The only part of the quilting process that I hate.....

...is the finishing process.  I love to design a piece, choose the fabric colors and textures, cut and piece the components and, most of all, I love to put it all together.  I actually get a thrill when I face my design wall, look at the jumble of components clinging to it, and think "How on earth will I ever piece this together?"  It's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, breaking down the construction into logical sections and joining them into a flat "whole".  Sometimes I piece rectangular areas, sometimes much of the quilt is pieced in horizontal or vertical lines.  I love this part the best.  And I also enjoy quilting the layers together, adding a little bit of color and texture to the surface.

But putting on the facing and the label?  Ugh.

I don't know why I dislike it so much.  I don't hate cutting strips (unless I know they are for the facing).  I don't hate sewing things on the sewing machine (unless it is sewing the facing to the quilt). I don't hate handwork (unless it it sewing the facing).  And creating and attaching a label is quick and easy.   Hmmmm.  I guess it's all in my head.

Whatever the reason, I always have a pile of quilts that are quilted but need the finishing work.  And one of the quilts in the pile has been entered in the Dallas Quilt Show.  Whoops!  That show is next week.  So I have been working at what I hate, and hating pretty much every minute of it, decreasing the pile of unfinished pieces.

It's a good time to work on facings.  DFW has been snowed under!  It doesn't take much winter weather to bring things to a halt in the Metroplex, and for the last week we've been dealing with ice and snow.  Last week we had an ice storm followed by a snow storm.  Big fluffy flakes and about 2 inches of snow.  Life in North Texas screeched to a halt.
This morning we awoke to nearly 4 inches of snow.  My intrepid husband marched out first thing this morning to clear the car and the driveway.  Unfortunately, we don't own a snow shovel, so he went out to battle the snow with a broom:
 He won the battle and went to work on time.  He just called to tell me that he was the only one in the building so far.

The snow is beautiful, but the sun is shining for the first time in a week.  It won't last long.
I guess it's a good morning to finish my finishing work.  

Comments

Hilary Florence said…
I quite agree. Maybe it is because the next quilt design is knocking at the door to get out. Much more exciting than bindings
Carol Trice said…
I used to feel the same way because it felt the similar as hemming pants or sewing on a button. It felt utilitarian rather than part of the creative process. But, somewhere along the line in the past year or so, I flipped the switch and now I love it. I think it is the sense of completion that comes with it. I wish I had the secret sauce to share with you to help you flip the switch for you