Quilt Marathon: Month Five

It's been an exhausting whirlwind, let me tell you, but I am finally back at home. And I can't tell you just how good it feels to say that. I'm going to be playing catch-up on posts for the next week, likely. I had pictures ready to go before I hit the road but had no time to blog. I was literally averaging 3 hours of sleep a night, 7 days a week the whole time I was gone. The hours I wasn't sleeping, I was working so there wasn't even a moment to watch TV or read for a half hour, let alone sew. Well, I did get some hand sewing in on airplanes and in airports and I managed about 15 minutes on a toy machine - but more about that later. I am still exhausted and trying to catch up on sleep but I also want to catch up on blogging too. I know I'm very tardy with this update, but I did, actually shoot these photos on the morning of the 4th. So while my blog post might be late, the update on my marathon quilt is quit accurate. Let's just pretend it's the 4th, m'kay?

I have to admit that during the month of September I really felt like I was getting into a rhythm with this quilt. I seemed to have more time to dedicate to the process and I really felt like I was making some progress. And that's not to say that I haven't, just when I hit the 4th I realized I hadn't made quite as much progress as I intended. I think part of that is because I expected I would have a significant amount of free time in the evenings to work on it while I was on the road. Since I was originally expecting to be on the road for only a week I didn't pack my machine, so this was going to be the only project on my plate. Well, things changed. I bought a toy machine (more about that later) and my time was increasingly filled with more and more work. 

Another problem I have encountered, and I chalk this up to operator error, is in the planning. The beauty of this piece is that it's scrappy, but if you know anything about me I like order in the midst of chaos. So I am trying to control the chaos. But it's also teaching me a valuable lesson about letting go and allowing the fabrics to flow as they may. And I think that's important for me. This quilt is really helping me grow. So, as I plan out each block, following the order I laid out early on, I am finding myself having to play with which way I structure the rings since I chose to work with an odd numbered amount of different fabrics for in the rings. Which is fun, but sometimes after it all comes together I realize I don't like the path I took. Sometimes I go with it and sometimes I don't. When I don't, I end up with homeless pieces. But I know that eventually they will find a place to reside. Then, other times, I have made an unnecessary ring, forgetting where the rings meld together. I just look at it as less work for later. 

I have a feeling that October is going to be another slow month, as it seems that most of my free time will be spent either on planes (where I will sew if I'm not sleeping) or working on bee blocks and swaps that need to be finished. I'm just looking forward to November and the LAMQG Retreat where I promise myself I will take time to do hand work while I'm there so I can enjoy time with my friends even more.