“Change” aka Technicolorgalaxy

Finally a finish again! I started the two weeks after my summer vacation with a whirlwind of activity. First week with the focus of getting the blog online again and writing a catch up blog post. The second week with trying to get two projects finished so that I can deservedly start a new project – my ghost quilt. More on that in a future post …

Click on any image to see all pictures in full as a slideshow.

In that second week I almost finished this quilt – my Technicolorgalaxy. Wait, you ask if it was not supposed to look differently? Yes, you are so right. So let’s go down memory lane and see how this came to be.

I started this quilt around February 2015 with the honest intention of sewing it according to the beautiful pattern. I managed to stick with the Skill Builder BOM for a few month and then fell behind. Even with a delay in the remaining lessons, I never caught up. So at least since the beginning of this year, I have asked myself – what do I want to do? What is the reson behind my procrastination? What do I like & dislike about it?

It took me another few month to finally find the courage to pull the box out and lay everything on the floor. What I realized? The center was soooo far of my current sewing skill that I would have to redo it. I didn’t have that much of the quilt finished yet. Somehow I didn’t enjoy the color concept anymore. And the quilt-as-you-go method didn’t speek to me at all.

So I considered “just” using the finished blocks that I had. It sounded a bit crazy but the idea of sewing about 80% of a quilt that didn’t “spark joy” was even more off. So, I told someone about this crazy idea (thanks Mom for listening xo) and felt it really deep down: Yes, this is the correct approach.

A few layouts and options ran through my mind but in the end I decided on unpicking the quilting and putting it together in an improv way that was inspired by Debbie @ A Quilters Table and her recent Wedge Slabs Quilt. The top was finished just a day before my vacation :)

So in this get-as-much-as-you-can-done week, I basted and quilted “Technicolorgalaxy”. I used a walking foot/straight line design that repeats the triangles from my original blocks but turned by 90 degrees. There are three wonky triangles with an irregular amount of echoing lines. The distances between those also random. I love that the main elements from the piecing – triangle and improv – are so evident in the quilting, too.

Today I finally managed the last of the binding. Why do we sometimes shy away from those last 30-60 mins? Doesn’t sound logical to me, anyway… And as I had a free Sunday afternoon with sunny Hamburg weather… I went for it and also organized a photo shoot right away.

My original idea was to photograph it on a house ruin or demolition site. Seems I was still struggeling a bit with my decision on taking the project box apart :) In the end I choose to photograph it at a monument my Dad suggested. And somehow this enduring structure gave me the last insights. Change is as constant!

Oh, and before I forget to tell you. I am really happy with the quilt now!

To quote @applepiepathwork, which I hope is ok. Here is the link to the beautiful quote picture of IG.

It’s ok to admit you don’t like your quilt and have absolutely no desire to finish it.

And one last picture. My Dad helping me with the photography session (thanks Dad for the idea and having fun xo). BTW this is a déjà-vu to about 30 years ago. In his hallway hangs a picture of the two of us standing on this monument.

Have you ever been struggling this much with a project? What course of action did you decide on? Or do you have one or more of those still in your closet and did decide something just now?

Best wishes
xo Melanie