Vision verses Ability

Do you ever feel like this?

This little chipmunk seems to have 

bitten off more than he can chew.

Oh, how I know the feeling!

The pieced top for the mystery quilt, Discovery,

  designed by Petra Prins in 2016 for Quiltmania magazine

has been finished for almost a year.

The delay?
ME!

  I've wanted to quilt it myself,

but the task seemed daunting.

My vision far exceeded my ability.

So for 9 months I've moved it

from list to list,
dragged my heels, and

totally procrastinated.

A couple of weeks ago I finally I 

ordered a collection of Aurifil #28 thread

in the pefect colors so my stitches 

would blend in, yet add

texture with the thicker thread.

So then last week

I pulled up my big girl panties and 

said," What have I got to loose!  Just do it."

It took more time and 

thought than I had originally planned,
although I knew it would.

Each section brought new challenges.

Figuring out what to do,

practicing, practicing...,
and attempting to make the designs look cohesive.

I left the center section until last.

I was unsure if I would be able to  fill in the background

with a swirl design that looked appropriate

for this beautiful design.

Not perfect, but acceptable for me.

I was excited to finally

 add my special label.
 When I was in the Netherlands

last spring, Petra signed it for me.

Now both of our names are included.

(notice how I changed the date!)

This quilt was a long term

project with many discoveries.  

I discovered Dutch chintz designs and how lovely they're to work with,

EPP piecing is accurate and fun to do,

and my machine quilting skills may be far from perfect,

but you never know what you can do until you give it a try.

Until Next Time-

Kyle