Sometimes you’re just done

“What’s this obsession with finishing?” while Melanie Testa said this to me a couple of weeks ago, I’ve heard this from other quilters including Libby Lehman, her technical term being, “butt ugly”.  The point being that sometimes a quilt has taught me all it has to teach me.   It’s hard, darn hard to let a piece go unfinished when there is so much personally invested in the piece.

Some quilts only have a limited vocabulary and in that taking the time to listen is essential.

I listened to podcast hosted by Rice Freeman-Zachery where she intervied Melly, Melly elaborates on this and other techniques for developing art/quilting.  One reason I’m showing “Eclipse” here is I have the original quilt Anne & I worked on as we worked towards “Eclipse”  It needs to be bound.  I think.  I’m not experiencing a tremendous sense of urgency to get it bound and truthfully I may not get to it.  The quilt, as it is, is a good sample for students to look at part of the quilting process.  It’s partly how I practice machine quilting.

It’s okay not to finish, sometimes quilts will not get better no matter what kinds of changes we make.

Sometimes it’s fine to make drastic changes.  The quilt I posted yesterday is one of those quilts where drastic changes make a lot of sense.  In talking with Anne this morning, who joined the guild after I submitted yesterdays quilt to NQA for their little quilt auction.  This quilt started life as a quilt from a Jinny Beyer pattern for one of her quilts.  At the time I didn’t have the skill set necessary to finish the quilt.  I added borders and machine quilted.  Again at the time my skill set was lacking and the quilting really bit.  I cut the binding wrong and set it aside.

Well I decided to revisit the quilt later and it took a completely different shape and look.  I was ready to take on this quilt and quilt it well.   This quilt still had more to teach me.  While the prototype for “Eclipse” has more to teach my students in its current form.

Speaking of students I’m teaching Advanced Machine Quilting or “Let your foot loose be fancy & free” – we covered feathers today.  Next week will be a little more on feathers and shapes.

Have a great week!

Teri

Yes, I know I said current pictures of the scarf I just finished and some other quilty stuff and I’m getting there.  Hopefully by the end of the week