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?
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| Sunset Beach early in the morning. |
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| 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 --
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| Homemade cupcakes for a 4th of July picnic: Blueberries, Strawberries and Lemon! YUM! |
