Murphy Visits

 

We all remember Murphy. Murphy's Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. 

Can you see it? The quilt is all sewn up, but can you see the big glaring No-No?

Since I added a row of blocks to the left edge of the quilt, the big double sized blue block is now right smack-dab in the exact center of the quilt. 

Dammit.

There is, of course, only one thing to do, and that's rip it out. I decided I could shift the blue block to the right, and decided to do that by rotating it and the white and pink blocks to the right of it 180 degrees and sew it back in the empty space those blocks occupied. Problem was, there was a light blue block that would have sat right on top of the big blue block, so that one had to get replaced as well.

Major ARGH!

HOWEVER! I have learned that when you goof up like this there is only one thing you can do. Take a deep breath and just get to work. Fix it, and do not get emotional about it. Don't get angry, don't swear, don't grumble, and above all, don't put it off.

OK so that's done.

I like the way the center blocks are all off center, and the dark centers and the light centers kind of blink. It's fun, and I might make another one.

But I want to continue reorganizing my stash first.

OH: Here's a plug. Last year I so enjoyed Magpie Murders on PBS. They have another season this year, called Moonflower Murders. They are both murder mysteries and what makes them unique is each one is a murder mystery set in another murder mystery with many of the cast members playing dual roles - one in each. It's a clumsy way of describing a very elegant, enjoyable series. Moonflower Murders just premiered on Sunday September 15th, so if you want to watch it will be easy enough to catch up. I highly recommend both seasons.

Old and New

This was the border of the Firebird quilt, but it really didn't work.

So I ripped it out.

Yup, I did.

I will replace it with this yellow in the next few days.

As for the working in the office, here is a shot of the inside of the closet. In this room I am cleaning, sorting, and cleaning out every single shelf, drawer, folder, table, desk in there. I've completely reorganized the inside of the closet. Now it is time to tackle the paper tiger.

Quite frankly, until I'm done in the office, I'm not going to be doing much in the studio.




then again, you know me. If an idea hits me just right...

Rinse, Lather, Repeat

Remember this?

I loved the colors but once the top was finished, I was less than impressed with the finished piece. I got it ready to send to the longarm quilter, but never did it.  I showed it to my son, who was equally ambivalent about it. Actually, he was quite specific. He didn't like it at all.  So after we talked about it, I decided to get right to it and implement his suggestion.

I didn't just delicately unsew each stitch, I just lined up the ruler and sliced it apart!

 

Oh! Better already!

 Oh yeah! Much better!

A Hole In One

Some of you know how much I love to watch tennis. During long matches, one always hears that the winner will be the one who "wants it more." This is balderdash. Both players want it. The winner will be the one who prepared himself well beforehand. He or she will be the one who did whatever was needed to ensure a good result.

I like to make quilts that "knock it out of the park," that "blow people away," or are thought to be "awesome."  You don't get a quilt like that if you settle for less. I want this quilt to be a knockout. If that means I have to remove something and do it over (and over and over), then that's what I have to do.