I've been a busy, busy bee, running around and doing all the things that a person does before, during and after they have house guests. Then, finally, there was time to quilt. Whew! Did I ever need some quilting therapy!
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| Start of a baby quilt |
But of course, there's the eternal question. Where to start? Well..., my youngest brother and his wife were expecting another baby so that seemed like a simple place to dip my toes into the water without destroying any ongoing, thoughtful long-term sort of project. Why not try the square in a square block that's been popping up all over in the past year?
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| Trying to figure things out... |
Not knowing if they were having a boy or a girl, I decided to go with a mix of traditional blues and pinks. Then I found a one yard piece of some odd ball fabric with nice long circle, flower motifs to fussy cut into long strips. Which I promptly did. Ha! Didn't think this one properly through. Obviously. Had to cut it into smaller chunks in order to make it work and now the quilt looks rather chopped up and awkward. Oh my..., what was I thinking?
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| It seemed like a good idea at the time.... |
It's still resting up in the quilting room in the long strips that I've sewn together. Definitely not completely sewn together and quilted like my big, ambitious self thought would have easily happened by today at the latest. I don't even know if I WANT to sew it together now or just scrap it and start over. Then I tell myself it's just a 'baby quilt'. How put together does it need to look in order to retain some dignity in the giving? lol
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| Still need to finish stitching the word 'Stitched' and two other panels |
One thing and another, some down time from not feeling good and the thing is, other than some basic hand stitching {see above picture}, there has been absolutely nothing creative accomplished these past weeks. Honestly, we're probably just feeling some let down after running too long on reserves. So... That's it for the quilting front. I am dreadfully behind on checking in with other quilters and commenting etc. C'est la vie!
p.s. We now know that the baby is a perfectly adorable {almost 9 lb.} little girl named 'Chawlie'. Taking food over to mom and dad today!
sometimes visits from family just take first place and quilting gets put aside.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's still a good idea! Let it sit for a bit, while you enjoy those family times.
ReplyDeleteYou've had such a busy time of late Audrey, sometimes we just have to stop and step back for a little while. I like what you're doing with the baby quilt and many congratulations on your niece!
ReplyDeleteI think the last photo of the baby quilt has definite possibilities - I hope you don't discard it entirely! Congratulations on the new baby girl (and yes, many of us are languishing despite our best efforts to keep putting one foot in front of the other - creatively and otherwise).
ReplyDeleteYou've had a very usy summer! Wedding! New Baby. I love the baby quilt, it's just what a baby quilt should be.
ReplyDelete"busy summer" typo
Deletei think it is the baby quilt jinx. one week left to make one myself, and just can't get behind it. was really looking foreword to making, and got overwhelmed somewhere. gotta be a jinx !!
ReplyDeleteBaby quilts can be just as difficult as larger ones, sometimes I think even more so. I had similar problems with my most recent pink baby quilt, just finished last week. Had what I thought would be the perfect gathering of sweet pink fabrics that just didn't want to play nice together. What you have now is a great start on a sweet quilt, you'll pull it together into something delightful.
ReplyDeleteI like the little quilt just the way it is. Maybe a big appliqued flower off set and voila, it's done. I think the end of summer is a hard time. We're tired of the high temps, the smoke, and the company (even though I love them all dearly). And, I miss soup weather because then I don't have to figure out dinner every night, we can just finish off some soup leftovers. And for me, end of summer means canning the results of my husband hard work in the garden. I hope you can find the spark of an idea that will motivate you quilty-wise. September is only a few weeks away.
ReplyDeleteSometimes letting projects simmer is a good thing. I know the pressure to get quilts done fast is always there, but really why do we have to be in a hurry if we like quilting so much?
ReplyDeleteAs Gwen Marston said, 'Are we in a hurry to finish so we can run off and dust?'
You have some good ideas started, I know you'll come up with something that works out.
I also like it just the way it is right now..so soft and pretty... a perfect baby quilt nice work
ReplyDeleteHugs, Julierose
Congrats on the new niece and I think that quilt will be lovely - a “make-do and mend” on the cut up strip!! Take some time to chill - you deserve it. x
ReplyDeleteChawlie is a blessing to your family. What a busy summer you’ve had. We all seem to be on the doldrums creatively right now. The baby quilt photos differ greatly just by cutting the sashing strips. You will figure out a great solution. You always do and now you will be more inspired by your new niece.
ReplyDelete