I should have kept count of the number of projects I've seen "die on the vine" so to speak while students and customers hunt for more of the exact same fabric or the perfect fabric. Certainly, that was my excuse for not finishing projects until I discovered picking the "best" of the available choices gives me excellent results!
Not only has that strategy helped me get to the finish line over and over again, but it's led me to create some of my best quilts -- no make that some of my favorite quilts!
Now I confidently dive into my stash and audition my way to the "best" available choice -- it's worked before and I know this strategy will work again.
First, I own lots of fabric and I've chosen each piece myself because I love it, so it makes sense to shop in my stash first. I love to buy fabric as much as anyone but I love the feeling of delight when I use something that has been "aging" in my stash.
Case in point - currently I'm participating in the Darty Kite Pattern Company's mystery sewalong -- the only thing we were told going into it was the shapes being used and the finished size. A couple days ago, we received instructions for the fourth step.
Thank goodness I was finished with the third step and ready to move forward.
At this point, I don't see myself adding new colors -- the fussy-cut lavender background floral was my guide for settling on the purple, blue, and green palette with pink accents. So I started to pull possible prints for the next round based solely on color.
(Do you recognize any of these prints??)
For example, I brought the entire stack of blue prints with a similar value to what I've already used over to the design wall -- then pinned any up there that caught my eye and put the rest back on the shelf.
I left the room for a few hours and when I returned, I quickly pulled down the blue prints that "stuck out" leaving me with the two you see above. I repeated this step for each color group until I had a small assortment of choices.
Elimination is definitely the easiest way to make a decision!!
"How did you think to chose that color/print?" is a question I've been asked many times about many of my quilts. The truth is, I don't think about it as hard as you think I do -- I react to the possibilities I've assembled.
I'm not more clever or smarter -- I've learned to listen to what my mind likes.
The only advantage I've had over most quilters is that I've been part of hundreds of similar decisions in my teaching career coaching other quilters to adopt this "best option" approach.
So yes, I do make it look easy.
If I took this top shopping I might find something different but not necessarily better. The important aspect of making choices for me is to like my choice and use my stuff (which at my age might otherwise be doomed to a yard sale)!
So here are the winners for the next round! One more night on the design wall and tomorrow I'll reaffirm my choices and start cutting
Between bouts of piecing this quilt top (by machine, of course), I'm knocking out charity quilt tops to use up more UFO finds and keeps me supplied with productive "leaders and enders". Last week, I found two more unfinished teaching samples -- arghhh -- but by the time I get this step finished, they will be ready to layer and quilt!
These demo samples using Marti Michell's Flying Geese Ruler*** are becoming a couple of wheelchair size lap robes. There were a few left to piece and it was a good reminder of how accurate the pieces are when cut with this ruler -- uniform and square "geese" units that are going together beautifully!!
And this pile (which I don't even recognize) will go up on the design wall next for some creative exercise. More Marti Michell demo pieces of course! I do love that print!!
Summer here is rushing along -- I found my first monarch caterpillars of the year early this week and today I watched a spicebush swallowtail lay a few eggs on the spicebush in the side yard!!
Plus "the tomato" has set on and is growing -- I have one Mr. Strippy heirloom tomato plant in hopes of having one excellent homegrown tomato in August!! You see, I love tomatoes but my body does not -- they really crank up my arthritis so I only eat one excellent tomato annually.
Time to cut 120-some hexies!!
Mary
***EDIT April 2025
Marti Michel closed her business in late in 2024 and while some shops may still have a stock of her templates, you can also find them on Ebay and Etsy.
