Sorry!!!

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I came down with a debilitating case of perfectionitis. I really, really thought I was completely and irrevocably over the perfectionism, but WHAM! to my absolute surprise I relapsed.

How did it happen? I started off so excited about Erin Russek's "My Tweets" Block of the Month. I fell completely in love with her designs. I ran out and tried to closely replicate her fabric palette, traced the images to wonderunder and I began to fuse the pieces to the background. As I posted, I LOVED the look! My excitement grew!

The problem (perfectionism) started when I began the satin stitching around the fused pieces. With this quilt, I splurged on nice, shiny, satiny thread. What I didn't realize was that the shiny satiny thread would pick up the light and highlight every misstep:( The problem seemed to aggravate with every stitch. I grew unhappier and unhappier.

As I felt the stitching was getting continually worse, I felt so disappointed, I didn't want to continue. It sucked the joy out of the project for me. Because it brought me no joy, I didn't want to do it. So, I didn't.

After a couple of weeks, I worked up my resolve to try it again, this time I thought I might try the freezer paper method. I did like it, and I especially liked the fact that I could use the sooooo forgiving blanket stitch with it.

What I didn't like was the puckering. I figured it will only get worse once the quilt is washed.

But, this foray into the freezer paper method did give me the overdue breather I needed to step back and view the situation with a more realistic frame of reference.

So, with a brand new perspective I started a brand new block using my tried and true fusible method.

I am trying to keep in mind that it will never be perfect. That's not the point. The point is to ENJOY my hobby and try things that help me improve.

If I allow my expectations to become unreasonable and discouragement to run away with me, I'd never get anything done, I'd never try anything new and I would never stand back and admire a finished project!!!

So, look forward to more cherished and imperfect pictures of My Tweets in the months to come!

FYI: I do not pose them. This is just how they roll.

Displaying Quilts

I haven't really felt like sewing lately (gasp!). But I saw Thelma's post here and I was really taken by how she displays her quilts. Seeing as my quilts generally end up folded and unseen in a spare room, I thought I would try it. I like it! While it might seem like overkill, I am going to buy more rings so I can be sure the weight will not stretch the quilt out of shape.