Another AAQI Quilt

After making a small quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) over the weekend, I just wasn't crazy about the embellishments.  So I posted a photo of the quilt on the Quilting Board and asked other quilters for their opinions.  Not many responded, but every single one said the same.....lose the beads.  Well, how does one argue with that, especially since I kinda felt that way myself?  

The beads came off and two more fabric scrolls came on.  These two are in orange and I am much happier with the end result.  So this one is ready for shipping.  Well, actually, I was planning is to drop them off when we go to International Quilt Fest in Houston in November.

AAQI usually has a booth at the Festival, so it would be easy to drop them as I pass by the booth, but it's occurred to me that doing so might make keeping track of the quilts a bit more difficult for the volunteers who work the booth and pack up at the end of Festival.  Besides, if I get my act together and send them in a few days, the quilts might be available for sale at the festival.  Now that would be cool!

Had you noticed that I keep referring to the quilts, plural, as in two?  That's because I first reworked that one....
then I picked up some of the fabric that was left over and played a bit.  

Viola!  Another little quilt.

They're just so easy to whip up.  Especially if you whip up extra stuff while putting one together.   

Another reason that I like playing with these little quilts is that I can experiment with different techniques without that nervous feeling that I get when I'm working on a large quilt.  Besides, it's sometimes hard to get a real sense of whether something is working until the quilt is finished.  Large quilts take time to get to the finish.  These babies finish up so quickly that I get some instant gratification and find out quickly whether the experiment works.


Sometimes an experiment is a total bust.  But that's okay on a small quilt because I've only invested a little bit of time and resources.  Toss a mistake in the trash and move on!  

Toss a big quilt?  No Way!  I have to make it work somehow, and I can get pretty frustrated fighting a quilt that does not want to come together.  But a small 9 X 12 quilt is not a huge investment, so I don't feel guilty when it doesn't cooperate with my bright ideas. (Or my bright ideas weren't so sparkly to begin with.)

Of course, running into the studio for a couple of hours to relax after work is much more fun when there's a quick project awaiting my attention.  Okay, I admit it: I'm like some instant gratification on occasion.

I don't even have to tell you how good it feels to know that my little quilts are helping AAQI to raise money for Alzheimer's research. Now that's some gratification!  Talk about a good reason to play, experiment and throw a cute little quilt together. 
Happy Quilting,
Mary