March was gardening month, and tbh my quilting activities have largely fallen by the wayside.
My focus on April would be getting a quilt submitted for the Sydney Quilt Show (run by the Quilt Guild of NSW). And HALLELUJAH it doesn't have to be a finished top!
In fact, last year (or the year before) the guild was saying they would require a fully completed quilt in the coming year, completely ignoring that most of the younger quilters are entirely deadline-driven, in part because we're so busy (this is a hobby-in-the-middle-of-a-full-life-of-survival, not a something-to-relax-into-in-retirement), in part just because that's how we've been psychologically trained (last minute assignments, anyone? Anyone? BUELLER?)
Also, by 'younger', I am meaning "under 50" because that's how old I am, and I'm technically GenX. And yes, I am in the 'younger' cohort of quilters. When I started quilting around 15 years ago, the women quilting were all over 55, which makes them in their 70s now.
The new NSW Quilt Guild committee have also scrapped the rule that you can't show your quilts on social media before the show. So that's nice - not that I expect anyone will particularly recognise mine. I'm not exactly famous in the Quilt Guild circles.
Anyway, I have thoughts and scraps and definitely want to make a scrappy quilt.
I need to get past the 'but before I start on this project' mindset. I have two quilts to bind - they've been sitting around for a year or maybe more - and they have to get out to friends by the end of this month (arbitrary, just because it's abruptly gotten cold at nights here in Sydney).
It's just binding, I tell myself. It's easily done.
And it is! But actually getting myself to the machine to do it? Something else entirely.
I really do wish I could make my quilt 'Swarm' again. It was just so finicky, with so many pieces! And has gone to someone who doesn't appreciate it, I suspect. And people have wanted a quilt pattern for it for YEARS. If I'd capitalised on it a decade ago when quilt patterns were the thing...
Anyway. The pattern I have in mind is very simple - just solid squares and HSTs, in a gradating rainbow of colours. It's finicky on the seams and putting it together will be hellish - but that's part of the challenge, right? Also, it will use a BUNCH of my HST scraps. So many of those...
