On Perfection

This quilt has been a UFO for a very long time. I think I started it in about 2011. The pattern came from a magazine. No, I don't remember what magazine. No, I don't remember what the pattern was called, probably something like "thousand pyramids" or maybe "flatiron." I lost the pattern years ago, and I had to use existing triangles that I had already cut to make a new template when I was piecing it together since I was short on triangles. Often quilts become UFOs when they have problems. I started this quilt before I realized that starching fabric that you have pre-washed before you use it is A Good Thing. Tiny triangles, no starch, bias edges--and you get stretch. I could already tell by the way the triangles were going together when I was in the block-stage, that all was not well. These triangles were NOT going to go together smoothly. So I put it away. And let it sit. And sit.

I took it out again in fall of 2020. And I decided that I wasn't going to worry about the technical problems, I was just going to get it done. I put it up on my design wall, rearranged it a bit, cut some more triangles, rearranged it some more, sewed it into a quilt top, and basted it. I fudged where I could, and where I couldn't, I sewed through those triangle points without a regret. (And then I basted it and let it sit for a year while I coped with 2021.) I finally got it quilted and I am finishing the binding. And I realized that I love this quilt. I started it with the skills I had at the time. I'm finishing it with the skills I have now. And even knowing how imperfect it is, I still find it beautiful.

Springtime 2022

It's been over a year of radio silence on the blog, although not a year without quilting.

2020 had it's challenges, but I enjoyed working from home and adapted to social isolation just fine (sometimes being an introvert is actually a benefit). However, due to various factors, pretty much entirely work-related (I work full-time, quilting isn't my day job), 2021 was a complete dumpster fire. All of the work-related stuff eventually culminated in me joining the Great Resignation.

I stayed with one group, in a couple of roles, for nearly 20 years, and now I am starting over in a new group (same agency, completely different division). I think I'm still in shock a little. I am learning tons of new things, though, and doing work more related to what I went to school for. It's going to take a while to settle in, but I think it was the right choice for me.

Now that i look back, I probably stayed too long in my last job; maybe 20 years is too long to do anything. I would have grown more if I had sought different opportunities earlier. Now that it is over, I can maybe take a deep breath and get a little more quilting done.

During 2021 I continued to work on unfinished projects, and I also have been trying to use of some of the bags of leftover scraps from old projects.

I am down to six unfinished projects. I've done less quilting in the past few months as I have been doing background reading for my new job and exercising more. It's still nice enough to go for walks outside, but it won't be for much longer.