Here I'll tell you why the
Quilt It! Challenge has been such a great inspiration for me - even though I've only just completed this Final Project, began in October.
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I made a hexagon runner to fit our round table. |
I liked the incremental plan of
Quilt It! Challenge.
Jackie @SewExcitedQuilt thought it up, and it really worked! We tried techniques and learned free motion design through small steps of nine matched 16" blocks, one a month, then we were to finish the last quarter of the year with a whole cloth table runner.
Remember?
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These stencil cats run around center of hexagon, alternating with corner hearts |
Yet every month, my projects got later and later. And it took more and more coffee (and yes, I confess, there were also plenty of donut bribes) to get myself to finish even the most fun projects like
Quilt It! Challenge. Alex says that I "put the pro in procrastination." In the end, I started 3 Final Projects, but.....why did I have so much trouble finishing things?
- Perfectionist? Ha - Not
- Busy? Who isn't.
- Interruptions? Excuses.
- Priorities? Possibly....
- Panic? Yes!
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Think I'm most proud of the tiny rope border finishing stippling around cats & hearts. |
Panic and donuts! I realized that is how I've always got things done. So at this crossroads, I decided to change course and see if I could find the way everyone else gets stuff done. This Final Project would stay undone until I could "graduate" from
my fear of finishing things.
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1st time using this vintage Singer foot found at a yard sale. |
And here I really want to thank
Jackie for patience. I wasn't very communicative, as I wasn't sure myself what I was doing. But Jackie never once asked, "What on earth is going on over there
@RoadHomeQuiltn?" She kept sending great inspirations for
Quilt It! Challenge Pinterest Board and finished
her own super Final Project.
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Guide foot worked perfect for creating lattice \
between center feather wreath and cats border. |
I'm always asking other quilters, "How do you get so much done?" The really successful ones say, "By Attention Deficit oooh shiny...." Alas, I am not blessed with those qualities. I can stay at the pool for hours, no problem.
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Lattice and wreath show up well in this verso picture. |
So while at the pool panicking about everything that needs finishing (don't call me lazy - I was paralyzed by indecision!), I decided to use my time consulting other kinds of experts. I journaled and studied writings by all types of artist and entrepreneurs. I read psychology too. And The Bible.
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Found the perfect shade of red thread to match this backing in Presencia |
Here is what I learned:
- You can't do everything you dream of - you have to make choices.
- Choices are hard because it means saying goodbye to some good ideas. Forever!
- You must be selfish enough to prioritize your time.
- Be present! Living in the future makes you overestimate your skills.
- There's no point worrying what everyone else wants. They don't need you to think for them.
- Nobody knows. So if you're not happy in your work, you are the only one who suffers.
- Have faith your tiny efforts will matter. And that help will come when you need it.
- Friends matter too.
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Nice thing about Whole Cloth, they are usually reversible.
Yellow binding matches both sides, but I feel it is too wide. Likely I'll change it for a narrower one. |
All this is still a new work plan, I'm not perfect at it yet. [As evidenced by taking all day to write this post.] And my quilting isn't magically perfect yet either (darn tension!). But I've learned to trust my design all the way to the end, and now I have the thrill of stitching without fear.
And yes, at last, I really had fun making this :)
Three things are hard:
diamonds, steel, and to know one's self.
---Ben Franklin
The runner came out great!! Love that it's reversible. Congratulations on finishing it. I really love the list of things you learned. I think with 2 teens and a preteen, my favorite one is not worrying about what everyone else wants because they don't need me to think for them. I would love to be free from this. Thanks for a great post!
ReplyDeleteLove your close-up photos. Remember this was never meant to be a chore, just an exercise to get both of us working towards better machine quilting and it worked! Great job.
ReplyDelete