Many thanks to Lee of Freshly Pieced, who hosts a group of quilters hard at work. Schlep back over to her blog to see others who are working hard. And yes, this week, I am a Work, (Still) in Progress.
I’ve feel like I’ve been hardly working on quilting this week, and boy, does that make me tired and cranky. Creativity really can nourish the soul–cliche alert–but hey, sometimes cliches fit the bill. Sorry.
I actually have spent many hours on a project that I’m just not ready to show. It’s not because I’m in a book or something, or that some famous person has asked me to test a pattern. It’s just me. Working hard.
But here’s something I will write about. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I made a king-sized quilt for my son Matthew and his wife Kim. They wanted desert colors and liked the log cabin block, so eight billion hours of piecing later, they had a quilt.
Here it is, with Matthew standing on a chair on one side and Dave (my husband) on the other. Can you spot the turned square (the mistake)? I didn’t until the moment when I got it back from the quilter, bound it and had these two fine men hold it up. I died a little, but it’s still there.
I had made extra squares to make them pillow shams, which I did, but then I had a few other squares leftover which I remembered all of a sudden on Friday morning. I stitched them together, did a pillowcase backing, quilted it, making a fall table runner.
Here’s the backing: Halloweeny fabric. So now I’m set for both October and November in the decoration department. I should make some fabulous pumpkins like those on Barb’s blog. Go and see and tell me you don’t covet them. Especially the one with the bird’s head. (Now you have to go and look!)
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
What is pillowcase backing?
re: the log cabin quilt – didn’t the quilter see the error and let you know? did you ever use her again?
Isnt it funny, but i had to go row by row to see it. I think our eye fills in for us, much like reading….i think its fine to make mistakes. After all its an esthetic mistake not a technical one. And look how long it took you to notice!
Its beautiful by the way and how often to people hold up their quilts like that?
I agree with Susan. I think there is actual something delightful about an error like that–it’s just so human, so like our lives where we line all the pieces up so carefully, and yet something always manages to go awry. Love the table runner. Genius idea.
Well you know the what Buddha says,” only God is perfect”, the Buddhist artist will make a mistake on purpose.
It took me awhile to find it too. Mistakes in a project always brings to mind exactly the thought in the previous comment. “Only God is perfect” and artisans in many cultures purposely make a mistake in their creations. I don’t have to be so deliberate, all my projects have a mistake, without even trying!
Took me a long time to find it – but your other readers are right; it’s tradition to have a mistake in your work as a symbol of humility and deference to God. It’s absolutely gorgeous, turned block or no. 🙂
Hi! I’m Cindy’s friend (Miss Luella) and a new follower! I can’t see the mistake…so for me there is no mistake! I love holiday runners. Very festive!
I love it the way it is, it is one of a kind just for him.
so just like reading, I started on the left and worked my way over the right, eyes going up and down, zig zagging back and forth, before I finally found it. I actually like that it is there. And your table runners are brilliant.
I rarely can make a quilt without having something turned wrong. It’s a skill 🙂 Your table runner turned out great! Way to use up the last of the leftover blocks.
great fall quilts! I love your lob cabin and it took me a while to find the turned square! the runner is great and so smart to have it 2 sided –
happy fall – thanks for link
xo