Carry On, My Wayward Sewn...

There'll be peace when I am done!

At least that's the hope. I have been trying to use up my current stash of fabrics. I have a tendency to say "Oh, but I need more. I don't have any coordinating fabrics." Yeah. That happens a lot. In fact, today I got a package from eQuilter.com, one of my favorite websites for fabric shopping. I can't say enough about them. I've never had to return anything, so I don't know how that works, but I always get my order within 3 days.

Here's why I "had" to order from them: at the Mill End GOOB sale I found an incredible Asian print and bought a couple of yards. It has eagles, clouds and drums on it, the purple background is the most beautiful shade. I haven't a thing to coordinate with it. I looked. So I found a few things on eQuilter. Only one of them isn't a good match, but it's a lovely, only-slightly-Asian-looking print, so I'm sure I'll find something with which to use it. I may not use all of that which I purchased for the quilt I plan on making, so there's that, too.

I mentioned earlier about taking some fabrics with which I had planned on making a sundress and making a baby quilt instead. Here's the quilt top:

I still had quite a bit of the fabric left, though, so I made panels of different widths to make a skirt. I didn't know quite how to give it a waist, however. I just couldn't make up my mind. Did I want to gather it? Put in a zipper and a waistband, or do an elastic or drawstring?

Then, real quick-like, before I took all 6 of my bags of stuff to the thrift store, I went back and found a waffle shirt I had thought about donating. I put a few pleats in the skirt at the seams and in the middle of the 4 larger panels, then I figured out where an empire waist would be on my shirt by putting it on my dress form and cutting it off at the desired length. I made the long sleeves half-length and left the edges unfinished. Now I have a dress, too!

It looks better on a human.

As you can see, I'm really a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of designer. Something has to speak to me. It doesn't even have to be all that loud, either. I will also listen to all of the options it has to give me. This is where a sistah gets into trouble. I end up with so many ideas (and the materials for them all) that I have a hard time getting around to them.

This is why I decided to really dig in and get my stash busted in 2014. Yeah, sometimes I'll have to buy some more stuff. That's because my ideas keep coming. A lot of creative people have this problem, I know I'm not alone in this. It can all get to be a bit overwhelming, too. At least I'm able to come up with alternatives if something just isn't working for me. Even if the "problem" item languishes in a closet for a while. Years, even.

Fortunately, there are times when I can actually think on my feet and change a project mid-oops. Like the issue with the Hell on Wheels project. I had worked so hard on putting together the Dresden blades that I couldn't just give up. I took several small breaks, don't get me wrong. I even worked on a few other projects while I thought about what could be done with Hell on Wheels.

If you step back, you can see that the lighter sections create a star pattern within the plate. I'm not gonna lie, it was mentally and emotionally draining. I made a second one with a different main color. Then I needed a nap.

At first I was just going to use the denim. Then I thought about adding the raw linen. I ended up liking the lightness of the linen better than the blue of the denim. The half plate is the second one I had made with a star. Somehow it got out of order when I set them aside (even though I know I clipped them together in order), so I changed my mind on the design in that aspect, as well. The rectangular blocks use the remaining blades and are trimmed to make them square. The denim became a doggie bed for my mom's dog when they visit.

The final quilt top. I decided to go with a modern wall hanging instead of a  full-sized throw. I'm much happier with it this way than I thought I would be. Another happy accident!

That reminds me, I took the Happy Accidents quilt to Nikol of Sewtropolis for the quilting. It should be done in about two weeks. Then I can bind it and take it to Rachel! 

Sadly, Sewtropolis is now only an online entity. I had been planning a field trip there. But at least Nikol's still quilting and teaching. I hope to get to one of her classes very soon.

Whoops! Another reminder. Because of the bad weather, I cancelled February's Friday Field Trip. I'm just going to move it to March rather than try to put together another day. Hopefully the weather will start cooperating. It has made my various somatic neurological issues very cranky, and by extension, I've been more than a bit cranky. What I wouldn't give for temperatures above zero degrees Fahrenheit!

Well, my flowerpots, jump into your stashes and crank out some stuff!