Which project? ...

Hi everyone,

Since writing the last post I have given considerable thought as to which project I should work on and have chosen two: "Home Coming Lane" and "Christmas Star Chain".

My thinking with this was that I could sort out Home Coming Lane, as there is a lot of applique to do on this quilt and once I have it organised and all cut out and ironed I can have the blocks bagged up and ready to sew when I can.

Just for a reminder here is a photo of Block One that I did when on retreat with my friends (I have done more than this since then, but haven't got it out for a photo).

I decided that before I get this one out and sorted that I would pull Christmas Star Chain out and get my head around what needs to be done on this quilt. This quilt has a bit of a story already and it isn't even finished!

My hubby bought me the kit for this quilt for my 40th birthday (a few years ago). I saw the quilt at the Otamatea Quilt Show that year on The Apple Basket stand and instantly fell in love with it. Being a very new quilter I never gave a thought to the making of the quilt and the skills required, lol.

Christmas Star Chain is a quilt designed by Darlene Zimmerman and Joy Hoffman using the TRI-RECS tools which came with the quilt kit along with the book.

Isn't it just lovely. I started making this quilt when my sewing area was down in the rumpus room probably about 2004 and I got 5 minutes notice one day that hubby was going to tear the ceiling out of the rumpus room. Argh! I didn't have much time to pack up as you can imagine and just gathered everything the best that I could. I have not touched the quilt since. The work on the house grew from replacing the ceiling to full-on renovations that have lasted for quite a few years and we have only just totally finished to put the house on the market for the move, as you do. 

So my thinking was that I would pull this little darling out and work on it while hubby was away and get it completed.

Here is everything laid out on the dining room table as I get my head around what needs to be done and what has been done. But see that little pile on the bottom left: that is 20 RECS triangles and I need 192, but the thing is I am pretty sure that I had cut all that I needed and they were sitting in a meat tray in my sewing room on the shelf where they have been for a long time. But now that I want them - they are not there. I can't find them! I have had a massive clean up for the marketing photos for the house and have a vague recollection of putting them somewhere else BUT I can't remember where. I have looked through just about everything in my sewing room and cannot find them ... anywhere. I have found just about everything else but NOT those triangles.

So I have decided after spending the best part of two days looking and sorting as I go, that I am going to put this away for now as clearly now is not the time to be working on this quilt and hence its story continues.

I just have to decide what to work on instead. I will ponder that today while at the hairdressers. One thing I have realised through this experience is that I work very differently now to how I did all those years ago. I rewrite instructions onto card with symbols that I instantly recognise without having to read through heaps of words. I also organise things differently now as well - this may have something to do with the fact that I have more projects on the go at one time compared to back then. Don't know if this is a good thing or not.

So on that note I will head off and get myself sorted and put these pieces away before hubby returns tonight as it is still all spread out on the dining room table. I will carry on while hoping that the missing pieces will resurface in time.

Cheers for now and happy stitching 

Donna-Maree