The P Word

Sunday-August 23-with 8 days left in the Charm Girls Quilt Challenge-I got the quilt out of the box, and found the other box with the borders.

I found borders almost complete and ready to sew. I found prewashed fabrics. I found a list of what needs to be done yet(!). This is no big deal, I think. So why did I stop? What keeps me from finishing?

As I pin one of 3 borders onto the body of the quilt, I realize that I could have had this baby done years ago if it weren't for this stupendous border I'm building.

Does this fall into the "done is better than perfect" category?
The first border is on!

I'm researching quilters to finish this larger than life quilt. Not sure I can arm wrestle with it on my home machine.

Berries

The blackberries are here! We picked mountain elderberries yesterday. Today I will go back for some Sierra blackberries. Nothing will compare to Oregon berries, but these will do.

Charming Girls Tag

1. Share your favorite quilting or sewing tip:

• Don't prewash anything. You'll get that antique look. And save time!
  

2. Share your best tip for managing time more effectively (what works best for you)!

• I keep coming back to http://www.flylady.net/; spend 15 minutes every day on that big overwhelming Thing you're trying to finish. Have I done it on the pineapple quilt? Unfortunately, no.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

• Snorkeling........Great Barrier Reef? Curacao? Anywhere with turtles?

Need help finishing quilts?

Do you find it more fun to start a project than finish it?

If you are like me, you have more than a few unfinished projects. I am a much better starter than finisher. But when I see those forgotton, unfinished projects, I feel a terrible weight and guilt and general ick. So, today, I went on a rampage:

1. Bag filled with UFOs that I will truly never finish. The cutest dress pattern ever, unfortunately, relies on a hundred pleats to make it swing. Gone. A modified dress pattern almost done over a year ago. Gone. Bits of baby flannels. Gone.

2. A list of small projects to finish, one a day, all week. Extension and new hem on a top. Done.

3. Signing up for the Charming Girls Quilt Club to finish the grandmother of guilt-quilts this month: A king sized pineapple with custom appliqued pinapple borders. Started for a dear aunt's 70th birthday. She just turned 76. Oops.
I found the quilt peeking at me on a shelf. It took a bit of digging to get it. Feeling scared and anxious.

There she is! That wasn't so bad, after all. Next step, spreading it all out, and figuring out what's next.
Do you have any guilt-quilts hiding in your closet? It's time to air them out! Post a comment by August 19th, on this topic, and you will be entered into a drawing for charm squares.