Hi! Last Friday of April! Yay!
Sad but true, quilters fall out of love easily, discarding once inspiring projects, moving on to the next and the next. I fell in love with Silent Night via Pinterest, years ago.
I was so enchanted with the juxtaposition of the classic blue and white Stars quilt and the adorable wintery scene appliqued on the base. It was unattributed and it took me ages to find the pattern, I shouldn't have been surprised--it is by my favorite designer Jan Patek.
I began the project I think in 2020---and it shows, all the stress and confusion of the early Covid years and my sudden vision problems. [lest you think, Oh Covid, what's her problem?--remember I am immune suppressed and was told by my doctors that if I got covid, I would die , forced onto a ventilator, left isolated and alone in a small room, with no one to visit me or care for me. I Would Die. It was sudden and shocking, then soon followed by vision distortion and some vision loss. This was my world but I carried on with my planned winter projects anyway, in this case Silent Night, aka Midnight Clear. ]
I was thrilled to find a snowman fabric group from Primitive Gatherings, not a designer I usually choose. Snowmen and stars and snowflakes--light and dark twin prints to form the stars. The tiny snowmen looked, to me, just like the big snowman of the applique.
There's a Primitive Snowman Gatherings each year, the newest, out in July is HERE Scroll down for the fabrics.
Adorable, right?
The bad[-ish] news--it is HUGE. And the bottom applique scene was hard to hand sew on the partial border, so confusing. I did all the hand applique except the children that first summer. Whyever did I think all those stupid stars would be a cakewalk. Nope! I've worked on it every winter since. This time it has taken me ages---month!--just to figure out where the heck I was going with it, when set aside last June 1st, '23. Chaos.
For example: Why is this section removed?
(I was going to make it narrower].
What are these precut squares of all sizes, none of them what is needed. (Attributed to stress and poor cutting technique.)
I've worked on it since setting aside BB1 late March. I need 24 white Stars, of which I have made 11, or maybe 14---see how easy I forget!
Time is running out. If I don't get the Stars done and top center pieced by mid May/ June 1, I will again set it aside. I think this time for good.
Because yes, I no longer love it. The workmanship is mediocre. The indigo blues are too dark. I hate the Lancaster blue stop border; I had meant it to be red but forgot, obviously. The lighter blues mixed in are according to pattern photo, to add interest and depth, I assume.
I look at the Stars, recut the mistakes, trying for one or two Stars per day. Realistically, will anyone ever look at it, or notice how the stars are mostly made up of twinning positive negative prints?
or care? Wonder why some are not twinned? [out of blue snowflake print/ miscut.]
Notice I snuck in the sandpail stars "Nantucket" from Penny, to make myself smile.
Will anyone notice that the children in their pompom beanies? Or realise these are my children, who adored snow days and sledding and starry night walks when the skies cleared?
Poor Silent Night, in Ennui limbo.....it's uglier in person, by the way.
Today is too cold and windy to garden, despite the sunshine. But soon my hour of daily sewing will be spent on the deck, hand sewing with my now ''senior'' pug. We both deserve these hours together, he no longer sits with me in my sewing room. Mo is afraid, though I don't know why. He has a bed outside the door so he can be with me as best he can.
And if Silent Night isn't done by then, into the dumpster I think.
We wennt over the bridges yesterday, mostly to Trader Joe's but also to enjoy the much more advanced spring on the mainland. So many pink and white trees in bloom, even on the marshes. And delicate green grasses, baby leaves on trees.
Trader Joe's had so many wonderful flowers I couldn't choose.
Even this delicate shade of lavender, in tulips and roses both. New to me. And note the peonies, tho I didn't want white.
I got my favorite cheese.
And a new one to try:
And a potted daffy or two.
A gifted azalea from last Easter, below. I snuck it into the common planter with the ugly locust tree and some tulips. Tiny but so sweet, a little bit of joy.
Have a great weekend!
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
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I was just talking with a quilting friend about abandoning projects. I have bagged up a few quilts in various stages of completion and dropped them at the thrift shop. Never know who might want to have a go at it.
ReplyDeleteOooh-- ;0000
ReplyDeleteI do know that "falling out of love" with a project --only too well...if it doesn't bring you joy just "let it go".
I did that to a whole lot of things--donated some, threw others out and it felt, after all the wailing (!!!) good to have "cleared the decks" so to speak. Heart rending though-- until the decision is made I think. I am sorry you are in this "nether world" of sitting on a decision-making fence...not easy....
Mo is just so adorable sitting up like that;)))
[Lucy is healing slowly--they think she'll be ok--but what a horrid experience...sad to see her like this--she was such a lively, bouncing, carefree puppy...fingers crossed for no bad lasting effects]
Enjoy today's warmth and sunshine--I hope to sit out and quilt for a bit on my Christmas Ojos--yup still at it;!!
Hugs, Julierose
Oh, don't throw it away especially with hand applique. Make a table runner or small wall hanging or use it as a valance for a window. And you can remove the blue border and replace it with red. You'll like it better. I'm sorry the stars are giving you such a hassle - it's supposed to be fun. So interesting that Mo is afraid. It might be an aging thing - I seem to be less brave than I used to be. I love the clouds, they always amaze me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robin, you have a lot of good parts already made that could become a lovely table runner for your coffee table, placemats, etc. You're right though, we do occasionally fall out of love with a quilt in progress, have one of them myself at the moment - for the last three years actually. . And no, I don't want to trade projects, lol!
ReplyDeleteYou have the most beautiful cloud photographs, Lizzy!
ReplyDeleteI'm one of abandons quilts sometimes when I don't get them finished soon enough. It's at that point that I might lose interest.
Your Silent Night/Midnight Clear is wonderful. (And what a troubled time it was when you started it. Difficult times.) Your fabrics are delightful.
I can't help with figuring out where you are/were going with this or any design decisions, I'm sorry to say. But if you'd like me to sew some of the stars I'd be happy to do that. I would hate to see you set the quilt aside again, possibly never to be finished.
If anyone looks close at the twin prints of stars and backgrounds, they will probably guess it was an intentional choice. I know I would, and never question it.
The sandpails with stars fabric is delightful!
Does it matter if anyone else recognizes your children, when they're important to you?
It may (or may not) be uglier in person (eyes of the beholder, etc.) but it will be a wonderful quilt when finished.
Let me know if I can make some stars for you!
I haven't been to Trader Joe's in a while. I'm craving their ciabatta. Must go soon.
Dear Mo. Does he go through periods of being fearful and then get past them, or do they continue for ages?
I sort of feel on the edge of my seat, wondering whether you will finish it or let it go. Either way, it's good right? If it feels freeing to let it go, do that and move on. But maybe just sort of quickly finishing it, in some form, will be the thing. Once quilted it may just be wonderful in your eyes again, especially when it already contains those meaningful and fun fabrics. I've abandoned projects before. I just can't continue with something if all I feel is "ugh". There are too many "quilts to do" in my head and not enough months or years ahead to do them;). It's always fun to scroll through your posts - your love for the sand and sky, and flowers, and Moe - it all really shines through.
ReplyDelete