Two finishes!

I finally finished hand-quilting and binding two small quilts from Barbara Brackman's Juniper and Mistletoe book.  These will be samples for the shop, then Christmas presents.  Ha!  That's ONE way to stop procrastinating on getting started on making gifts for Christmas 2010!  The first on is a block is from the sampler quilt featured in the books are "square"...it's just I'm a bad photographer!  LOL  I hand quilted little oak leaves in the cornerstones on the first one.

I used chocolate brown YLI quilting thread for the cardinal piece.  It's hard to see the quilting because it so closely matches the dark brown Maywood Shadow Play fabric I used for the applique background.

On an unrelated subject, have you ever started a project before you knew how it was going to end?  OK, that was a dumb question...we've all done that...duh!  Have you ever started something, showed your feeble efforts to the final recipient, then realized that you might not be able to finish it?  Then you put it aside because you can't face it, but you can't "scrap it" because the recipient is already excited?

I did this recently.  Remember the Joseph's Coat Quilt Along, sponsored, with tutorial, by Kellie at Don't Look Now??  I took one look at that awesome quilt and thought that it would make a darling baby quilt for my newest, soon-to-be-born nephew.  This project is supposed to look like this:

Kellie posted this first step of the tutorial in January and I thought it was INCREDIBLE and started cutting out little blue and lime green wedges.  I thought, "Wow!  I love this quilt!  The first step looks easy and I bet I can do this quickly and my sister will love it."

The first step was easy...look at my adorable "blocks"...I was ready for another tutorial step so that I could whip the thing out PRONTO!

Then the next step was posted by Kellie...uh-oh...a little tricky.  I hit a brick wall.  I stuffed the project in a box and avoided it for a while.  I'm sure other people found the next steps easy and went on to make a huge, beautiful project.  I was only making a small baby quilt, and I was afraid to go on.

To add to my misery, I broke my number one quilting rule:  NEVER show a recipient their quilt before it is finished; it deflates creative energy (and commits you to that particular effort, even if you hit the wall, like I did).

Well, when I was visiting my sister and new nephew in February, I was working on step one, and she saw the "blocks."  Uh-oh!

Well, my adorable nephew is now 6 months old and I feel so guilty that I have not finished his quilt.  I made the decision yesterday morning to "put on the big girl panties," get the project out and work on it non-stop until it is done!

I am making GREAT progress and will post a picture of the top later this evening...I'm almost done with the top...and that is saying something...it is all hand-pieced!  I am so proud of myself for pushing through this and dealing with all the feelings of "I can't do it" and "I feel so guilty!" and "he won't get this until he starts college!"

(You know...it wasn't so bad doing it.)

We are our own worst enemies.

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)