Things Left Undone

I've wrestled my workroom into a cleaner, neater, more organized place. But in doing so, I've been confronted with an embarrassing number of unfinished projects. 

There are a bunch of quilt blocks that were demonstration pieces, back when I taught quilting at our local junior college branch. And there are leftovers from larger projects. 

Like these 9 large squares--leftover from my niece Amelia's wedding quilt. Well, hell, thought I. I'll use them to make a quick pillow cover for that pillow form that's taking up room on my cutting table.

And I did. And it felt so good to have finished something--and to be sewing again -- that I determined to do some more.

This was an easy one--a basket block with the handle and heart needing to be appliqued.

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy hand sewing.

Done! I'll put it with a few other red/blue/yellow blocks I discovered and maybe someday put them all together in a little quilt. Maybe. First I need to finish some unfinished quilts.

Like this one. I think I made the blocks in one of my classes, using fabric reproducing Civil War era colors and patterns. Unfortunately, I really don't much like the muddy colors which may be why I never finished quilting it.

All but one block were quilted and the binding was on, but back then I'd begun an ambitious scheme of lots of quilting in the borders. Now, older and wiser, I thought about it and decided it wasn't needed--the three layers were already stable with the quilting in the blocks. So I picked out the one line I'd begun (20 years ago,) finished the unquilted block, and pronounced it done. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.

But it feels great to finish these orphans. And though my quilting isn't what it once was, I was delighted to find I could still thread a tiny quilting needle.

Now I'm working on a House block which I evidently had intended to embellish with embroidery. So out comes the long diused embroidery thread and hoop.

As I began work on the cross pieces in the windows, I thought ahead to doing some vines and flowers around the door, some shrubbery, smoke coming from the chimney . . . And then, I thought, maybe I'll embroider Home Sweet Home across the top.

Then I looked more closely at the piece. There, in faint pencil across the top, I'd already written Home Sweet Home--twenty years ago. 

Better late than never.