No Bad Apples, Just Misunderstood

For having started the week feeling overwhelmed, I am happy to say that I gradually found focus.  I wanted to start something new but felt discombobulated in a major way, as if my brain had kicked over the whole bucket list, scattered it like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and said, "Here, you figure it out."

Surveying my disaster sewing area, I saw old stuff stacked upon new.  I poked my nose into a big thrift store bag and revisited some strange 1970s looking pieces.  I looked at my stash, piled on no less than 6 surfaces, then at another bag from a recent red tag sale at Joann containing mostly Denise Schmidt yardage.

When all else fails, it helps me to pre-wash and press fabric.  Sort of a mindless thing, but that's what I needed—to quit thinking.  And sure enough, as I handled the big snarly pile of disparate items from the dryer, snipping the threads that had hog-tied the mess hostage, I started to feel better.

As it happened, while waiting for the iron to heat up, I started riffling through a box of miscellaneous stuff on a shelf and found a pattern squished down in there that I had forgotten all about.  Out of sight, out of mind.

A snail's trail quilt was on the bucket list and had been for a long time.  I liked this pattern when I saw it over at em's scrapbag over a year ago and bought it.  It was scrappy, involved a block I've wanted to try, and had alternating string-type blocks to boot.  Winner!

There is something about the challenge of an odd fabric that appeals to me.

Maybe it's that soft spot for the underdog.  Maybe it's the inherent conflict of such a piece that I want to resolve.  Ever the peacemaker.  Maybe I've seen too many movies where the nerdy wallflower mixes in with the popular kids and they both benefit.  She still retains her individuality and both factions come away with broader view—and in the process someone usually gets their comeuppance.  Justice.

Meh, who knows.

So this vintage-y apple fabric is a little bit out there.  The colors are bordering on neon red, yellow and green while something about it still says country.

I began to see other stuff that might play along.  "Might" being the operative word. This DS Quilts print, in particular, seemed amenable.

And after making these two blocks today I have a pretty good feeling it's going to work out.