Ah Sunday

I was rather industrious yesterday, finishing all of my 9-patches and getting a start on my next project. I had a bit of a mid-retreat meltdown, because I suddenly just could NOT decide what to do with my 9-patches. I didn't like them any way I sashed them. I think I was just sick of looking at them--total quilter ADD, if you know what I mean. So I cut some of them up to do Disappearing 9-patches.


I must say, I think I like this better than just the straight 9-patches, though I've saved a number of them for future projects. Perhaps I'll like them better if I put them away for a bit? I find that I do that quite a bit these days. I am sort of a fly by the seat of my pants quilter--I never work from an established pattern from start to finish. At most, I use a block pattern and then make up the sashing and borders and layout as I go along. I'm reasonably good at seeing something and being able to reproduce it, but I quilt like I cook--a pattern, like a recipe, is a starting point. I can never just follow it, I have to tweak it to my preferences. For food, the result is usually quite good, or at least edible. :) For quilting, I wind up stopping and starting a bit, unsure of layout, needing to walk away and come back to it at least once before making final decisions and pressing on. (Pun intended, by the way.)

I took last night off to hang out and picnic with the DH. We had grilled mushroom burgers, corn on the cob, and salad on the back deck, then had s'mores once the coals had died down some. As a kid, I grew up on the beach during the summers, so cooking out on a charcoal grill is part of my childhood. My husband? Not so much. I can't believe it, but he'd never toasted marshmallows or made s'mores before last night. NEVER! I can't believe it either! My poor deprived hubby. For me, it was a taste of my childhood, bringing a big sticky grin to my face and a tear to my eye. We sat out til it started to go from cool to chilly (it was cool enough last night that I needed a second blanket--good sleeping weather, as my mom would say), then listened to fireworks for several hours after it got dark.

Today... I have no idea what I'm doing. I think I've changed my mind on the sashing and final border for the HST strip quilt I've been working on for Project Linus--I think I like my new solid red better than the red with the white swirls. I'll have to audition and see. I may go ahead and put together the Disappearing 9s, or the rest of my pseudo-fractions blocks that I made with my Aviary (by Sisters for Moday) charm pack yesterday. They started out as my leaders/enders, but I was so taken with them, I finished that part of the piecing, too!! Who knows? Maybe I'll just go and sort my stash? :D Any excuse to play with fabric, you know?


And don't forget--today is the last day to sign up for my little at-home holiday retreat give-away! I will announce the winner tomorrow.

--Meg