Sunday, January 18, 2015

Still Pickin', Still Grinnin'!

The picking process on Country Charmer is slow and steady.  I have lost track of how many hours I have picked away at the offending threads at this point...I'm certain some people would question my sanity if I were to publish any such calculations.  Sane or not, to me it's still worth it.  Country Charmer would have haunted me from the depths of any closet she might have been stuffed into.  Better to face it head on and deal with it.
I cannot begin to express the gratitude I feel for all the supportive comments I've received in this endeavor.  Corny as it may sound, you are my cheerleaders, my inspiration, yep...the wind beneath my wings...if only those wings would stop flappin'!
I thought long and hard about whether or not to write about this unfortunate experience.  I began writing that post several days before as a diary that might not ever see the light of day.  When I did decide to "go public", I drew a long breath, paused and squeezed my eyes shut in silent prayer & hit the publish button. 
I have what is probably the equivalent of 10 or 11 blocks picked out now...about 1/3 of the way through, give or take.  I began working from one corner on the diagonal, then decided to pick away at the opposing corner.  That evolved into picking a every loose corner like one picks at a peeling sticker!  Last night, just to change things up, I worked in the round...picking around the entire circumference.  I still find that once I get started I have difficulty stopping.  Can't accuse me of having ADD...one or more of several other disorders, yes, but I can certainly focus my attention!  Several TV shows and movies have played to the top of my head...and I can't really tell you much about them.  I will have to re-watch How To Train Your Dragon II with my Grandson...I was too busy taming my own dragon while it played in front of me! 

Don't worry, hubby has been fed... in fact, fed well courtesy of my pretty red Crock Pot!

It is amazing to me that I have been able to pick away at some of those little birds who were bound and gagged by layers of crossed over threads and set them free again.  I looked at one such fussy cut center last night, cursed a little under my breath, and began to pick, fearing that in the process I would rip a gaping hole and have to replace that square.  Somehow, it came out, tediously, working from the back and from between the backing and the batting until I was able to remove all the loosened threads from the front and see the little critter emerge again.  Sure, he has been punctuated and perforated, but I think its entirely possible that with the right batting, the right quilter followed by gentle washing(s), that those little pockmarks will eventually heal.

I do take occasional breaks from the birdies to play with my daughters butterflies and am making progress there as well...until the birdies start chirping at me from the other room and demand that I come back and attend to them!

Here's a peek at the butterflies who are flying around my design wall, in strict formation as prescribed by my otherwise COLORFUL & imaginative child for whom they are being assembled.  I would have gone all out and had these little fellas flitting this way and that, but NOooooo...she didn't "want any upside down butterflies"!  "Oh well.  Pick your battles, Mom", I said to myself!  Then I saw more renditions online that were set in this way and decided they look just fine! 
Yes, she is my child, the bright lime green she selected is still on her bedroom walls here at home.  The very same shade of green I wanted on my bedroom walls in the 70's.  I, on the other hand, wound up with something much more subdued which was applied in my absence. 
I recall my eldest daughters eyes nearly rolling back in her head when came home from Vet School & first saw her former early 90's soft peach & green bedroom repainted and her sweet cow stencils that I had so lovingly & meticulously applied now covered up.  I quickly resuscitated her by opening the closet to reveal the interior had been made off limits to her crazed lime green paint roller wielding baby sister.  The interior was still in her colors with two of her dear little cows, nose to nose.  Funny how territorial older sisters can be...interesting what a Mother goes through to keep the peace!

This is Buggy Barns pattern, "Butterflies".
 
The sashing to aide in increasing the size of this quilt for her bed, is inspired by Atkinson Designs pattern "Slide Show" 
The easy recalculations are by Moi with support from my graph paper notebook!
My find when searching out  white border print makes me smile...the design echoes the curl of the butterfly antennae.  Soooo cute!

Here's to more picking!

~Nancie Anne

6 comments:

  1. Like your daughter I prefer the butterflies heading the same direction. Her quilt is going to be lovely. The ticker-tape border is great.

    Keep picking away. The birds deserve their freedom.

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  2. Lovely Butterfly quilt ! I also agree I like the layout you have now all heading the same direction :-D
    You are making GREAT progress " picking " Keep going .. I know you can do it . It will be so worth it in the end ;-)

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  3. Cute butterfly quilt. Keep going you will get it done, just take it slowly.

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  4. Wishing you continued good luck on the "un-sewing"!! You have unparalleled patience!!! :-) and I love the little borders and sashing you've added: it's just brilliant!! Hugs, H in Healdsburg

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  5. Another inspirational post! I know that CC will soar again, and those blocks will take on a new life and a new meaning when they find the right quilter. Hang in there! Love those butterflies!

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  6. Keep at it gal and eventually you'll have a CC quilt that you love.

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