About Last Night and Onward and Upward Into Saturday

So last night, after setting aside the Diet Coke in favor of a far more civilized dirty martini, I popped the CD that came with my sewing machine into the laptop and started the tour. Not bad. I learned that my Aurora will actually sew on a button (we shall not fail to note how lucky it was that the clothing I was wearing at the time was devoid of buttons), there's a stitch that looks exactly like a hand-sewn blanket stitch, which I frequently HAND SEW on wonky little applique projects, like the woolfelt Easter Eggs that have now been packed back up for next year--not a single egg completed this year), and --star of the car-- when using a walking foot you should move your needle all the way to the right and line the inner edge of the right toe along the seam line for perfectly placed stitch in the ditch. (Who knew!).

Absolutely perfectly aligned, and barely even visible. How have I not known this for the almost 2 years I've been a quilter?

A learning experience and I'm only half-way through the CD. Haven't gotten to the embroidery or accessory sections yet. It was also chock full of various fun projects, with pdf patterns to print out. Good thing I was bored. I never watch the CDs that come with printers/computers/cameras. Wonder what all I've missed over the years just assuming (a definite case for 'make an ass out of u and me') they'd be a waste of time.

Onward to today's ambitious project:

The poor kitchen table is in serious need of a table quilt. So Vera's Garden came out of the cubbies in the closet for today's self-entertainment challenge. Wracked the brain with a tape measure on the round table trying to figure out what size square quilt to make (have I mentioned that I don't do math?). The hubs stepped in to assist, but he just wasn't getting through the calculations fast enough for me, so I whipped the coffee table quilt off the coffee table and tossed it over the kitchen table. We then proceeded to fold it up a bit here and a bit there to figure out what would be a good size and then measured that. I decided to settle on a 40" square (it's a 40" round table....is that a big 'DUH' or what?)

Next I need to peruse some books for some type of pattern or combination of patterns that suits my fancy, that I can adapt in some way to create said 40" square table quilt. Nothing too simple, nothing too common, something that will work with Vera's Garden prints, which are kind of busy and kind of large.

Once I've settled on something I need to start figuring out how to cut the fabric, not to mention checking to see that I have enough. Draw, add, redraw, add, subtract. My head is spinning. Of course, once I settle on how to adapt the pattern to work for 40",  the original idea for a center medallion matching the borders quickly fizzles as I realize that I don't have quite enough fabric to do that without having to do some serious piecing together of the borders....which is something I do not want to do. So now I need a change of plan for the center medallion.

Maybe I can cobble together some HSTs and squares from what's left from the border cutting, add in a solid color fabric that I happen to have on hand that just about match one of the colors in the prints and make a center star. Or maybe I can see what kind of fabric I have left over after making the bricks I'm going to use that outline the center square and make a 9-, 12- or 16-patch center and not use the solid fabric. Sigh....what to do.

Okay, Susan get a grip....it's a table quilt. You're going to use it to hide a scuffy wood kitchen table. You'll most likely put hot dishes on it, drop food on it, basically use it as a huge placemat. WhatEVer! Just do SOMETHING! It's not going to hang in Houston, you aren't going to take it to show and tell at the guild meeting, this is utility, not art. Put on that old pioneer girl bonnet and get this show on the road.

And most importantly, remember your mantra......

FINISHED IS WAY BETTER THAN PERFECT!

(Make it work!)