You know, sometimes things just aren't meant to be. The cat on my sewing machine was the first clue. But let me back up...
I finally joined a quilt guild. Big guild. Probably 80 members at the meeting. Lord knows how many on the actual roster.
This was a big step for me. I'd been putting it off. I don't need more responsibility and friends in my life. Hey, I know that sounds harsh but I'm blessed with many friends, an incredible number of close acquaintances I care about, and then a ton more people on the fringes. I cannot complain about my social opportunities. Or my networking opportunities.
But finally, I took the plunge. I was excited to have done it. Met some great people. I found out they were holding a Guild Challenge (make a quilt by interpreting arbitrary design and size rules). What fun! They would be selecting the winners at the next month's meeting so we'd all better have them ready.
Everyone else (theoretically) had been working on this for months. The top 8 would be entered in a national guild challen
ge to represent the guild. This sounded fun! Definitely something I should take on in the busy time right before Corporate Tax Deadline (3/17).So, of course, I did! You can see the in-process/unfinished quilt at the left.) I've slaved. Spent hours and hours in my quilt studio. Overcome one design challenge after another to make the quilt I see in my head. (All those colors you see blending together are really lots of different pieces of fabric. An average of 70 pieces per colored puzzle piece.) I see light at the end of the tunnel. I can get this done by the deadline. All I have to do is some more applique and sew the big squares together. I can even get it on my quilt frame and hand-quilted (minimal quilting) by the deadline. I can even meet all my other deadlines. I'm feeling pretty good, until I double check the guidelines for the challenge. 36x45 is not the 36x48 quilt I have designed and on my design wall.
No help for it now. Somethings just aren't meant to be. The cat should have been a clue.
What was the challenge? "My Checkered Past," a self-portrait containing a checkerboard somewhere in the quilt, interpreted in any way the quilt artist would like. Plus I added that I wasn't allowed to buy any fabric for this. I had to use what was in my stash.
And yes, I have all sorts of symbology about my life in this quilt. How I've fit so many different pursuits into my life, how my journey has taken me from one place to another, not always seamlessly, etc. I was really really stoked about this challenge but I find it hard to be too disappointed because I would never have tried this original design if it hadn't been for that challenge.
So, how about you? Have you missed signs in your life lately? Discovered you need new glasses at a most inopportune time?
Michelle-- As you requested in the comments I'm adding a close up of a couple of squares. You'll see what look like alternating triangles. In reality some of the triangles are two triangles put together. There are three small blocks across and 6 high to make one of the puzzle pieces. Each of the small blocks is three pieces--a big triangle and 2 little triangles. It's a block called "Flying Geese" because it resembles the outline of geese migrating.
