When You Start Something Almost Beyond Your Control or Imagining

So here we go, Coronacrazy borders are all stitched down and the top is complete!*whew  This one has been a long slog, in more ways than one. It was started in March of 2020 on a total whim, with the end result always being up in the air. In fact, the end product wasn't even of much concern until later. It was all about keeping busy-hands, mind, body and spirit.

Coronacrazy borders are on

Every decision made after the initial start of cutting and stitching down the 'hills' has been a reaction to what came before. At this point, I'm being forced to call it a completed top. Is it insane that part of me wants to keep going? What in the world could possibly be added {at this point} that would benefit though? It feels done except for the quilting and so that's that.

Looking at a completed quilt top!

It's such a bright and happy quilt to be called 'Coronacrazy', but that is exactly what was happening back in the moment when this quilt was started. Covid-19 craziness. All the beginnings of the stupid lockdowns and turning our world upside down. I wanted/needed lots and lots of distraction.

Love the few areas where the hills stop suddenly

Lots and lots of stitching will do that for you! Later on when it became necessary to think about a border addition, I knew it had to be applique based. With a vine. Lots of leaves. I threw the solid pieced border in between so as to have a good transition. Worried about the color a lot, but went with it because that's what the center of the quilt requested.

One day I was looking at the calendar on the wall in my quilting room and there was the perfect inspiration needed to get going on further applique. According to the information on the back of the calendar, the artist's name is Meera Lee Patel. 

Always trying to honor the inspiration

As you can see, my applique vine is very loosely based on her drawing. Still, why not give credit where credit is due? Her beautiful work sent my mind down the rabbit trail of different sized and shaped leaves and the flowy look that was trying to take shape in the corners of my mind.

Looks like the corners weren't too choppy

I chose the leaf color based on what was going on at the center of the quilt with all those scrappy-look abandoned bits and pits of applique auditioning and prep work. At first it was easy to make lots of different shapes and see the good. Then later on, I wanted to rip several of them off and fine tune them, get rid of the blockier shapes. Nitpicking is not fun because it seems to be terribly contagious. In that vein, I only allowed myself one re-do. That's it. You're done!

Yes it all lays flat

Stitching the leaves was simple, repetitive type work. Just takes time. I never regret any of it afterward though it always makes me feel just a touch anxious at the start. Do I really have enough motivation to finish this? And yet I always do. Even if it's in fits and starts. There's something so wonderfully satisfying about completing the applique on one border side and then the next, checking off the steps until everything can be sewn together as a whole. Then there's the exciting moment when you can start appliquing the various parts and pieces to the corners, over the top of the seams. And wallah! Eventually, there comes the moment when it's ALL DONE! 

Super dark leaves for better value effect

It's just almost magical.*sigh  I came across this little excerpt about creativity by Nick Cave {below} right around the time that I was finishing up and couldn't believe how much it resonated. Though he was speaking to writing, it absolutely can apply to quilting!

The words that resonate

Though I feel a bit down in the dumps these past days, {just recovering from a few days of being sick}, I know adamantly that there are many more quilts in my future. The applique prep work was on a pretty good roll before the sickness and then of course all screeched to a stop. Now my brain feels fuzzy and disconnected and I wonder? What was I thinking? What are THOSE colors and are they worthy? What kind of a design is that? and on and on. All those questions of self doubt and papercuts to the ego. So, so timely to read this excerpt now and just blow it all off. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Yes, I'll be making some blah quilts here and there and so probably will you. But if we keep on pushing forward and paying attention to this 'animating spirit', we're gonna eventually end up with some greater gifts to the world. I think Coronacrazy is one of those gifts. It's such a beauty, totally beyond my imaginings. Which is why it had to start so simply. 'Cuz I'd have never have started it otherwise! I wouldn't have believed in it what it could be. Especially back in March of 2020!