Finished by Friday, Not Quite

On Monday I started putting this quilt together (Checkerboard and Rails). I had all the pieces cut and ready but nothing sewn. I thought this was going to be a piece of cake and I'd have it whipped out in a couple of days. It didn't happen. I worked about 4 hours on Monday and this is how far I got. But I knew I would have several times during the week to work so I was optimistic. I sewed all the rail blocks and that went great. I strip pieced them and cut them the designated 6 1/4" length. All 140 of them. Then I started on the checkerboard block - looks easy enough. It would be if my seam had been 1/4" like it was supposed to be. I sewed and sewed and sewed, then unsewed, unsewed, and unsewed some more. Muttering under my breath. Things like stupid, stupid, stupid. Should have measured. Should have paid more attention. Should have, should have, should have. Oh well. On Wednesday I worked about 6 hours, on Thursday about 4 hours and today about 8. This is where I am now.

It's taking a little longer than I expected. But it's gorgeous, isn't it?

I really, really wanted to have something finished by Friday. I have blogging friends waiting. Expecting. Anticipating. You were, weren't you? I mean you do expect me to be here on Friday showing what wonderful things I've accomplished, right? So each night I worked on this block from Winter Wonderland. My fingers hurt and I only half watched NCIS. Do you know what a sacrifice that was? Do you? Just for you. I didn't finish. There are still several snowflakes waiting to be born there. Frantically I'm thinking what to do, what to do? And then I remembered I hadn't shown you these! They were finished by Friday - one Friday, long ago. It doesn't really matter which Friday, right?

This little wallhanging that I call Fly Fishing was made for my husband. Not that he fly fishes but he does trout fish and that's close enough for me. I used the Cotton Theory. Badly. I used it badly. I could not keep a straight seam no matter how I tried. So I disguised them with decorative stitches. Badly. Bad disguise. Oh well, it looks primitive. Right? That's what I intended all along!

And this Mariner's Compass - well I'm a little proud of it. I drafted it!!!! That's right, you heard it here. I drafted it in a class and it turned out to really be a Mariner's Compass. I was a new quilter, just a year or two, and when I walked in with my fabric the teacher took one look and said you brought a stripe? A stripe? You bet I said, all proud and everything. Aren't these colors good together! She wiped the sweat from her brow and set to work. We did ok I think.