Blues To The Finish!

I've shared a lot of the making of Stardust.

I think it's my most recent favorite! (They all take their turn in being favorite, don't they?)

I enjoyed the whole making process of this one and I know there will be another string quilt popping up in my must make list soon.

But for now...I'm setting the strings aside and focusing in so many other directions.

That lull of "I'll take a break now that this is done." Never seems to happen to me.

My favorite part of this quilt?  The NO NO NO fabric and where it is popping up everywhere in the neutrals.

I laugh that I get a passive-agressive charge out of unlikely fabric pairings and werid, comical inclusions.  Keep them coming.  It makes quilting FUN!

Yes, as a teenager I was accused of being either sacreligious (Whatever that means to a 14 year old with a wicked sense of humor!) to cynical, to disrespectful, to totally lost.

Now in my 60s I'm continuing to embrace that "stick it to the quilt police" mentality and doing what I want with my fabric, no matter how old, outdated, ridiculous it is.

And all in all - I think my favorite mode working with foraged, found, gathred, gleand and gifted fabrics keeps me inspired to keep making more quilts.

I've gone way past the "How many quilts to you think you really need??" phase and just accept that I'll be doing this as long as I can keep doing this.

All the way to the backing!

I love a backing that holds interest and also shows the quilting texture.

Don't you think that the quilting kind of unifies everything together?

And in this case...the silliness of some of the fabrics (The ice cream sundaes, pixie stix, candies and lollipops - The waternelon plaid, the ducks on the water which remind me of my Grandpa Mach...) placed next to the stoic standard tone-on-tones came together in a manic few days of "I can't stop the madness" sewing.

What does it say?  I imagine someone picking this quilt up 50 years from now and just giving the fabric choices the side eye as in "Who was this quilter, and what was she on?"

And I hope it makes them smile.

Quilts don't have to be a home dec item.  They don't have to match your couch, your bedroom decor or coordinate with your curtains.

All fabrics are worthy.  All colors are valuable.

There is no such thing as an "IN" color or an "OUT color.

Quilting is more than just working with the 8 watercolor paints we were given as kids to encourange our creativity.

And the powers that be that said "Don't mix them up, wash your brush before dipping into another color...." Did they shackle us, stunt us, or encourage us to explore?

These are all things that have been running through my mind.

Who decides what is "IN" or "OUT" and what's in it for them?

Do we really care what the Pantone color of the year is? Why do we feel the need to rush out and follow a trend?

Why have I had too much caffiene already today?

Because this happened late at night at my brother Scott's house:

Some stupidly drunk guy crossed through traffic, went airborne up over the sidewalk and front steps (The house is UP from the road!) and slammed his company truck into the side of Scott & Alicia's beautiful 100 year old house in Nampa, Idaho.

The flying truck must have been going at such a high speed - it took out the dining room window and wall.

The driver is in the hospital with unknown injuries - but I spent most of yesterday just sick that this happened....what a mess.

Can you imagine? 10:50pm and you are settling into bed and there is a huge crash that shakes the whole house...glass everywhere, debris...

Evidently the truck struck near the corner of the house and there are support beams involved so we don't know what is going to have to happen to get it all right again.

Yesterday was also the 8th anniversary of my brother Mark's passing.  An emotional day.

Some days are just not for progress on anything quilty...it's okay to just make it through it and come out the other side the next morning.

I've got one round around the center flower.
Today:
Son Jeff is on hand working on yard upkeep and since he and Hubster Dave will be taking care of my job of making sure the retreat is ready and everyone has what they need, he'll be working along side me to replace the freezer paper on pressing stations so they are fresh, even folding and filling towel baskets so they are ready (And he knows what to do while I'm away) and going through the checklist of things on the to- do list.
And we'll see how the day unfolds.
How about you?

Quiltville Quote Of The Day -

Just in case you find yourself in that circuitous round of second guessing...

Forget the focus on perfect...it's already perfectly wonderful.

Have a terrific Thursday, everyone!