Sunday 14 July 2013

Slow Slow Quick Quick Slow

Things have been kinda slow over here. 

My work's been a bit slow, which has been good coz it's the school holidays.






And it's been good to be about with the kids, including the oldest home from NZ for Uni holidays, hanging out with his brother in the kitchen in these photos, evidence for the fact that he even cooked us a few meals while he was home :-)



We're sorting out towards a move back to NZ at the end of the year. 

That's a slow process. 

I'm in the midst of instituting a new and efficient filing system (hmm I fear in my secret self that however good the system is, it's the filer here who's not so efficient) and going through every cupboard and drawer. Sorting out's been slow, I'm not good at making long term decisions about what to chuck out. I've been burnt in the past by chucking out things I shouldn't have and consequently now probably keep too much. That, and I'm super indecisive and can't bear to waste something that might come in useful later. It probably won't, but as soon as I chuck it out I'll think, now where's that little box that'd  be perfect for this....!

We also have to prepare the house for sale, which means means tons of little jobs, yet keeping the big picture in view, so not being too detailed about it.

Even tho' things have been slow, time's going fast somehow and I don't want to live towards next year while I'm preparing. We're here now and I want to savour it. So in a way I want to slow down.

I've been slow sewing and blogging too.

I'm still playing with the Oakshotts and ideas are synthesising for a quilt with them. I have some sketches, but really I just have to take the plunge with my idea. I'll show you bits soon.

Altogether I'm slightly stuck in my creative decisions...

This quilt which has been stalled for ages at the quilting stage is finished except for the binding, but now I've decided (almost) to remake it!




I think I've been stuck with the quilting, not so much because I got bored with doing it, as because I'm disappointed with the quilt as a whole.



I love that feature 60s floral so much that I didn't want to cut it up too much. Liz made a stunning quilt with big pieces of Japanese fabric which inspired me- here's just a section of it



But even though  I love I'm happy with the back of my new one and even the quilting in the end...




It just doesn't do it for me. Last weekend I finished the quilting and then straightaway I SOOO nearly cut it up to make this inspiration of Ashley's.  

From Ashley at Film in the Fridge

Which I'm sure is a much better use of the lovely big scale. I'd convinced myself to cut up the finished quilt to make it quilt as you go and just add a new backing over the top of the old one and stitch in the ditch around the hexagons. But...then I waste the strip of floral on the back. I suspect the solution is to unpick the quilting and re-make it properly. Not sure I've got the energy for that yet, having just finished all that quilting after so much procrastinating; so maybe I should just bind it and use it and re-do it down the track?!

Do you ever have dilemmas like this or is it just me? 


I have made the July block for the Simply Solids Bee





And I've started on the July do.Good Stitches Drunkards Path blocks



Just as well there's a Slow Blogger linky to join!

8 comments:

  1. Since it's already come this far, I would definitely bind it and put it where you can't see it for a few weeks. When you get it back out you may feel better about it.

    I am working on a project right now that I'm not thrilled with either. It is the 3rd and 4th quilts I ever started (matching Christmas quilts for my boys) and WOW would I do things differently now (maybe 1.5 yrs and many quilts later). But I am trying to learn from it and believe that they will still be cute in the end. Maybe not epic or groundbreaking but cute!

    Good luck!

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  2. I agree with Sarah- I would go ahead and finish it. Take a break from it, and then see how you like it later. Sometimes that happens to me when I'm just tired of looking at a certain quilt. I really do like it. I looks very modern.

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  3. It's not just you, but I most often feel like that if I've tried to do a painting. I agree - maybe put it aside for a bit.. You may realise you like it, or suddenly see just the right small tweak. I like it, and I love the stripe on the back.

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  4. The colours and design are super so don't undo it, just move on. I'm rarely happy with projects when I've been working on them for a while, sometimes it just takes a little distance to appreciate your work.

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  5. Sometimes when you're working on something over a long period of time you fall out of love with it..........it would be a shame if you deconstructed or cut up your quilt only to realise at a later date that you actually quite like it........as others have said, put it away for a little while and work on something fresh and hopefully your lovely quilt will win your heart again..........failing that you could always gift it, (just a thought).
    Kim

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  6. We all have those feelings and it won't help by me saying I love it (but I do)...put it aside and come back to it in a bit :) Enjoy your son being home!

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  7. Oh I like your quilt. I think the large patchwork is charming. Don't undo it. It is pretty.
    Good luck with the organization... My least favorite thing to do is to sort through thing and decide what to keep.

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  8. Your quilt is lovely... I think most of us have these kind of feelings close to the end of a project, so much time spent working so intently, and we become hyper critical of our own work. I love the simply solids block too, very dynamic.

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