Personally, I'm usually a muscle through kind of gal and, for the most part, that approach has served me pretty well. I know in my heart that I don't need a quilt to be perfect, I just need to be pleased with the end result.
But......the Swoon pattern is made up of just one block made nine times. Three across, three down, like a tic tac toe board. So, the center block, to my eye is the most important. Sort of the focal point of the quilt, and I really wanted it to be perfect. My first block turned out pretty darn well, so I went into this one with a certain amount of confidence.
It was when I was about one third of the way through piecing it that my seams started not matching up. I was paralyzed. I set it down and walked away from it for nearly two days. I couldn't decide what to do. Recut? I was almost certain that I had neither the fabric nor the mental fortitude to take on that task. I did rip out some seams and re-piece, but I knew in my heart that the trouble occurred long before in the cutting process (damn those 7/8" measurements). So, that exercise was just another lesson in futility.
I whined and moaned about my predicament on Twitter, when Katy, our fearless Swoon-Along leader, told me to muscle through. She said, "if you do, you will love it in the end, if you re-cut you'll despise it." That's what I love about Twitter; pearls of wisdom in 140 characters or less.
So, I know, I know, you can't see the problem areas from the picture. Thank God for the riot commonly known as Madras. But, they are certainly there. It is what it is. I still think that I will like this as the anchor block in the quilt, but maybe another one will come about that I love more, and this one can be delegated to another spot. I must remember, I'm not saving lives, I'm not curing cancer, I'm quilting.
Persevere!
Mary
PS Remember this fella?
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| Mr. Awesome Socks |
