Like running in place

 The EPP piece is now at the long armer.  In the process, I was forced to realize that I had either become very lazy in my machine work, or had forgotten all of the stitching rules I had learned over so very many years of sewing.  I was embarrassed at the problems, but also realized that it was a lesson learned.  Since than, I've been amusing myself with working on charity quilts.  Unfortunately, on one of these quilts, I discovered that I had made the same mistake as I had made in the EPP one.  Time for a long serious talk with myself.

So today, I spent a couple of hours, picking out endless lines of very tiny stitches, as penance for getting lazy.  I've also learned the lesson, that these charity quilts are an excellent method of perfecting the techniques that make for a very good quilter, such as precision piecing.  Hopefully, by the end of the week, I will have also worked on perfecting my FMQ'g.

I'm so glad that I have done just about everything I can to prepare for Christmas, and can indulge myself with time in the studio, even if that means that we're going to have a take out Christmas dinner.  This will be a new experience.

Very slow progress, but a light at the end of the tunnel

 Sorry, no picture yet, nor maybe ever.  Over the past couple of years I've been slowly hand piecing (EPP) a larger top, based on a diamond shape, that I found in the book Susie Teacakes guide to English Paper Piecing.  It was finally finished, and the papers taken out. but most of the basting was left in.  The long-armer asked that any knots be removed, and that was slowly accomplished (v-e-e-r-r-y slowly).  then the narrow 1/4" seam allowance along the multiple edge pieces has to be straightened out and carefully pressed.  Finally a 3" (cut not finished) border sewn on.  As it turned out, the actual shape was an octagon, with very short "squared off" corner areas.  I put the "squared off" in quotes because it was not really square at all.  Then I was to measure and cut the backing and batting.

This process took place over about 3 weeks and it was one of those times when every thing that could go wrong, did go wrong.  I won't go into details but I was almost totally frustrated and disheartened when it came to the backing.  When it came to the borders, they increased the measure size of the piece, and the fabric I had bought, so as to have an extra wide backing and no joins or patch work, increased the width by about 4 inches, and the purchased backing no longer fit.  I was distraught.  So upset, that I realized that my only solution--at the time--was to put the piece aside, and work on something else for awhile.

This is what I've done.