Lunacy

I always say "We will finish no quilt before it wants to be done".  Some quilts really do not want to be done.  We call them WIPS.  But there is almost always a reason they get put back on the shelf. 

Then there are the quilts that pop up and say MAKE ME NOW!!!  Not something I experience on a regular basis.  Today was the exception. 

I was looking through my stash for something else.  Sadly, I can't even remember what I was looking for.  A charm pack fell at my feet.  It is a black and white set of Half Moon by Moda.  It insisted that it could be sewn together in short order.  Even better, it would be GREAT practice for precision sewing.  I know all the pieces are cut properly so any variations will be due to operator error.

There was surprisingly little operator error.  The center panel went together in no time at all.  The seams ironed out correctly... now that never happens.  It was finished in a flash.

Except...  one charm pack makes for a pretty small quilt.  Barely big enough to call a stroller quilt.  This baby needed something else. 

I headed to my stash thinking either a red border or a border of brightly colored squares.  I have plenty of those.  Certainly something will work.

Except... this quilt had other ideas.  It kept saying "Scallops.  I would look so elegant with scallops."  It refused to play nicely with any of the reds in my stash. 

But on the top of the pile was a black kona remnant.  It is a piece of wide backing that is too narrow for most quilts that need a wide backing.  A little time with the graph paper, ruler and some light math and it became clear that there was enough fabric for an 8 inch border AND enough for the backing as well.  Score!!!

So, the top is pieced.  I have the backing and batting.  Spud 1 is on his way home and can help with the basting.  This quilt is going to be finished in a flash.

Except... that I have to figure out how to draw the scallops.  I've listened to the talk at the LQS a couple times now.  I understand it in theory.  I have paper and tape.  The scallops won't be a problem.

Except... that I have to figure out how to quilt that vast expanse of black border.  And that is a problem for another day. 

And... and I can see that this is going to be another quilt that is going to be impossible to photograph.  All that black on black quilting will hide.  It will either hide my multitude of sins or it will hide from the camera.  Either way, it won't be impressive on the intertubes.