Tuesday 11 January 2011

Unrealistic quilt expectations - again

I am doing it again. Making myself unrealistically ambitious promises about a quilt.

I haven't got a great track record in making quilts quickly.  The first one I made took just under five months back in 2008. This is the family quilt, which all of us share.


The second one I made was for C. It took a fairly respectable four months.

I sneaked in a quick quilt in an evening...

...but was then back on form as the simple Kaffe Fassett quilt I made for myself took eight long months.

The strawberry quilt I made for O took a shocking eighteen months.


And feeling both inspired and impressed by Florence's beautiful (and rapid) Christmas quilting, I finally got round to completing a half-embroidered label and attaching it today. A mere four months after I finished the quilt.
 

And now I've finally embarked on a quilt for G.  It is his birthday on Valentine's Day, and I've declared that I will have it finished by then.  That's just six weeks away!  What was I thinking?

Mind you, I do (kind of) believe myself this time.  I cut and pieced the basic top over two mornings last week, and today the wadding arrived in a great squishy parcel from Cotton Patch.  The backing fabric has been despatched from America, and while I wait for it to arrive I am cutting out dozens and dozens of leaves from leftover pieces of scrap fabric.



Because with only six weeks to make it, I have decided that not only will I quilt it by hand (it seems mean somehow, to give G a machine-quilted one, when everyone else has a hand-quilted one - even in the interests of speed), but I will also applique loads of leaves onto it as part of the quilting.  I know.  Madness.

I have to finish it though - I can't break a birthday promise!  So I'm ordering some films from LOVEFiLM and stocking up on podcasts.  Let's see what has happened by Valentine's Day....

9 comments:

  1. Lucky G, what a brilliant idea for a pressie, and there's nothing like a bit of pressure to keep you on your toes!! have faith!It will look amazing, just like all the others. My fave is actually the one you did in one evening, how the heck did you manage that?!x

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  2. I see Garden Girl has beaten me to comment. I wish to agree with all she has said and confirm that as usual she is right. Joking aside, the quilts look amazing and I look forward to seeing the completed 'G'.

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  3. A deadline is always a good thing! I was still sewing one of my Christmas quilts on Christmas Eve!

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  4. Good luck, it looks like ,You are right on track though.

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  5. Oh, I'm exactly the same with quilts! In fact, I finished the top of a new quilt for W last year and still haven't even ordered the batting for it! Good luck with your challenge, we'll be cheering you on!
    R x

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  6. I have made precisely 0 quilts. You are doing great.

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  7. I'm right in there with Coffee Lady. Zero quilts so far. My resolution is simply to make one by the end of the year! But I know you can do this!

    K x

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  8. Good luck with the quilt. I'm sure you'll do it in time as you have a fixed deadline. Looking forward to seeing it. Lucy x

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  9. I loved seeing all your quilts - I think the family quilt and O's quilt are my absolute favourites.

    I think deadlines are a good thing. The more pressured I feel the greater my productivity and output (never mind that I become slightly wired and my eyes roll around all by themselves without my brain telling them to!). Why not aim to finish the entire birthday quilt by the end of this weekend and then spend the next six weeks making clothes for yourself...really, you definitely do need to break into the Home Stretch envelope....good things lie inside.

    Wishing you a lovely weekend,
    Florence x

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