Picnics over Duvets

Remember when I started the Dino Picnic quilt I said I had another project in mind for my next project?

I temporarily forgot about that project.  I'm not sure when I will get back to it.  It requires a lot of attention and planning and improvising and I'm not sure I have that brain power.  I have also fallen into a trap of purchasing new fabric.  I have quite a stash building up and for some reason it seems easier to use these and create some HSTs than to create a pattern on my own with improvised materials.

I'm giving myself a pass on that 'other project' as it is for a duvet cover and while we do still have a duvet on the bed, courtesy of the great London summer, it is not the season for duvets.  It is the season for picnics.  Chilly, damp picnics, but picnics still.

That means that I need to actually try and get these quilts done at some point before picnic season disappears and it's time for duvets again.


Which brings me to the where of quilting.  I've pretty much decided I need to move out of the dining room since I don't have time to clean up after myself every time I get time to sew.  Our guest room is currently quite crowded but I think I might be able to find some space in there for my sewing station, at least until the next set of guests arrive.

In keeping with my tradition of re-using materials I have asked my 'clients' to provide a piece of clothing or what-have-you for their quilt and I would pick pieces from my growing stash based on their contribution. I can't wait to see what they give me to work with and hear its story.

The prospect of working with someone else's story is daunting but very appealing.  It is one of the reasons I started this blog (and hobby) and I can't wait to see how their story and mine work side by side. What will I learn from them or about myself?  How will my 'skills' develop with this quilt?  What will I carry on to the next?

It will be a longish journey, but I am excited to start.

Loopy HSTs

Pregnancy is making me loopy!

It turns everything inside out and backwards.

Yesterday I cut out and sewed together 80-some HSTs (half square triangles) and they are now hanging on my wall as I contemplate their layout.

That isn't backwards in, and of, itself.  What's backwards is that it is all shop-bought, new fabric.

 
*SHOCK & HORROR*


I have gone off the reservation (and my blogging brief) and started creating a quilt with all new fabric.  I was like a machine.  No deliberation about meaning or practical use (although I do have a specific use in mind for this one) just assembly line triangle creation.

This wasn't even the project I planned to start next.  It's a complete anomaly.

I did make a token gesture of going through my stash of old clothes and textiles in a half-hearted attempt to stick to my brief.  I knew it was futile.  These prints were calling to me and there was nothing for it.

I blame my unemployment, really.  If I was on actual maternity leave I would inevitably have a list of projects and books and chores and TV shows I had been waiting to catch-up with in the weeks leading up to 'the arrival.'  As it is, all such 'catch-up' activities have been done for weeks, months, maybe even years, as I have been unemployed for 2+ years now.  I have very little to fill my days as I wait for Pruin to make an entrance.

In these last few weeks, when every twinge or tightening sends me into 'this is it' mode, I need distractions.  I have already re-read every book in the house and re-watched every TV series and movie in our collection.

Why not start a quilt?  I don't have the stuff I need for the backing or the wadding or the binding.  All three of which will probably end up also being store-bought and new.  And at the rate I'm going with this thing I will probably have the top done in a day or two, as long as my machine holds out.  It's been a bit sputtery as of late.

What's the next step?  Do I start ordering the supplies for the rest or do I leave it until the top is finished   If the top is finished and I still have a week to go before Pruin arrives what will fill my days?  How do I redeem this anomaly in terms of my 're-use it' brief?


Loopy still, but loopy and distracted.