The Special Project for September - Part 4

Are you sewing?   I haven't been but was determined this week to get at my special project.  I took friday off everything I was doing and started sewing my special project.   I designed my project on EQ8 or 7 or something and printed out my patterns... Yes, I am going to paper piece this. and started immediately to feel the stress of not knowing what I was doing. And I gathered my tools.

Then, I had to think about how to turn on my machine... I know!!!!!  I hadn't sewn in a while and initially it evaded me.   But, after much name calling and pounding my head with my fist I got the machine on, oiled, cleaned and ready to sew.  

I choose about 9 fabrics and started on my first block.  Wait a minute, how the "BEEP" do you start paper piecing.   I immediately messaged my good friend Sue who didn't answer for about a week!!! and finally gave up and tried to start on my own.   When she did answer me, I told her I had remembered just before I looked for a very sharp knife... (I won't tell you how I planned to use it.)

After about 4 hours of working diligently at what I had no clue I was doing I did realize that everything was turning out a little small for what I had planned.... so back to the drawing board.  I gathered about 20 more pieces of fabric and started again.  By Friday night at midnight I had pieced all the components for my project.    

When I got up Sarturday the mayhem was more than I could handle.   There was fabric bits everywhere and my lovely little chrystal garbage bowl was full.  So almost before coffee I had to clean up and EVERYTHING I KNEW I WOULD NEVER USE AGAIN, went in to the garbage.  I took a quick break, cleaned up my kitchen, loaded the dishwasher and cleaned out my fridge.  So many left overs in there that had to go and I found a tub of old sour creme that went into the garbage as well, and finally took out the recycling.  After that I was ready to sew. 

Once again... I turned on my machine, without help this time, and started to sew things together.   After the blocks were made, (there were only 4 of them so easy pizzy).  But then, DISASTER STRUCK. I realized I had done ONE section of ONE block wrong and it needed to be redone... did you see the pattern piece in the picture above... yup. there it was until it went in the garbage under that tub of sour creme!  to say I hate paper piecing would really be an understatement at that given moment.  Yes, I did retrieve it and traced out a new piece and remade the one little corner of the one little block! 

By Saturday afternoon, I was putting on borders.  did I mention I ran out of background material.  Now my project is truly scrappy but if you look at it and can see the different fabric, you are too close to my project!  Back to the borders... DID NOT GO WELL!  SO, I stopped put on a good love story ( Mama Mia) then a good (somewhat) mystery Watched some olympics and those borders will get done next weekend cause I'm finished pulling my hair out for this weekend... Stay Tuned!

How's your special project coming along... let me know in the comments. Misery does like company you know!

Gail