Unfinished Business....by (Angela) Jean

The quilt and shams Amelia and I made together in January

Over the last 10 years I have made a lot of quilts. Aside from the quilts I have made for my own kids, they have all been for other people.

I have loads of ideas stored deep in my brain, for quilts I would like to make for myself, but so far most of them have never been started.

I've been trying to figure out why. Why can I churn out quilt after quilt for other people and never finish one for myself?

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am a procrastinator at my best when I have a deadline. Both the quilt orders I receive and the quilts I make as gifts, always have a due date (baby-on-the-way, wedding shower, birthdays etc). I always tell myself I'll get started on my own quilts 'when I have time'.
 
I have one quilt that has remained unfinished for years....at least 5 or 6, but I can't even be sure. It is going to be a queen size scrap quilt made from all the blue & white fabrics I have collected.

Recently my mother-in-law dropped off a bag containing parts of a sampler quilt that she had started but now wants me to finish for her. I was a little stunned since a) my mother-in-law has never shown any interest in quilting or sewing in the 13+ years I have known her and b) I had no idea she had taken a 10 week quilt sampler course over the winter at my local quilting store. I must admit she did a great job choosing the fabrics, and the pattern is quite pretty even if it's not to my personal taste.

The bag she left on my sewing table included her finished blocks and a binder of instructions for completing the sashing and assembly. I don't normally make quilts like this but I thought I'd give it a shot.

So that leads me to my idea. What if I make myself a deadline, with you as my witness? What if I tell you that I will have both of these quilts finished by July 1 and that I will have to do a follow-up post to prove it?

Will you agree to be my deadline enforcement committee? If you do, I think it will work.
Wish me luck.