comment #98 which is Jackie J!
Congratulations Jackie... your number was picked out of 123 possible winners, so you should probably buy a lottery ticket too while your luck is so good!
On the design wall today is last month's UFO. Sadly it did not see much progress in September, even though there was a lot of brain power and time spent on it. Options were explored, creative layouts looked at, and no decisions were made. I really enjoyed reading all the ideas, suggestions, and creative thoughts shared in the comments when I posted some layout possibilities. I learned a lot and each comment gave me 'food for thought'. I liked all the layouts and just could not decide.So then I had to delve into "what is the hold up here" and why am I stalling on making this decision?
Lots of brain work going on and NO sewing.
So this month, there shall be sewing!
My decision was finally based on this:
-sending a large quilt out to be long arm quilted is expensive, and I really do want to quilt as many of my quilts as I can
-without adding any more sashing and borders, the sashed blocks in this quilt were just about at the maximum size I can manage on my domestic sewing machine
-but if it looks beautiful with more sashing, then I would not be able to quilt it because it just going to become too big and unruly for me to do so.
Decision finally made...
in a stern voice I say to myself...
Kathryn just sew it together and make it the size you want it to be and stop trying to make it more complicated for yourself. Stop it! Accept that it is what it is, and believe that it is beautiful enough!
Phew... what a relief to get over that hurdle. Once that cognitive dissonance was gone, progress began immediately. I set up my free standing larger design wall (which is called Cheryl Ann's Design Wall and measures 72" x 72"). It was not big enough to hold all the blocks, but I made it work with some blocks laying on the carpet.
And now the sewing can begin.
My UFO goal for October is to get these blocks sewn into a quilt top.
To see more design wall postings, hop over to Patchwork Times. And to see more UFO goals, hop over to the One Monthly Goal link up.
It must be a huge relief to have made a decision! I must go and ask myself the same question - what is the hold up. It might make a few UFOs happen.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear that you talk to yourself and argue back and forth with yourself too ! :)
ReplyDeleteI've only had one piece that 'looped' me - I gifted it on to someone else who knew exactly what they wanted to do with it. But my problem was I didn't love mine - you love yours and therefore need to settle that 'loop' with your self.
ReplyDeleteIndecision slows a lot of my progress too. I had a similar battle last week and managed to get through it too. Good to know I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteYou can always add borders using a QAYG method after you have done the blocks. Great blocks! Is there a longarm store near you where you could rent their machine?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite block is in the top row. Second from the right side.
ReplyDeleteHaha you crack me up. I languish over design decisions too.
ReplyDeleteWhew, I'll bet you are glad that is over with!
ReplyDeleteIt will be a beautiful quilt!
Great decision! I like it just the way it is. And you know what..... I call myself by my full name Catherine too, when I’m giving myself lectures. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWay to talk it out! You give yourself good advice. My UFO's keep talking to me and I'm trying to ignore them today.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably too late to weigh in on this now but if you make another project like this: Today I just saw on the Constant Quilter blog that she does an old technique called "potholder" quilting, perfect for sashed sampler blocks like these. For it each block is quilted and bound individually (very easy to quilt on a DSM) and then whipstitched together into a quilt (yes, you'd have to like hand work!).
ReplyDeleteWow, great news Kathy. Your right, today is my lucky day winning a charm pack, and I received a bundle of 10 inch sq. from Marj. M. as well. I love your quilt, looking forward to seeing it finished.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just have to define your limits and go from there. Good luck with your UFO for for this month.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to make a decision so you can move forward on this project. The blocks are too cute to wait any longer!
ReplyDeleteGood for you...get it done. Although you could have done quilt as you go and the sashing could be your joining strip. But done is better!!
ReplyDelete"just sew it together and make it the size you want it to be and stop trying to make it more complicated for yourself. Stop it! Accept that it is what it is, and believe that it is beautiful enough!" -- AMEN!!! (that conversation has NEVER happened in my studio -- hahahahaha
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goal Kathy!
ReplyDeleteI relate to this story so much! I can be so indecisive that the decision itself is a bit of an elation. Not such a cheap thrill though, when they linger month after month, but it is there nonetheless! One of my quilts was in the quilting process for a year, repeatedly failing my goal at ALYoF several times last year while I pondered decisions. Good Luck, I hope you enjoy essembly!
ReplyDeleteI hope you can keep the momentum going since you've come to a decision. You need to look forward to the feeling of satisfaction you'll get when she is completed. Blessings, Gretchen villacrestfarm@gmail.com
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