How to cut that special material and the quilt that didn't want to be

So, two different topics, first: That special material that is sooooooooo hard to cut. Follow these steps and I promise you will be on your way to creating something new!

1. Collect beautiful fabric that will "someday all go together"

1a. Take fabric out on occasion and fondle and audition it together

1. Store it in its own box so that it can all hang out together and get to know each other

2a. Take fabric out on occasion and fondle and audition it together

1. After about a year, you will realize that you can no longer close the box because you have now purchased 72 1/2 yard and fat quaters and that it is indeed time to make a quilt.

3a. Take fabric out on occasion and fondle and audition it together

1. Spend some time finding the perfect pattern or design your own

4a. Take fabric out on occasion and fondle and audition it together

1. Find the perfect background fabric

5a. Take fabric out on occasion and fondle and audition it together with the background fabric

1. Spend some time telling yourself that you JUST CAN"T CUT THIS MATERIAL!!!

6a. Take fabric out on occasion and fondle and audition it together with the background fabric 6b. If you are so inclinded now would be the time to pre-wash your fabric 6c. Iron it all, feel free to fondle while ironing

1. Go to the store and buy a new blade for your rotary cutter, a new needle for your machine and some beautiful thread stop at your favorate treat store and buy yourself a yummy treat and if you are so inclinded a nice bottle of wine.
2. Find a time when you can be home alone, have time to sew and time to enjoy your treat.
3. Place the new blade in your rotary cutter, the new needle in your machine and wind a few bobbins with that new thread
4. Fix your treat, lay all the fabric out in front of you, realize how beatiful it is, but how much more beatiful it will be as a quilt. Drink a toast to the future quilt, to your machine and to your own creative self.
5. Pick up that rotary cutter and make the first cut!!! After that its easy!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

The quilt that didn't want to be Over a year ago (maybe 2) I started a double wedding ring quilt for my nephew for his wedding. I bought the pattern, I read all the directions, I spent weeks picking out the material. I followed every steop in the pattern and remade blocks until the lined up perfectly. Then I put it together, it didn't line up, so frog stiching well into the night, tried again, a little better, but not much, rip it rip it, tried a third time and this was as good as it was going to get. Finally have a quilt top, its not perfect, a little wonky but its the best I can do, I worked on this thing for 9 months, it was now called "the damn red quilt", because it was a million shades of red with white on white back ground fabric. Finally put together a backing, damn not big enough, add some more material finally seems big enough. Iron both pieces, get them on the frame and start quilting. The thread on the back won't stop turning into a squirels nest, rip rip rip rip rip rip rip rip (its a kingsize quilt). Walk away from it for awhile (several weeks). Go back to it same problem with the thread. Try different thread, different pattern. I HATE THIS QUILT!!!! In the meantime I have pieced together about 5 other tops. hmmmmm the damn red quilt just doesn't want to "be". I try one more time only to find that the backing is no longer big enough, it has shrunk or something because it is now smaller than the top, not sure how that happend as it was bigger (MUCH BIGGER) than the top when I started. So, I give up, It took it off the frame, gently folded it up and put it in the box that held all the above mentioned fat quarters. Maybe if it spends some time in the dark, in a box, in the closet it will see reason and try to help me make it a quilt!! arrrgggg! Karen queen of the sky aka unclbennie