The Tao of Needleturn

Wow - besides a persistent cough and a froggy throat I'm back to "normal". Well, whatever is normal for me... ;) I sound like I've been smoking all my life - A voice we affectionaly call the "Weezy Jefferson" at home.

So, being the glutten for punishment that I am, I decided a while back to design this appliqued quilt that I have been particularly enamored with. Bunnies, berries, pinwheels - the whole nine yards. Then I decided that this quilt could only be done with needleturn - HAH! Each of the five appliqued blocks has 12 teeny berries on it - a total of 60 berries, and I haven't even gotten to the full on, balls-to-the-wall appliqued border yet. To top things off and to torture myself further, I got a bee in my bonnet about sewing this berries by hand rather than using my nifty little heat resistent "perfect circle" notions. My reasoning... I should be able to sew a darned circle by hand darnnit.

Well, drum roll please, I appliqued on the last of the sixty berries last night and in the process I acquired the trademark callus on my left middle finger.. Hmmm... not a callus from flipping the darned blocks off each time my circles turned out lopsided or flat on one side. While tempted to correct some of the more strangely shaped pieces I have decided for the moment that they add "character". That's quilters code for "SCREW THAT!".

I'll post some pictures of it when I can stand to look the blocks in the eye again. :)