's a real quilt. I do tend to rush the endings; I am always eager to have the piece done but choosing the all important border is sometimes a real challenge. Letting it sit for a while is a good thing to do. I too get out of sync if my computer doesn't work; like you mine is a kind of life line these days even for someone like me who is not that electronically wired!

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    1. Thank you, Jocelyn.

      It's amazing how important computers have become. I never would have guessed it 30 years ago (when a typewriter was one of my most important pieces of equipment!).

      I often use gently-used shirts or skirts in quilts. It's hard to find new plaids to purchase but easy to find them at a thrift store.

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  6. Your quilt looks like a perfect warm cuddle!
    I enjoy dithering about borders and such. Strangely enough, though, several times I've narrowed down a decision to a couple of possible choices and I dither and dither for days, then suddenly I get a hare-brained idea completely out of the blue and just go with it immediately. So, ya never know...

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    1. Thanks, Gayle. I like your description of choosing borders - from the dithering to the quick choice. I occasionally make those quick choices but not too often.

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  7. I like the border choice. I sometimes spend way too much time overthinking a fabric selection for a quilt. I find that often my first instinct is what I come back to after all, so I am trying to learn to just go with it in the first place.
    That grandson looks like he keeps you on your toes. : )

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    1. Thanks, Janet. I think I spend way too much time thinking (overthinking) nearly every decision about a quilt. I would get lots more accomplished if I didn't think at all!

      Yes, that grandson is full of energy and curiosity and doesn't hesitate to take matters into his own hands to see what happens if/when.... Imagine the movie version of Dennis the Menace at 4 1/2. Accidents just happen. And I love him to bits!

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  8. Looks like the best use for pantyhose I have seen in a long time! What a character! I love your buckeye beauty!

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    1. Thanks, Pam. He's a character for sure, and fun into the bargain.

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  9. I really like that border. I think it looks great, even with the flash. Nice finish of the top.

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  10. Hehe, that little grandson of yours reminds me very much of a certain 3-year old grandson of ours, same mischievous grin! And, yes, getting the fabric for the borders just right can be a challenge. I just recently put a huge piece of a lovely fabric onto the back of a quilt I'm hand quilting, and now realize there is nowhere near enough of that fabric left for the inner border of my Quilty 365 top, where it would be absolutely Perfect ... sigh

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