The yawn point

Okay, so inability to focus and a quilt blog don't always go so well together. This is one of those times. Generally, I always have project progression to show off because I have multiple projects going on at any one time (is there such a thing as every one time?). But once in a while, all my projects get to that point where there's just nothing exciting happening. I have two quilts ready for borders and I can't quite find enough time in a single stretch to get them sewn on. And one quilt that has stopped moving forward because it needs a pause for re-assessment. And a leader/ender that only moves forward if something else moves forward.

I have sufficiently bored you with the same two pictures of the baby quilts that are waiting for borders. So, now it's time to bring back pictures of the other quilt that's going nowhere fast; the vintage dresden plates.

I have about 190 wedges that need starching and ironing and then trimming before I can start putting any more dresden plates together. And, so I spritz them with starch and I re-press the basted top edge, nice and straight, and iron out the old seam creases and stack them by color.

YAWN!

But, it's necessary work if I'm going to turn this little assortment of vintage wedges into the beautiful quilt I have in my mind. I'm even repairing torn wedges. See that plaid lump in the lower right corner? That's a blue plaid wedge and a red plaid wedge that each had a hole. I cut them to save as much as I could and will sew them together and cut them again. I even matched up the lines so they'll look very good together. There are a lot of wedges where the original piecer did that with her scraps.

I guess there's a yawn point in just about every quilt. That point where you do a lot of work and make little visible progress. Or when the progress you're making just isn't all that exciting. All of my current tops are at that stage. And, I'm so tempted to set them aside and move on to something else. But, I'm shouldering through and resisting the temptation. After all, that's what got me a closet full of unquilted tops in the first place.

I've read a lot of my fellow bloggers also trying to shoulder through a resolution to finish some of what we have started before we start anything else. I wonder how many of us have projects that are just at the yawn point and we long for some excitement. And, every one of you knows how exciting it is to start something new. I think we should form a club or a support group.

"Hi. I'm Lane. I'm a quilter and I get bored easily. When I'm bored, I love to start something new. I've been quilting like that for 12 years. I have a closet full of fabric I'll never live long enough to use up and $2 worth of cheap plastic coat hangers with unquilted and sometimes unfinished quilt tops hanging on them (you do the math on how many that is). It's been 15 days since I started anything new. And, I'm jonesin'. Bad."

I hope you're laughing with me, but I am also totally serious. I really don't want to start anything new until I finish something that's already going. I really want to shoulder through finishing some of the stuff that's stacked all over the place in my sewing room. And, I am really going to try not to be distracted by any new patterns or fabric inspirations. If I cut fabric, it needs to be going into something I already have going on.

Wish me luck.

And, don't be laughing at my ironing board cover in the snap above. I made it out of canvas and cotton batting and it is another of my favorite tools in the sewing room. It's very thick and is great for pressing applique because the applique just sinks into it. Same with the seams on shirts (sewing or just ironing to wear). It just laughs when I turn my iron up to HIGH. "Ha! I may scorch, but I don't burn and I don't hold scorch marks as a stain!" Everything just washes out. It has a nice deep hem with elastic and it fits my ironing board to a T. I used the cover that came with the board as the pattern, but went bigger! I don't think I will ever use a store bought ironing board pad again. My next project is to make a board from a half sheet of plywood so I can iron a half a quilt top at a time without it hanging off the edges of the board.

Everybody have a great Thursday. Lane