Deco Bloom quilt

I think we’ve all been there. You were flying high with some exciting idea, have taking the first steps towards something beautiful or put months into work on a promising project, when suddenly it all goes wrong and the wind flies out of your sails with a gush, sending you plummeting back to earth.

Okay, so that may be a tad bit dramatic (wink), but it really can feel so devastating when that high of creative euphoria switches over to disappointment. That’s how I felt earlier this week when I was quilting Deco Bloom quilt. I hadn’t rushed it. I put thought into my choice of quilting pattern, looked at new options and asked Aart for his thoughts.

But by the time I was trimming the quilted project, I felt just sadness. It’s not the first time that I have regretted my choice of quilting design, but this was the most painful, because I had been so happy with the project thus far and had put so, so, so much time into its creation.

Here is the finished quilt on my bed. Of course, it’s not terrible, I realize that. In fact, to someone this quilting treatment may be ideal.

To me it’s too busy and too geometric. The patchwork itself has lots of sharp corners and a clean, art deco feel. I think that softer, more organic quitting would have created more space to enjoy the patchwork and colors - i.e. what I already adored about the work.

And, yes, I realized that I was probable on the wrong track early in the quilting process, but I didn’t have the heart to take out all the quilting that had already been done. Instead, I worked hard to find a compromise that would at least not put that geometric quilting on the dresden flowers, where I felt I couldn’t bear it.

Instead I quilted the Dresden flowers with a floral motif, which gives them a double-blossom, ruffly appeal with texture. This semi-custom quilting approach also allowed me to use a lighter brown thread on the flowers, as opposed to the darker brown I used everywhere else to blend in with the darker colors of the quilt. So that was a win!

Even though I have some regrets, I’m also glad that this big ol’ quilt is done and ready to be used! The colors and shapes do look great in my room. In time, I may not notice the quitting much. Fingers crossed.

You live, you learn, and thank goodness there’s always another chance to sew beauty anew.