When is "googling" like quilting?

Who doesn't love FINISHING a project?  But there is one piece of it that I struggle with -- the "aftermath" -- that moment when I have to make a decision about what to do next?!?

It shouldn't really be that difficult for a person with a dozen or more projects in flux most of the time but that "which" question is often the beginning of a spasm of "proquiltination"
(it's a form of being distracted, but in a productive way!?!).

I think I first saw that word on Instagram and it describes perfectly what has been happening here for the past few days.

There are a couple Christmas deadlines looming but the perfect storm of finishing a project, tidying up the studio, and coming to the end of my current "leaders and enders" project distracted me from the deadlines. 
Here's what has happened.
I have finished piecing this set of 25 pineapple blocks which have been my "leaders and enders" for the past couple months.

 I needed to find another set of neglected blocks to use as "leaders and enders" so I started diving into tubs.  Tub diving always sets off a chain of events similar to "googling" around the web --

so many things to rediscover and distract!!

All this came out of this tub (and is now back in the tub) but I didn't find what I was seeking?! 

I did find this gem from a couple years ago -- still love it, must work on it so up on the work wall it went for some pondering so I can get back to work on it after the New Year.

This was the project I was seeking -- my daughter's version of my pattern, Mississippi Mud.  It has been passing back and forth between the two of us for several years. 

There were only 8 blocks left to piece and I'd like to get this quilt finished.  Fortunately, they were in the second tub!!

I pulled everything out, organized the sewing table, and started to clear off the cutting table so I can cut out the cute shirt I'm going to make for my grandson for Christmas. 

That's where I came across this block -- it's an experiment based on a quilt, Color Me Crochet designed by Lissa Alexander and featured in the April 2013 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.  I think it will be a great charity quilt and use up quilt a few of the overflowing box of scrappy 2 1/2" strips on the bottom shelf of the cutting table. 

 There were two more blocks but I really like this "accidental" fabric combination and the box is right there, so I might as well dig out all the green, brown, red, and gold strips and put them together.

Not a very tidy looking assortment you say?

That's because I made a second block just to confirm my inspiration -- this block felt a bit somber.

So, I pulled out the two corner single squares and replaced them with gold.

So much better!!

I made one more block to confirm my plan of how to organize the values in the blocks and make a couple more Mississippi Mud blocks at the same time.  Up and down, up and down between the sewing machine and the ironing board -- at some point, as I sat back down at the machine, the excitable part of my brain (it's working on the hexie piece on the design wall) remembers this box!!

It's a set of pieced braid variations from about 12 years ago -- a wonderful assortment of greens and blues.  My brain has decided the hexie piece needs to be a little wider and maybe taller -- would those braids work?

Maybe? 

My in-house consultant thinks it's too busy, but I'm still undecided.  And it's such a good "leader and ender" project that I'm extending it just in case.

I did get the last few blocks of Mississippi Mud pieced and set together -- I'll quilt this after the first of the year in four sections and get it onto my daughter's bed finally!!

The scrappy quilt is growing and I've got my fabric mojo perking. (I'm only allowed to piece one block a day because I could spend all day puttering at this one.)  I also cleared all the blue strips out of the box and turned them over to one of the gals in my charity quilting group who had never pieced one of those jelly roll 1600" quilts. 

I think my daughter might be right about the braid and the hexies.

The sewing table is cleared again and I really must attend to the sewing deadlines but it was fun to proquiltinate for a few days.  Progress was made, a new "good deed" project is well underway, and my creative brain is engaged!!

Time to quit proquiltinating and get focused.

Cold winds are blowing down across Lake Erie for the next few days which means snow, snow, and more snow.  Stitching and knitting are top my weekend to-do list! 

Hopefully you'll be able to make some stitching time as well!!

Mary