I decided to join Jacquie's challenge over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio: Spring to Finish!

I know, I know, some of you may be thinking "Didn't you join Oh Franson's Quilt Along? What happened there?" Well, it turns out, I just don't like following other people's patterns!

Although I cut out all the fabric (which I'm kicking myself for now); as I watched hers develop, I f0und myself thinking "Where is the joy in having a quilt that looks like everyone else's?" Yes of course, everyone's will be different because of their fabric choices, but the "sameness" of them all just didn't appeal to me. I'll do something with that fabric some time, but probably not what it was intended to do! Which is no fault of Franson's, by any means.

I know that at this point, my quilting abilities are not up to the task of meeting my quilting expression, but I don't think that following someone else's pattern is the way to get there. Not for me, anyway.

All of that said, Jacquie's challenge (to complete as many works in progress as you can in the month of April) is much more doable for me, because it fits in so well with what I want to do anyway! (See how that works?) *w*

I have so many WIPS or "UFOs" as I call 'em ( Unfinished Objects). And the more tops I make, the guiltier I feel about the tops that are waiting to be quilted, and the projects that fell to the wayside in various states of "undress" while I wandered off to fufill some other fancy. If I work on this challenge this month, I can make tops galore through the spring and early summer and not feel guilty at all.

In addition, this will be a great opportunity for me to experiment with other ways of quilting. I like meanders and swirls and stippling and free hand hearts; and I seriously need to practice them more to get my hand/foot speed cooridnated and get stitches the right size, but I'm so TIRED of meanders and swirls and stippling. I want to do OTHER kinds of quilting but I'm just not ready yet.

*SIGH*

This challenge will force me to quilt more, which will make me learn more, which can only make me better at all of this quilting business, right? So say I, anyway. :)

I haven't got a chance of winning the prize Jacquie's offering, because I do have a day job and can't devote ALL my time to this project, or even all of my free time; but I bet I can take a good bite out of my UFOs!

I can think of the following WIPs off the top of my head sitting on my shelves:

Isn't it Romantic?
Spring Forward
Autumn Steals In
Man's Fans
Monopoly Coins
Vincent's Song
A Sampler, Darkly
"That Ugly Black One" (Okay, I won't REALLY call it that)
Last Fall, in Spring
Elephants in the Park
Unnamed Bento Box

In addition, I have some unnamed ones in baskets too - including a lovely black and gold that's been cut but hasn't even been sewn yet, and has been languishing there since this time last spring!

So, I expect I'll have a busy April. As for what you can expect - expect a lot of updates as I post the work I've completed; or expect none as I bury myself in quilts!

'Til then, happy spring! Make it beautiful.