It's the Little Things That Tip Us Over the Edge

Gotta love the blogging world. I was cruising through quilty blogland the other day when I stumbled upon a picture of a Tree of Life Quilt. Yes! Love those! Gayle and I commented/e-mailed back and forth about how it was one of those quilts on our bucket list and it all got me to thinking.

Tree of Life fabric selection minus a fabric or two
I think it is really happening......

You see, I already have had a stack of fabrics with the Tree of Life quilt pattern in mind. But it's been sitting there for months and months. And months. No real inspiration to get going on it. At all. Every time I dragged the fabrics out and looked at them, I just kind of mentally wilted. Seriously? This is all you got for me the fabrics would say? And I would just stuff them back in the box with a sigh. Yep. That's all I got. Maybe next time.

Getting some fabric cut out

Then on Saturday, while I was digging through my fabric totes for a binding fabric, I stumbled on a really lovely orange fabric. (Don't ask me why I was in the brown/orange tote, I was looking for a green?) Anyway, I threw the orange fabric back in the tote and kept digging, but my insides were practically quivering to work with that particular orange fabric. Technically it has got to be fall. No matter what the calendars say--I can feel FALL in the air so therefore It. Is. Fall. And there should never be a problem with cutting up (or sewing) orange fabric in the fall. Especially say, orange trees? And maybe a blue tree or two? For some reason the thought of a couple blue trees just tipped me over the edge into... cutting-out-a-quilt-regardless-of-the-UFO-list insanity.

The Old fabric selection for Tree of Life quilt
Too much like my Flock of Geese quilt

The next thing I knew there was fabric flying everywhere and I was knee deep in fabric choices, practically humming from all the fun I was having. Now, you might think my choices are interesting {I know I do}. And I'm a bit worried that the background fabrics will look choppy together? But my mom has undoubtedly had an influence on me whether she intended to or not. She was over to visit just last week--for those that don't know, they are now renting a small single-wide trailer a block from their burnt property, not staying with us. All about needing to borrow a wee bit of fabric. Just a few strips mind you! Being a good daughter, I refused to pick them out for her. Absolutely not! I refuse to inadvertently change the feel of her first 'post fire' quilt by making any of the fabric decisions for her. I would somehow 'brown' it down or make it too blendy with my particular choices!

Anyway, the entire point I'm trying to make here is this: I watched in amazement as she poked through my fabric totes and came away with the weirdest, most wonderful mix of fabric I could imagine. I knew this would happen! Out of MY very own stash! I am in awe. I told my youngest daughter to watch out, her grandma was going to make a better quilt than I could ever hope to make and I'm the one that originally bought the fabric. How can that even be fair?

Oh well. Life is full of unfairness isn't it? Her visit  obviously had an impact on my Tree of Life fabric selection this weekend though. Let's just hope it was a good one! The cutting out time (stolen moments popping in and out of the quilt room) was good stuff. The fabrics felt playful and fun and everything seemed to click. Nope. Nothing to feel guilty about here.

More hand quilting the Worry Baskets

And the other thing I did this weekend was hand quilt. A LOT. I am now working on the edges of the quilt, but my mother-in-law is currently visiting too. Not such a great time to lay quilts out on the floor and stand on the furniture to take pics. It just looks bad--gives off the wrong impression or something? So your imagination and this old picture will have to do for now. I really think I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this one!