The Cranky Quilter

Sometimes I wonder if I should do like my friend H and just stop quilting. Make some origami cranes.
Just...stop.
My mother was a very happy, intelligent woman---and she never sewed so much as a button. Maybe I should emulate her, not my dad?

But I carry on despite my woes and mistakes. I put the last stitch into the Porch quilt a few weeks ago. This was a Humble Quilts project from two years ago.
It was at the quilter for about six months. She had a hard time quilting it due to my ineptitude, lol.

So I spent quite a long time pulling out her stitches and redoing, then binding it, adding eyes on the birds, on the kitties...some bees, some ladybugs.

 

 

The quilter's comments on my first big applique project kind of spoiled the quilt for me? No, I love it still.

Here's the large folky label I designed for the back. I had to hand sew it on and hand quilt it.

 

 

Then came January quiltalongs. These are the blocks for Lori's doll quilt. Humble Quilts I made all the blocks in one day, all day Sunday. No way am I gonna fall behind this time. :-)

 

I love choosing the fabrics for her quiltalongs. This one needs nine blues, nine creams, nine browns. Stash city time.

Sashings and cornerstones: Faded robin's egg blue, or indigo?

Here is The Lost Quilt, so far.

I like the baskets okay. But the overall effect is too new, too bright. It needs to be hung out on my oceanfront deck for a few years to age it.

And last: many block of the months begin in January. A few years ago ''everyone'' seemed to be making a quilt called Beyond the Cherry Trees. I was in awe and I so wished I could be a part of a sewalong. But these projects are perhaps not for slow quilters like me?
I had two projects in mind, the gorgeous Benjamin Biggs quilt here...  or Noah and Matilda's wedding quilt here. I decided on the quirkier N and M project even though I knew immediately I could never do FOUR blocks of hand applique each month. (I am downloading the BB quilt blocks for the future).
below, Noah and Matilda's Wedding quilt.

I set my goal at 2 blocks per month. BUT the day after the first set of blocks was published, quilting bloggers already had finished blocks to show. Wow, is that intimidating or what?
Now January is over and I am still mulling over my background fabrics, waiting for some scraps of antique poison greens and turkey red  from my quilt dealer friend.* I think this will be a project for ''someday''---it will be the most rewarding if I work at my own pace and enjoy the journey. Quilting isn't a competitive sport! Is it?

*Oh boy! He didn't send fabric yet but he sent quilt blocks! All 19th century. I can't wait to show them to you.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....