For me, working on a quilt can be one of the most rewarding activities, or, as I've recently discovered, it can be one of the most frustrating activities.
Normally what drives me to make a quilt is 1) gorgeous fabric that I just can't resist then I'll design a quilt around the fabric, 2) creating a quilt to give to someone specific as a gift, 3) an inspiration photo, or 4) the desire to try a new quilting technique. I'm sure there are other reasons but those are the ones that come to mind right now.
However, at this point in time I'm working on a quilt for my mother and my heart just isn't in it so it has become quite a frustrating project. I'm not really sure why, either, because I love the pattern and the fabric. Oh well, after much procrastination it is finally coming together and despite all my whining and complaining about it, it is going to be lovely. I still need to add the borders to it but at this point the bulk of the work is over and I feel that I'm home free. I need some feedback from my mother regarding the final size of the quilt which is why the borders will have to be added in a few days.
While I was working on this quilt last night I was mulling over my frustration at this project and came to the conclusion that the frustration stems from the fact that this is not a quilt I would have elected to make on my own. Which is exactly why I won't agree to make quilts, or anything else for that matter, for money - at that point it becomes work and is no longer fun to me. While working on this quilt I kept stopping to make two baby quilts - the baby quilts I wanted to make ...
My frustration at this quilt also comes from the fact that I've had to put down other projects that I really want to do in order to get this one completed.
Okay, now I just sound like a spoiled child ...
My frustration at this quilt will end tonight because at the end of the evening I will be able to see the finished piece (well, I'll still need to add the borders but that's a piece of cake). This quilt will be machine quilted so it will be off my plate then. When it comes back from the machine quilter all I'll need to do is add the binding and that happens to be one of my favorite parts of any quilt.
Explanation of these photos - the train quilt is a baby quilt I'm making for a friend and co-worker. The dog quilt is also for a co-worker who is expecting his first grandson. And the pink/green/ivory quilt is the one I'm making for my mother.
Other quilting projects that are waiting in the wings - a foundation paper pieced quilt my cousin and I are making together for my sister, a wall hanging for my other sister, a cathedral window quilt for my son that I just work on occasionally, an origami flower quilt that has me a little perplexed but I'll work through it, and a multitude of ideas rattling around in my brain that are just waiting their turn to be created.
Besides quilting projects, I have many other project want-to-do's ... gardening projects, furniture projects, house redecorating projects ... There are so many things I want to do that I sometimes feel discombobulated. That is when I stop and make a list and see what floats to the top of the list. And that tiny step towards organization helps me see where I need to go next.
So in addition to quilting and gardening, what is coming to the top of the list is naming each room in my house and creating a beautiful sign for each room ... Not only do houses need names, room do it. For instance, doesn't it sound so much more fun to say, "That belongs in the Garden Room" instead of "That belongs in the bedroom at the end of the hall on the right."?
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