The Cloths of Heaven 20: dismissing obstacles

A friend (Hello, Miss C!) has an enviable approach to problem solving. Presented with an obstacle or difficulty, her response is “Excellent!”, and she proceeds to solve the problem with gusto.

I wouldn’t go that far, but faced with the need to work in subdued light and finding myself 6 frustrating inches /15cm short of the length of batting I needed, I worked around the problem instead of allowing it to defeat me. There’s a ‘proper’ way to do things, and then there’s the other way.  If you have to work in semi-darkness and you’ve run out of batting tape for joining two pieces seamlessly, you improvise, and spend a peaceful half hour going the old school route, slowly joining the pieces of batting with needle and thread, using herringbone stitch. There was no way I could face bright tropical sunshine at that point, so going to the quilt shop for more tape was out of the question.

Purists would also probably throw up their hands in horror at how I’ve achieved my quilt sandwich for the sides of The Cloths of Heaven, as well. The rest of you would shrug and say, “well, at least it’s done”. But faced with my slightly fragile convalescent self and a job I don’t love at the best of times, I took a big fat short cut. I defy you to tell the difference when the thing is done.

I am clearly fully recovered; I offer as evidence two fully sandwiched and pinned long panels, one sandwiched and pinned short panel and one fully quilted short panel! Yes, OK, I worked in semi darkness, so the lines may not be ruler-straight, but as we all know (all together now…) Finished Is Better Than Perfect!

I shall complete both the shorter sides first, and join them to the left and right side of the centre panel with sashing strips. Then I shall quilt the two longer sides (which incorporate the 4 corner panels), and join those to the other two sides with more sashing. There will be a slight difference, in that sashing will only run horizontally, but I’m OK with that. The sashing strip will (should!) be only half an inch wide.

My plan is to use the lovely fine purple print I’m using for the backing of these panels to sash with, assuming I have enough left over. I still haven’t quite decided on the fabric for the border. I haven’t found a print yet that I like enough, which also incorporates enough of the colours. The search continues; more fabric shopping, oh dear…

There will be a brief hiatus in The Cloths of Heaven posting while I and the rest of the F2F group complete an urgent project.  I hope to have something to report in my usual mid-month progress report.