Seriously. Go ahead and laugh, but I'm not joking. Along my very short quilting journey, I have struggled with my quest for perfection. I'm one of "those" people, and I can't help it. (Just imagine how I was at my wedding dress fitting...) So, when it comes to crafting, I have pulled out more stitches than you could imagine, but I have fought a good fight.
I came up with a mantra. Well, not on purpose, but I found myself saying the same thing over and over in my head. "It's not perfect but..." and I would finish with "that's what makes it handmade," and "that's what makes it one of a kind," or "nobody is going to notice that this stitch is 1/32nd of an inch to the left of the others." This mantra helped me to finish 3 quilts. (P.S.-machine binding is not for me, because that extra little seam that pops up on the back makes me MENTAL...anybody know any good tips on that?)
I came up with a mantra. Well, not on purpose, but I found myself saying the same thing over and over in my head. "It's not perfect but..." and I would finish with "that's what makes it handmade," and "that's what makes it one of a kind," or "nobody is going to notice that this stitch is 1/32nd of an inch to the left of the others." This mantra helped me to finish 3 quilts. (P.S.-machine binding is not for me, because that extra little seam that pops up on the back makes me MENTAL...anybody know any good tips on that?)
Enter Craftsy BOM. July: Dresden Plates. Circles. I can't even make a circle with a compass. Never could. Now you want me to SEW one? I've barely mastered straight lines!!! I watched the video lesson. Twice. Hers were not perfect, yet mine had to be. I even got the little rotary circle cutter (which is pretty cool, by the way). I sewed my first circle...very slowly. I only went about 4 stitches before I would shift and re-align. It actually came out pretty good. I would recommend that method...but, it was too small. Apparently you aren't supposed to sew dresdens with a scant quarter inch seam because they will come out bigger than intended. Woops. Soo, I make another circle. Same method, not so perfect circle. By this point my patience has worn thin and I just want these things done. They're not perfect. It's not the end of the world. Do yourself a favor. Let it go. You will be much happier while quilting. Besides, I'm grumpy enough for the both of us!
I don't mean for this post to be a gripe session, but here's another issue I have. I need directions. Specific ones, and lots of them. This whole Modern Quilt Guild thing might not be for me. Our first assignment was to make a "lonely crayon" block. Perhaps you have heard of this before, but I had not. Adorable name, really. You choose the color you use least in your quilting- you're "lonely crayon", if you will. You're allowed to use white and one other color. You make a 10.5" square or a 5.5" x 10.5" block. Easy-squeezy, right? Um...wait...what? That's it? What's it supposed to look like? What size do I cut the squares? Should I do stars? Half square triangles? Dresden? (Kidding!) Oh...I'm supposed to figure it out by myself? Excuse me, while I go weep in the corner and console myself with a Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle bar....
Ok, ok, I'll put my big girl panties on and design some blocks. That's right, design. All. By. My. Self. I mean, they're not exactly totally original or anything, but I pretty much just played around with different 9 patch arrangements. (I can't reinvent the wheel you know!) But, uh...now I have to figure out the math. Why must this be so difficult!!!!??? Here are my options (I'll post the product when finished):
Happy sewing! xo
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| My perfectly imperfect Dresden Plates |
Ok, ok, I'll put my big girl panties on and design some blocks. That's right, design. All. By. My. Self. I mean, they're not exactly totally original or anything, but I pretty much just played around with different 9 patch arrangements. (I can't reinvent the wheel you know!) But, uh...now I have to figure out the math. Why must this be so difficult!!!!??? Here are my options (I'll post the product when finished):
Hubby likes 1, 2, and 6. Mom likes 1 and 2. I kind of like my original flower basket-y thing (#5). What's your preference? Leave a post and let me know! :-)
Happy sewing! xo
Your dresdens came out nice. I find that if I wait a day or two after sewing a block, I can usually appreciate it better and that I forget about any minor flaws that were glaring at me as I worked on them. I'm excited to see your completed lonely crayon block. You're already halfway there and I'm sure it'll turn out great :)
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