Procrastination and Deadlines

I have just finished a marathon week of quilt finishes. Deadlines are my nemesis because I am the queen of procrastination.  My exhausting week was a direct result of procrastination but it all worked out somehow. 

The first quilt I finished was for our lacrosse team banquet. I used the "Floor Plan" pattern from a Modern Quilt magazine. I love this pattern!  The quilt was made with a collection of fabrics that were used for hair ties for our three girls' teams this season. Lots of color and movement framed in Kona Ash. 

Work in progress -- my Westie Jake liked the layout. 

Unfortunately I was up until 3:30 am the morning of our banquet finishing the machine quilting -- which did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Once I washed and dried it, it looked better. The young lady who won the quilt was thrilled so it ended up being a good thing. 

Finished quilt ready to go to the banquet and find a new home. 

Of course the time spent on this quilt impacted my next deadline. I am notorious for underestimating how much time a project is going to take. 

At any rate, I did manage to finish the second quilt -- again staying up to about 3:00 am to make it happen. (Also finishing sewing the binding in the car on my way to my sister's house)

Quilt sandwich basted and ready to quilt. 

Thank goodness everything worked out. I was free motion quilting this one on my Baby Lock Melody and my previous attempts to make that work had not been so great. I had been looking for a way to improve my FMQ results and a number of blogs pointed me in a good direction -- I ordered a Supreme Slider and Magic Bobbin Washers and it really seemed to help. I also used Aurifil thread for the first time. Oh my goodness, I am in love with this thread. 

Finished quilt - pattern is "Pretty Little Squares" by Paisley Pear modified to make a 47" x 47" quilt. Fabrics are low-volume Liberty Tana lawn prints and Kona Snow. My sister asked me to make a quilt for a White Ball themed fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. I love this quilt and really hated to give it up. I know it will find a good home though. 

I keep hoping that I will limit procrastination to a minimum but so far so bad. I have another deadline looming so it's time to get back to work (after I go officiate some lacrosse).

Lethargy

The cold of winter has finally hit and it has sapped my sense of purpose. I come home from work exhausted and find myself unable (or unwilling) to make myself work on my projects. I am at a stopping point on two of them because I need fabric, but there are several other things I could be working on.

Today I will only be working for a portion of the day, so I am hoping to kick myself in the butt and get some work done. I have these beautiful red fabrics that my Aunt sent to me from her stash so I think I will start cutting for that quilt. I have plenty to do--I just need to make up my mind to do it.

Handstitched Class

I am looking forward to starting Handstitched class on Monday. I fell in love with Rachel Hauser's Modern Medallion quilt when I saw it on her blog (www.stitchedincolor.com) this summer. I jumped at the chance when she offered the class in the new year.

I have picked up some of my supplies and selected my fabric for the dogwood appliqué. I have also started to select some of the solids from my Kona color chart so I won't be too overwhelmed as we move forward. I will start to figure out my prints this week as well.

Can't wait to improve my hand stitching skills and learning lots of new skills as well.

Looking Forward to 2013

I am so happy that I came back to quilting this year. I have found another way to express myself and I am learning new skills. A few of my more recent projects are featured in the picture below. I am still figuring out how to insert photos in Blogger, but I will get there.

My sister and brother-in-law gave me a wonderful birthday present for my 50th birthday -- a brand new Baby Lock Melody sewing machine. I have spent the last few months learning how to use my new machine and I look forward to learning even more in 2013.

I have started 2013 with a couple of quilts that need to be basted and quilted. I expect to finish them in the next few weeks. I have also signed up for the Skillbuilder Block of the Month at Pile O' Fabric and Stitched in Color's Handstitching class to improve my techniques. I am looking forward to a great year of projects.