Dec 3, 2006

KISS philosophy


All finished with the round robin as of about 8:30 p.m Saturday. Just missed crossing it off my November goals list by two days. No matter though--it is done now. Actually I did pretty well at reaching my goals this past month. I kept it simple for December though--mostly centering around the commisssion completion, maybe complete a long neglected redwork piece for a UFO completion later in the month--just for me. KISS philosophy there too.

Okay, it measures 64 1/2 inches square and I think my addition helps tie it together. Simple enough to frame the piece and leave some area for quilting. I cut the length of the bias binding that I had on hand into fourths and that was a long as this thing was going to be, LOL. One time when overcutting/sewing paid off as it is the same stuff I used in a previous applique round Not quite completely around the quilt but close.

Colorwise, the dark paper bag print goes with the center and that SW flavored background. The green is repeated in the bricks area and on closeups the inner row of stars. The reds range from burgundy to rust in this thing and probably go best with the brick round as the print is similiar in tone and style. I am relying on the theory that all reds together there. The gold flower centers centers is similiar to the 2nd row of friendship stars and the Carpenter wheel center. I blanket stitched around those though to give it some more texture--cut that small the marbled effect of the fabric was lost. I used that same fabric on the "wrong" side on a batik themed round seen HERE (the other round where I had to re-sew for two days to get it to lay down)

I know that I have been complaining a lot about this whole robin thing and that was purely from frustration. In retrospect I wish that I had not agreed to do it in the first place. I made time for it and neglected other things to work on it. I was going to be the fill in person if someone dropped out --someone always does and it didn't take long either when one moved out of state. But Gary wanted 7 in the group and I got pressed into service sooner than planned. Elaine had some good points in a comment she left on a previous post that one should not expect perfection from the previous participants. Honestly I didn't--and I try hard not to criticize someone's work and give suggestions only if asked for. What I DID expect is some improvement along the way which didn't come. I should have been looking at it as a learning experience and accept it as a challenge of blending my work with theirs--pretty tall order. I agree, in part , with what she said but I also think that it would not hurt for someone to try to cut and sew a little more accurately. I could have done with a little less challenge, LOL. I DID learn that I don't hate applique all that much anymore if the edges are already turned down in some manner--does that count for anything??

So I'm free from this albatross with the exception of the journal note which seems to be missing from the project box. What's next? Purple nickel cutting for the fill in person's "thank you". I really need to pin the two SEC quilts but that will wait till Monday when the church is not in session. Who knows what they may have planned for the facility this afternoon it being the holiday season? I probably will go ahead and get groceries a day early to keep the day open for that detail. I want all those commissioned stuff out of my house by the 18th if possible. The t-shirt quilt is supposed to be ready for pickup sometime next week but will have to be bound by me.

Our guests are not slated to return till sometime Wednesday. Sure hope DJ and I are feeling a lot better by then--right now I would say we should almost be quarantined. Phyllis would not need to be re-infected after just having a spell of it herself. The Nyquil purchased in desparation yesterday didn't help much. I know that there are far worse things than a cold/flu but when you are miserable and cannot sleep, it is hard to think what that might be. It will pass soon enough. It is human nature to complain and I am all too human lately, LOL.

I had a picture of Pippi to share but blogger is not behaving for pic upload--well, I had it up there once but one was the dreaded red X and when I tried to delete it, both of them disappeared. Beta was doing better with the photo upload business so must have just hit it at the wrong time. I had to copy the code from my play blog to even load the robin pic and Picassa loaded it--that hadn't been working with beta. HMMM. Here it is after I tried Norma's suggestion. She was about falling out of her perch for neck and chin scratches.


14 comments:

  1. I think you did an excellent job of the last round on that RR. You made excellent use of the KISS principle while bringing the whole project together and framing it nicely. Enjoy your group celebration BBQ! You have all worked hard on these projects! I have also had trouble loading pictures on occasion with Beta. I found out by accident that if I tried to load the pictures in HTML mode, they loaded right away. You might want to try that. Hope you are feeling better soon!

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  2. so happy that you have that project off your to do list and now can work on the commission stuff and then! on to your own personal projects. Hope you were able to sleep better last night.

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  3. Your RR turned out nice. Too bad it became a chore for you to finish it.

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  4. well done on finishing the RR Linda. Hopefully you'll find some time soon to work on your projects.
    Hope that cold is beginning to improve.

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  5. sounds like you learned various things in the RR: you learned lots of skills for "fudging"; you learned that applique isn't bad if the edge is prepared; you learned this kind of group quliting isn't "fun" for you... All are important learnings, just not the ones you set out to gain :-)

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  6. Well you finally got the job all done and you did a great job with it. It's not my cup of tea, but that's what all kinds of tastes are for.

    I think RR's are for stretching your comfort and working in different types of work and colors, but all the participants should at least have the basic quilting skills to sew evenly and straight. No quilter should have to do major SURGERY on a round just to be able to attach to the previous round.

    Hope you feel better soon!

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  7. Your round looks lovely, and echoes the colors further in very well. And thank you for the salutory lesson on why not to do Round Robins! I'm just sorry that the experience was such a total grind!

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  8. Sorry you aren't feeling well. We really like Nyquil here, and hope it works equally well for you.

    Your round to the round robin is great. It calms it down and ties it all together. Great job! I have always been too afraid of doing a round robin - both because I have to worry about dealing with problems from the previous round, and what the others will think of my workmanship. And then the timing - getting it timely and passing it on timely. But I do like the mystery of it, and how a group of quilters collaborate to make a thing of beauty for each participant.

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  9. I think the Robin came out really nicely -- sorry you had so much hassle in the process! I still think 7 participants is at least 2 or maybe 3 too many!

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  10. Hi Linda, I think you really made a silk purse out of a sow's ear beginning. Not the colors or choices as much as the workmanship.
    That last round really does tie it all together..*VBS* Good job!

    Love the pic of Pippi, she sure is stretching for that scratch...LOL Talk to you soon, hugs, Finn
    P.S. I did get your envelope and piece of fabric in the mail yesterday..thank you so much for thinking of that! I think it will work just fine..*VBS*

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  11. Like your pic of Pippi! Sometimes when I'm giving Toby a scritch on his neck, he gets this incredibly stupid expression on his face, and just the tip of his little pink tongue sticks out of his mouth... lol Cats are funny when they are getting exactly what they want!

    Oh, my floral pinwheel quilt WAS set on point, you're so smart. :)

    Would have been easier if I'd had a design wall, but the blocks themselves were just strips, VERY easy to do.

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  12. I agree with Judy about RR's being to stretch your comfort zone -- well, I'm just not that limber *s* I have enjoyed seeing the work that has gone into these tops and angonized right along with you.
    Hope your colds continue to get better -- it's just plain yucky to feel yucky.

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  13. You did a wonderful job making it turn out pretty. GIve yourself a big pat on the back for pulling it out of the ditch!

    GIve that furry-lady a rub for me too?!

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  14. Hi Linda :-)
    Having had a lot of trouble with the commenting lately I have just read and looked, but now that I again can comment pain free I just have to tell you that you did a good job on the RR. You really did tie the whole thing together with your border. Well done !

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