Almost There!

I got four yards of my background fabric in the mail today. I probably only needed three, but more is better. I am finished with the body of the quilt itself. Now all I have to do is add the border of Nos and then the outer border of more background fabric. You know, "all."

Yesterday I sized and sewed some of the NOs together. I couldn't sew them together into long pieces because their length would be determined by the finished size of the body of the quilt and the way I want the NOs to fit in a rather tight border around it.

I am really sorry I can't make this picture better. The quilt is really cool in real life, but you've been looking at it sorta like this for so long that the little details are almost too small to see.

The grouchy lady in front of the sewing machine is now hiding in the border of NOs along with a man, a mischievous boy, a group of black butterflies, a grouchy gardener and at least one cat. I plan on moving a couple of NOs around so the bottom row doesn't look so empty and the top row doesn't look so crowded.

Outside of the NOs will be a 3 inch border of the background fabric, and then this will be finished.

It's worth noting that since I started this on April 10th, the only thing that has stayed put in the quilt is the big grouchy lady and the word QUILT. (And the birds, I suppose.) The NO, THIS, IS, NOT (made the NOT four times, by the way), PAPER and PIECED were all made twice.

Many of you think I am off my rocker. I have heard the word "courageous" bandied about, but I do not think of myself as "courageous." I'm persnickety, I'm demanding, I'm persistent, but above all I consider myself "creative." I know what I want, and I'm going to work until I get it. NOT "getting it" is not an option. And the idea that I CAN'T do it NEVER crosses my mind. I have absolutely ZERO doubt that I will solve the problem. (Ask Julie how many times she's heard me say that. Go read "The Value of 'Meh.'")

I actually LIKE not starting with a complete idea (the very anathema of paper-piecing) and figuring it out as I go along. I LIKE thinking about it when I am not working on it, and getting ideas and changing things around to push forward the IDEA I have in my head.

There's a quote that the Ringling School of Art used as advertising years ago: "A good idea is only an IDEA until you make it REAL." You know you've succeeded when you don't have to EXPLAIN it to anybody, because the piece says it on its own.

Sigh, yeah I know. This quilt DOES have to explain it, but it certainly DOESN'T have to explain how I feel about it! LOL