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Friday, October 14, 2022

Dithering - Avoid If Possible

My best advice to a quilter of any stage of advancement is don't waste time dithering!

Whenever I find myself wasting too much time overthinking something, I force myself to follow that advice.

Case in point: I have a quilt top (above) ready for the long arm, but have not found a suitable backing in my stash for it. While on vacation, I bought yardage, but did not have the quilt with me and the colors just don't work. The bottom fabric in the stack below was intended to be the backing. My quilt top and the purchased fabric just don't have the same "vibe" - they don't work, in my opinion.

Back here at home, it occurred to me that perhaps I should check my tub of flannels; it's been literally years since I've made a flannel project. Sure enough, I did find some promising stuff!

Nowhere in the recesses of my brain do I remember where or when I acquired these two flannels. But by gosh, they are going to be sewn together, and they will make a perfect backing for this baby boy quilt. A much more suitable "vibe." 

Perfect"? Perhaps not, but definitely will work. And I am stoked to finish it!

And this is how you avoid dithering. You don't worry about super-perfect matches. You make do with the best options in your stash whenever possible. A backing need not be a headache; it's a backing! 

I wish I had thought to check the flannels before buying the yardage, but ah well, the next baby boy quilt I need to make will get its start with that new stuff.

Happy Quilting, Friends!




2 comments:

  1. You are so right. A backing is a backing. Although there is a quilt that I was hand quilting and all along I wasn't pleased with the backing I had picked. Eventually, I unpicked all the stitches and switch the backing for another piece of fabric I had on hand. I am happier with this combo and when I work on it I don't feel like something is wrong. So sometimes, we do have to listen to our gut feelings too.
    Lovely flannel. Enjoy! ;^)

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    Replies
    1. You are absolutely correct. Especially when a quilt is "special" for whatever reason - and hand quilting one is definitely a good reason! - then taking time to consider the perfect option is worth the time it takes. Listening to our gut - that's exactly what it is!

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