stuck

The past few days have been very busy, so I haven't been doing much in my sewing room. I started quilting my January table runner (no pics, yet), but didn't like it, so proceeded to take it out.  I do have an idea, though, of what I want so it just a matter of getting down there.

I've been working on an idea for Trenton's guitar quilt.  Matt made the fabulous suggestion to somehow work in music symbols and, working off of his idea I contacted a friend who also suggested guitar chords.  I've since found stencils of a treble clef, bass clef, guitar, eighth note and sixteenth notes.  I think I will chalk around these and put them in the rectangles.  The guitar chords aren't really stencil-able (is that a word?).  I'll be free-handing them, but they are mostly straight lines anyway, so it shouldn't be too bad.  I'm actually starting to get pretty excited about it.

As a general rule, the quilting process is very difficult for me. In fact, it's usually where I get tripped up the most. I don't know if it is my perfectionist tendencies or what, but so many of my projects sit forever - quilt top finished, ready to baste - and nothing happens. I love piecing, and find it difficult to let a project go during that stage. Quilting, though...the thought alone makes me lock up.

I see so many beautiful designs out there, but I don't have the guts to try them.  I even have access to a long-arm machine (a friend rents it to me), but even that doesn't help.  I just don't have confidence in that area yet.  Maybe it will come with time.

For now, straight line quilting seems to be my answer.  I like how it looks in so many of the modern-style quilts I see online.  It's quick, too, and I can do it easily on my machine.

Maybe one day I'll branch out.