No new photographs today and not a great deal to share. Since I wrote last I have been spending the majority of my free time reading and working on THE quilt. Yes, the quilt has become The quilt in my my mind - looming large and hanging out in the front of my mind complete with blinking neon lights and a boom box (playing rap music) on my shoulder.
Okay, here's what's happening with The quilt. I am three days into the process of quilting the challenge quilt, and I am not having a good time. First of all, this is only the second art quilt I've quilted, and I think it's only the third quilt I've quilted (the first I sewed diagonal lines - wow). What I am doing now is free form - I'm trying to enhance my quilt design by drawing with thread. Not so easy.
Even though I practiced (using the same kind of fabrics, batting, and so forth) before starting, it has taken three days until I felt even slightly comfortable. Each day I warm up by practicing for about 15 minutes before launching into the real deal.
There are so many things that make this hard to do. My quilt is quite stiff, and while not large, it doesn't fit easily in the opening of my machine. The first day I forgot to bring the thread to the front of the quilt. Not doing so means that I now have several bird nests of thread on the back of the quilt (very, very bad - mega points off if it were being judged). As most elements of my design have to be quilted in a unique fashion, it all takes not only time but also thought.
Finally and probably the most trying are my own expectations. I expect my work to be the best it can be, but when my "best" is sub-par, it's difficult to accept. What I have to do is keep telling myself, that perfection is difficult to attain and to achieve it in the first attempts . . . well, it's not going to happen.
On the other hand, I finished The Boys in the Boat, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am not an enthusiastic reader of non-fiction, but this book is so well written and so fascinating that I was thoroughly engaged. It's up there with my other favorite non-fiction book, The River of Doubt. Both are worth a read, and I heartily recommend them!
I'm sure others will not judge your work as critically as you do. You're much braver than I am. The most important thing is to have fun with it!!
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