Saturday, July 9, 2011

If It Ain't Broke...


Have you ever made a tree skirt? Pieced a pretty quilt top and quilted it? Only to cut a hole for the trunk right in the middle of the quilt? I have made several tree skirts. Some of them can actually be used under the tree! The others are now table toppers for I couldn't bear to cut that hole in the middle of a pretty quilt. Why cut up a perfectly good quilt?

Before
A friend was on a quilting weekend retreat with me earlier this year. Because she had little chance to prepare for it, I volunteered to provide her with projects to do. (I have way too many UFOs, as you well know!) One of them was this sweet and simple black and white quilt made out of one fabric. I cut it up and she took it from me to sew. Afterwards, she commented if I could only cut it in half, we could each have a piece of the quilt.

After
All through the remaining weekend, I thought about that. I really wanted to share this quilt with her. How do I make that happen? When I got home, I found another black and white fabric and figured out a way to cut the quilt top in half. Just like making a tree skirt, I had to cut that quilt top even though it was perfect the way it was. Why couldn't I just buy more yardage and make another one? I waffled for a bit – well, it took me 6 months but a few days ago, I finally cut that quilt top! And, sewed it quickly just in time to make it my Week 4 UFO completed!

Washed Up Jelly Fish!
Maybe it helped that we were on a semi-vacation at a beautiful beach in the southernmost part of North Carolina at that time. We got to walk on the beach and saw several jelly fish washed up on the shore. I got to visit a quilt shop (Quilting in the Carolinas) in Myrtle Beach where I bought prints suitable for binding. And, I also was able to work on several quilt projects. It was a fun, relaxing and fulfilling time.


Sunset Beach early in the morning.

Munchies!
We came home to a flurry of activities over the 4th of July weekend. In the midst of which, my home computer crashed. (Sigh.) And so, the Week 5 UFO did not get done until the 5th of July. It is a cute Munchies quilt that needed a single border. How simple could that be? I made 3 cutting mistakes and 1 sewing mistake. Some days, things just don't go your way.

I am going to attempt a last-minute binding on my Week 6 UFO that is due today. (It may not get done in time since I have a far more urgent project on the table.) But, guess where I got the binding? Yes, from last week's trip down to the Carolinas!

Ending on a sweet note --
Homemade cupcakes for a 4th of July picnic:
Blueberries, Strawberries and Lemon!  YUM!