Contrast can be a good thing...

or it can make a decent picture impossible. I tried 4 different times to get a good picture of this quilt, but each time, it ended up blurry. I tried to encourage the boys to stand still, I got different boys to hold it, and I tried standing very still... Finally, I realized that it is just the contrasting fabric and the busy-ness of some of it- that keeps the camera guessing about where to rest. But it is interesting- especially for a black and white quilt. And even out of focus, I think you get the general idea. Tanya, from The Quilter's Toybox, made this quilt using Blank fabric and their pattern. It is very sharp. She is entering it into the guild challenge- the rules say it has to be black and white with one color (she's using copper.) I quilted it- White on white and black on black and a lot of mental conversations about keepin' it in the lines. You know, quilting that way is a lot like riding a bike. You see that ditch coming up and you think to yourself, "Self, stay out of that ditch. Don't go in that ditch. That ditch is bad...Ah man, why'd you go in the ditch!?!" It really works a lot better if you say to yourself, "Self, stay on the road. The road is great. The road is where you want to be...not in the ditch. Ah man..." And as silly as it sounds, I sweat up a storm when I'm concentrating that hard. No, it isn't strenuous, but the AC has got to come on when I'm concentrating on staying in the lines. My eyes and elbow are very tired! And that outer border is quilted by making lines running back and forth about 1/8 -1/4 inch apart, the width of the border. Back and forth. And the only way I know of doing this, without a big "ah man!" because I overlapped my lines or took too big of a gap, is to use my finger as a guide. I just run the hopping foot up against my fingernail-like I'm drawing with my nail. After the 500th pass, you start to notice a weird smell- that's your nail burning. Leaves a lovely groove- ah now, nothing as "lovely" as you handquilters have on your middle fingers! I thought it was funny how I got to quilt a loose and flowing quilt and then a pretty rigid one, right after.

I have a busy and full week, this week. I am feeling a serious urge to play- but duty calls. Baby boy's birthday celebration is tomorrow. That should be simple. Our anniversary is this week- I can put that off until next week. We're having company for dinner, Friday. House needs cleaning and food needs baking. Oh, and I'm quilting another quilt for the show. I'm intimidated by it- it isn't big, but... it's just needing some free-hand stuff that leaves ya all hangin' out in the wind- and for a show, no less. Of course, what do I care if I don't impress? I'm certainly not looking for more business, but I don't want to let anyone down, either. I just need to get a little bit cocky and say, "I can do this!" And if it doesn't work out... "Wahhhhh" that's me, whinin' like a big ole baby!