Sewing Detour!

Is quilter's ADD a bona fide affliction? It must be -- why else do so many quilters have so many unfinished projects stashed in their Closets of Shame? I try to put a good face on my own case by talking about how much I like to focus on the process rather than the finished end result. But the bald truth is that it doesn't take much for me to exclaim "Oooo -- shiny!" and jump into a different project.

Just now all of my ongoing quilting projects have been moved to the back burner (Eeek! A very flammable metaphor for a seamstress.) while I try to whip up Simplicity 2210 for Granddaughter J.

I cannot resist the cuteness of View 2 -- especially since I already have some pink and white checked quilter's cotton. So on Sunday I nipped over to the LQS for some compatible, reads-like-a-solid pink for the collar and sash. (Yay, Superbowl Sale -- 25% off!) It's a very subtle tone-on-tone floral. A perfect combination!

J's measurements exactly fit the pattern's except for length. I'll have to add 5 inches to the skirt. (According to the picture, little girls wore their skirts very short in the '50s.) And I may alter the sash a little. The pattern calls for a single layer of fabric, narrow hemmed all the way around. I'm thinking that a double layer sewn right sides together and then turned right sides out would have a nicer, more finished look.

So, having having preshrunk and ironed my fabric, I began to lay out my pattern pieces. Oh, no! The checks are not printed on the straight grain of the fabric! (I know, because I tore the fabric along the crosswise grain.)

Okay, I'll just match the pattern's grainlines to the printed checks. Urrrgh! The printed checks are not really straight. The bottom of the skirt is going to look as though I sewed the dress crookedly. Now I remember why I hate checks and plaids. "A pox on directional fabrics," I say, "A pox!" What, I wonder, am I going to do?

Suddenly, everything begins to look shiny. I can feel my quilter's ADD beginning to take hold...

Gosh, maybe I should go put the borders on my Bricks & Stepping Stones quilt. And I've been meaning to sort my stash of 3.5 inch squares according to color. Or wouldn't this be a good time to start cutting those 600 half square triangle units for my Cotton Boll quilt?

No, no! I must focus. One can properly take years to finish a quilt, but a granddaughter's dress pattern will be quickly outgrown. I'm not sure yet how I will solve The Case of the Off-Grain Check, but I do know that next time I attempt something like this I'll make sure to buy a true gingham. (Real gingham has the check pattern woven into the fabric rather than just printed on it.)