I’m staring down the calendar and doing a little math in my head, and realizing that this year is already getting away from me. It’s time for me to start making some plans before I look up and I’m knee deep in November with nothing ready for Christmas. So I need to finish up some of these projects that are in my way before I can pounce off in a new direction.
Long time readers may remember this craftastrophe affectionately referred to as my “Quilt of Hate.” I’ve been working half heartedly on it for three years now, basically only pulling it out when I felt especially productive, but it’s nearing completion.
The top is finished, the back is finished, I’ve basted it, and at this point I think those accidental swastikas aren’t the first thing you see. Maybe the second or the third, but not the first. I was tempted to rip the whole thing out when I first discovered the problem, but I’m using crepe backed satin so there really isn’t a ripping it out option. Just more like a ripping it up. I decided to follow the advice of the internet and keep plugging along, figuring that once it was all put together you wouldn’t notice it anymore.
What do you think? Do you they still jump out at you?
I’ve pretty much resigned myself. I’ve gotten emails from quilt experts who tell me that these are not swastikas, they face the wrong way, and are thus a very common traditional quilt motif. But I’m still hampered by my modern sensibilities. I think it actually looks way worse in photos than in person because of how the satin catches the light.
Once the machine quilting is finished I think it will be even better. I’m using a freehand pattern I got from this site. There’s **so** much good stuff there, but I don’t know how far I actually want to get into this machine quilting part. I’m still deciding.
Whether I ever shake that swastika image or not, it’s getting finished and getting used. The satin is truly stunning, and it probably won’t be the last quilt I make out of it. I think in person the first thing you notice about the quilt is just the sumptuousness of the fabric and the pattern goes into the background. I hope.