Blog about someone else's blog

Here I go again, blogging about Leah's blog. But, she really spoke to me today. I've been spending countless hours at the machine quilting that show quilt with the apple theme. And, on occassion I get discouraged. Like today. I'm pretty nervous about taking the quilt to show my mentor tomorrow, and at the same time, really needing some feedback. And, knowing that even if the feedback is negative, I'm too far in to start over. I'd have to pick a different quilt for next spring's shows and finish this one using the current plan, or go ahead an enter it and probably get the same feedback a second time.

But, when I read Leah's post, I realized that I'm on the right track. First, I've spent more time quilting the quilt than I did piecing it. Second, the quilting is completely related to the quilt in theme. It is heavily quilted, which is another point of Leah's. My quilting draws attention to the piecing and gives some oomph to the plain areas without overwhelming the piecing in any way. I drew all my own quilting motifs, so I know they're original. They fit the theme and are pretty well excecuted in free motion stitching. The quilting threads recede into the fabrics and give texture to the large fabric patches without changing the color or presentation of the patches. And, yes, the quilt is extremely heavy and stiff already and will be much more so when it is washed and blocked.

And, like she suggests, I don't quilt every quilt this way. This quilt is special and for a show. I've spent at least twice as much time on it as I would on a quilt I wasn't planning to show. And, I don't plan to quilt like this on every quilt. Sometimes, a quilt is just to show off at the house and will never be judged by a professional, but will be enjoyed by my family and friends. So, there's no reason to fill them with dense quilting. Those quilts are better off with ditchwork and just a little fancy stuff.

So, I'm feeling better. Not sure yet whether I'll take it tomorrow. I might feel better waiting until it's finished and all the little mistakes are corrected before I show it to her. I'm pretty sure if I wait, she'll be overwhelmed and I'll get a good review before I enter it. If I take it now, I'm going to hear a lot about mistakes I already know about and have a plan to correct.

Take care and have a great Friday. Maybe tomorrow I'll post a picture of one of the sections I've been working on and get your feedback. I know...what a tease! Lane