Goal Accomplished

I had two goals for this weekend.

#1 was to get the deck cleaned off for the winter. DH and I did that on Saturday.

Goal #2 was to get my pink star quilt sandwiched (I really need to come up with a name for this quilt--any ideas?)

It's a beautiful autumn day today (close to 80 degrees). I knew if I went outside, I'd never get back in to do this, so first thing this morning I found some backing fabric from the stack I bought yesterday and set to completing this task.

I usually make king-sized quilts, and I most always use a good quality muslin that is 120 inches wide so I rarely have to piece my backing. I know muslin is "out", but I really do prefer it for quilts that will be on a bed. I like the fact that I can see all of my hand quilting on the muslin.

This is a much smaller quilt and will be draped over my flowered living room sofa, so I thought a coordinated fabric would be nice for the back. I picked this soft pink fabric,

taped it to the floor, topped it with batting (I use polyester because I find it easier to hand quilt), then I added the pieced top.

I crawled around on the kitchen floor and used quilt pins to baste the 3 layers. I like to use the pins rather than thread to baste. I just find it goes faster and I don't have to remove the basting stitches after I am done.

I don't think I am alone in my dislike for this part of quilt making.

I would probably like it more if I had a fancy studio where I had big tables at just the right height to baste a quilt. The odds are pretty good that I will never be so lucky to have such a studio, so I am doomed to be crawling around on the floor until I can no longer get down low enough to crawl.

When I got dressed this morning, I threw on a turtleneck. I used to love turtlenecks, but now I hate having anything around my neck. I thought I could handle the turtleneck since it's usually a bit chilly in my home.

I was totally WRONG.

After just a short time, that shirt was making me miserable. Admittedly, I was a bit cranky just because I was crawling around doing a task I dislike to begin with. Suddenly I grabbed the scissors and just cut right down the center of that shirt!

Ah, it was like I was being released from prison.

It felt so much better!

Yes, I ruined a shirt. It's just a shirt I wear around the house anyway. It's so comfy now, that I am sure I will wear it often while I am cleaning, etc.

I am feeling very good right now. I completed both goals.

It's a good thing I did this before I went outside. Because I worked hard in the gardens today and I know I never would have had the energy to crawl around the floor basting when I came inside at 3:00 p.m.

I am happy knowing that when I get the urge to quilt, this one is all ready and waiting.