Monday, January 19, 2009

2 fingers up to the Quilt Police



Not so long ago I got pulled up and ticketed by the Quilt Police on a charge of 'puckering in a public quilt block swap'. It was a fair cop. Despite sweating blood and tears trying to make a New York Beauty block my end result was not perfect. In fact, had I not been out of my head on all the chocolate I ate to try and counteract the tears, I would never have sent it. I had no defence. And my mitigation - Oh come on its a swap, its for fun, accept best I have to give with grace and anyway I was on a sugar high - was rubbish as well. So I accepted my sentence with good grace. Fortunately the Quilt swap Judge/ hostess was merciful, despite the fact I put her in a horrible position and only gave me community service. (She did the block for me because she is competent and ever so nice, and I will do a block she trusts me on for her in the future.)

So, it was with one ear out for sirens that I took the lid of my own NYB UFO box tonight. Let me just say that at least the block I got picked up on had straight sides. Not these puppies. Their edges had curves approaching the degree of the center ones. And it appears that I am a recidivist puckerer. But you know what - if you put the blocks together and sew a straight line the seam line is straight even if the seam allowance bits are not. What is that you say? It doesn't lie flat? It does now I applied level 6 steam to it. And so the outside edges were not straight? Trim, iron, measure trim some more. And I wasn't stupid. I am aware of the three strikes sends you to the prison Sun Bonnet Sue Factory for life policy. I resisted the temptation to border it by just sewing the centre to a strip of fabric. I measured through the middle and cut to size like a good girl. Now the flimsy is a perfect 25 5/8 inch square.

And you know what, the Quilt Police are going to look at it and they are going to sit around their squad room eating doughnuts just knowing I did something heinous. But they are never going to prove it because it looks just fine!
Today was a good day for quilting whatever the quality of it...

7 comments:

Donna said...

and to think I've always loved that block and contimplated making a few....

floribunda said...

and I'm sure it was pure accident that the photo is wildly out of focus... right? tell THAT to the judge. Oh yeah, that's right... you are the judge.

AmyB said...

I heart you, Helen!

Jeri said...

LOL - I think its great! :)

Anonymous said...

Love your post! It looks great - down with the Quilt Police I say!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

It is a beautiful quilt - I admire you for your perseverance - on even trying to make a block that would have me sitting in a crying spell for decades, and putting it together despite having the quilt police looking over your shoulder.

Jennifer said...

Hey there -- any sign of a box there yet, from me to you? Love the work your doing and the police be damned!