Best in Show

In the last few months I've got a bit grumpy with a lot of the quilting world. It started around the time of our local show, and then all the shows and markets and things ... it just seems like a constant rush for better, shinier, more elaborate, more difficult, smaller pieces, bigger statements, trendier colours, new seasons, new fabric lines. It's not really what I like about quilting - I like that it's practical, useful, technically very forgiving, and, if you want to, you can make exactly what someone did 200 years ago and end up with a functional and lovely thing you can use every day. There aren't many aspects of human endeavour where you can do that.

And while I'm interested in new techniques and learning things - I don't care if I never get any "better" in terms of prizes and judging. I love looking at other people's quilts but I really don't like the idea that there is a quilting benchmark or a goal that we should all constantly be striving towards. It makes me cross. And when I get cross ... I make a quilt about it.

Very basic squares in yellow and blue, with a triangle border. Scrappy and a bit wonky in the execution and randomly quilted in a wiggly way. And another repurposed dust ruffle! Yay!



But with a message in it for us all.



Interestingly, my husband walked out just after I took this photo and said "ooo! Nice colours, I like that one" - I said, well, yes, except for the you know and he said "the what?" I said it had words on it, and he could not for the life of him see it. Then I showed him the photo in the camera viewfinder ... and he laughed and laughed ... but my point is it's actually quite difficult to make out the words in real life. So maybe I can put it on the bed after all!

I called it "Best in Show" ... hahaha. I'm not going back to Canberra Quilters either, it's no fun when it's about impressing the judges and seeing who is doing what in the world. I need to find a group with lower standards.