From Spring Euphoria to Victory!

Spring has sprung with a vengeance around here. The Iris are in full bloom, shortly to be followed by the glads.
















My DS sent me a couple of pictures of Spring at the orchard. The pears were in bloom, and by now, I expect that the whole orchard is full of blossoms and bees.

 

News from the Studio

Last week, I finally finished the quilt top for the Precision Piecing class. So glad to have it done! Now to decide how to quilt it. It seems to want a cross between tradition and modern designs - so if you have a suggestion - please feel free!






And, how cute are these! I found these at the Patchwork Co - a quilt store in Windham, NY which I mentioned last week. She had a whole rafter lined on both sides with these cute wall hangings. I just HAD to get a bunch of them. Whether I ever make them or not, they are fun to look at! They are designed to be the kitty version of veggies - the first one is Le Artichat, and the other is Mushkit.

My Ah-ha! Moment of the Week

My "duh!" moment for the week, came with 2 days of paperwork! OMG, how did I let data entry and account reconciling go for SO Long? If I were to make a mid-year resolution, it would be to stay on top of financial stuff as it happens.

Procrastination has it's repercussions! Things that have been put off and put off generate a sense of being overwhelmed and discouraged. It is paralyzing and a big waste of time. So, if you have been putting off something because it is overwhelming, be encouraged. Just think about the first 2 things that you would have to do in order to move forward - just 2. Then take 1 step toward the first one - spend 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Then start on the 2nd thing. One step at a time. You will be surprised at your progress. You don't have to get it all done at once. You  just have to keep moving.

Now let's get moving and go quilt something!

What's the point, anyway?

Have you taken any of the classes on Craftsy? I have watched several classes, but had never actually done one. You know, actually worked along with the class on the specific projects used for learning. But, right now, I am actually doing a Craftsy class.

As a perfectionist quilter, I agonize over every seam and point match, every cut, pressing, etc. As a result, I piece pretty well. But I met my match in one of my own designs! The block is mostly all triangles. Talk about matching points and seam allowances. The block just cries out for precision piecing. So I'm doing Precision Piecing by Norah McMeeking . Just got started at it, so I'm still finding my way. BUT check it out. At least one of my units looks pretty good. I have a lot of units left to make. Next is Y-seams.


Not surprisingly, Norah is a quintessential quilting perfectionist - and human. So, we get to see how she corrects mistakes - from mis-cutting a stripset, to orienting the diamonds backward, to points that don't match. Thankfully, we all get to pick and choose when to do it over and when to let it go.

Do you sometimes let it go, even if you believe in your heart you "should" do it over?  Well, I believe that you actually should do it over IF the quilt is going into a judged show, you will give the quilt to someone who is very picky (or, better yet, give the quilt to someone who appreciates you), or you love the satisfaction you get when each of the seams matches perfectly. Otherwise, no one else will care, and neither should you!

Have a delightful week. Now let's go quilt something!