How to avoid a project

The last two nights, after the kids are in bed, I have been able to spend a few hours each evening downstairs in my "studio" being quilty! I should be working on the wedding quilt, but other projects have been calling to me more loudly. My guild's biannual show is coming up in March 2008 and I have a few projects that are so close to being done that could make it into the show with just a little more work.........they are just too tempting to ignore!

One of these temptations: I am piecing the top from the pattern "High Cotton" by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. My version is named "Lady's Choice." Last year a friend of mine was taking this class at a LQS and convinced me to join her--the only problem was that I did not want to go out and buy new fabric for the class. So, I challenged myself to find all the fabric for the top from my stash. I also decided to use black in this quilt--something I'd never done before. I picked an inspiration fabric and went from there--it is a VERY scrappy quilt and much more high contrast than Miss Rosie's version. This will be a king-size quilt for my bed (main colors are pink/rose, black, green, and golds/tans) and I plan to have it long armed. The mini churn dash and shoo fly blocks were fun to make. Here is a portion of it set out on the design wall (it is going to be a big quilt!):

Another temptation: I also put together block three of the 1930's B.O.M. This block is actually red, white, and blue (looks pinkish in the photo for some reason).

It is official: My four-year-old daughter has claimed the quilt that will result from these blocks as hers! She loves the bright, cheerful colors and the little motifs in some of the fabrics. I have even started to pick out some 1930's fat quarters that I will use in sashings and such in the final design. This is going to be fun since I have decided all the supporting fabrics must have some sort of personal meaning for my daughter. Here are the two I've gotten so far:

They are both from the Aunt Grace 15th Anniversary Collection by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Textiles. The parasol fabric was picked because she loves umbrellas, and the rooster fabric was picked because each time we go to the LQS to pick up the next block's kit, we drive past a flea market that has a giant rooster perched on top of a truck and she always notices it!

She is a very special little girl--she was born at 25 weeks 3 days gestation and weighed only 1 lb. 10 oz. at birth. She was 9.5 inches long and spent the first 14 1/2 weeks of her life in the NICU--she was a tough little fighter and came through it all by the grace of God a normal, healthy, albeit feisty kid. Every gray hair I ever have will probably be attributable to her, but hey, it's worth it........how often do you get to experience a miracle like her survival?

Sigh. One of these days (soon) I'll get back to that wedding quilt......