It's been a week since my last post and I can tell you it's been quite a week! I've been frantically working trying to get ready for my first quilt show of the year. It's in February in Hampton, Virginia and I'm working on my samples, trying to arrange trunk shows of other designer's quilts and generally running around like a crazy woman (or at least a little crazier than my normal crazy self). Then the telephone rings and it is the vendor coordinator from Quilters Heritage Celebration in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Now I've wanted to be a vendor at this show forever....it is a wonderful show! Never did I think that they would actually call me when they have a waiting list that is endless. So added to the craziness of getting ready for Virginia, I'm now also trying to get together my 30 foot booth for their show which is the end of March.
Here's where the blonde moment comes in.....(and I can say this because I am blonde, so no offense meant to other blondes out there in cyberspace).....I decided that I would make this wonderful variation of a pineapple log cabin. I get together a few bolts of reds, greens, and medium blues....find a great fabric for the border and get to work. I had to cut 48 2-1/2" strips of reds, greens, and blues, several strips of background fabric, tons of squares (148 of 4-1/2" squares of background, just for starters) and thought I really had it together. I used my Accu-Cut die cut machine for the strips and then with a flash of genius, realized that I could use the 5" square die to make my 4-1/2" squares. How might you ask? Just cut them at 5", then cut 1/2" off two sides! Much easier than cutting it all from the beginning.....so I'm feeling pretty smart! Forget about cooking, cleaning, or anything else. I'm just focused on this quilt. So I've just finished Step 2 (we're talking about 48 blocks now and it took awhile to get through Step 2) and realize that I mixed up the background and the strip fabric placement in Step 1. I looked at the diagram because, really, who actually reads the written directions of the pattern? In the diagram it showed a light fabric and a dark fabric....wouldn't you think that light meant the background fabric (especially since their quilt had a light background), and dark meant the other fabrics? Now it dawns on me that I have just made 48 blocks the wrong way....AARGH! And there is no way to take them apart and re-do them because of the trimming you do along the way. Being the eternal optimist that I am, I lay them out on the table (and thank my lucky stars that I didn't get through Step #4 before I realized my mistake) and find that I have made a rather interesting design. Of course, not the one I wanted to make or anything that resembles the pattern, but, nonetheless, it is usable. There is no time to complete this interesting "error" now, but I'll put it aside and finish it another day. Yesterday I went back to the cutting process again and I've started to remake my 48 blocks. I'm through Step #3 now and so far I've stayed on track and my blocks are put together the way the pattern shows. If I'm lucky I'll complete them tonight and let you know soon how they look. Until then....READ YOUR PATTERN DIRECTIONS and you won't have all of the cutting fun I just had. Or if you strive to be a blonde, try it my way! They say blondes have more fun. Did they lie?
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