Single file, PLEASE!

Rather than waiting their turn and letting me work on a single log-cabin project, three more projects have muscled their way to the head of the line.

At the end of June, Mary (of Making Scrap Quilts From Stash) posted about a T-shirt quilt she was making. After having myself made one for a friend and having two more lurking about unfinished, the scales finally fell from my eyes. In an email exchange with her I wrote:

"The thing that struck me the most was: T-shirt quilts always seem to be made as gifts for others, never as a quilt for oneself! I just pulled, easily, 20 T-shirts from my drawers and hangers to assemble into a lap quilt for me. Why oh why did it never occur to me to make something for myself?!? Isn’t it funny how a chance comment or picture from someone else turns your whole perception of How Things Are on its head?

Also, I’m thinking that a lap quilt infused with my smell might finally compel the cats to snuggle with my husband if he throws it over himself. Otherwise, to them he’s just the Provider of Food."

So shirts were gathered and photographed, the shots waiting on the computer to be trimmed to size so I can play with them on a virtual design wall. The shirts themselves are still on the back of the other chair in my sewing room, where I flang each after its photo shoot.

I do wish my camera would decide on one format and stick to it!

With so many small sayings, I wondered if I could flesh this project out with another unfinished T-shirt quilt if need be, one that's been lurking about since the late '80s/early '90s.

Mostly The Loud's T-shirts, with a couple of mine thrown in.

But it turns out that this has been hand-quilted already, and could technically be bound and finished in very little time. So this project slyly weaseled its way onto the cutting table for measuring and squaring up.

And thirdly, Bonnie Hunter's annual Leader-Ender challenge was kicked off on 1 July, so I dove into my container of 2-1/2" squares, bricks, and strips and started playing.

I've assembled enough pieces for 48 blocks and they're on my sewing table, ready to leap into action at the end of any seam.

The canned air? I use it to motivate the cats to vacate the room when I'm done for the day. Just the sound of me picking up the can is enough for them to skedaddle.

The log cabin blocks continue apace, but it's nice to have something else to focus on occasionally too!